Understand & Fix Keyword Cannibalism and Improve SEO Performance

Keyword cannibalization is an SEO term that is often misunderstood. There are many myths circulating about the cannibalization of Keywords. Even SEO experts are unsure if this phenomenon actually exists. And if so, what it exactly means.

In practice, keyword cannibalization can indeed be a problem, leading in the worst case scenario to a failure to achieve higher rankings and overall, reduced traffic. But what exactly lies behind the myths? This guide explains what keyword cannibalization is and the disadvantages it entails. It also explains how the problem can be solved using various optimization measures.

What is Keyword Cannibalization?

SEO cannibalization, as already mentioned, is a topic that is controversially discussed. Regardless, the most important rule in Search engine optimization is: Only a single main keyword should be used per landing page or URL. This rule is not always easy to follow. Especially for large websites with many URLs, it can quickly become confusing.

This is what many people understand as keyword cannibalization: Multiple pages of a website targeting the same main keyword, so that one of the URLs affects the ranking and traffic of the other, and as a result, no page performs as optimally as it could.

However, this definition should be viewed with nuance. After all, if multiple pages are optimized for the same keyword, this does not automatically mean that none of them achieve a good ranking. Furthermore, keyword cannibalization occurs due to overlapping intentions. This means that two pages with similar keywords can certainly coexist harmoniously on the same website without competing with each other, as long as they fulfill different search intents.

Other common terms for keyword cannibalization are SEO over-optimizations or relevance problems. The term ‘search intent cannibalization’ is probably the most accurate. The cannibalization effect can thus be characterized as follows: Keyword cannibalization becomes a problem when two landing pages rank with the same keyword and fulfill the same search intent.

Identifying Keyword Cannibalism

Keyword Cannibalism vs. Duplicate Content

You might be wondering now what the difference between keyword cannibalism and Duplicate Content is. Duplicate content is present when identical content is found on multiple URLs of the same domain. This means that keyword cannibalism can be duplicate content, but it does not have to be. In such cases, Google usually recognizes the copied content and labels the corresponding URL as such.

What causes cannibalization in SEO?

In most cases, keyword cannibalization is not intentional, but due to ignorance or carelessness. A common reason is well-intentioned over-optimization, but without careful planning and structure. For example, content is regularly created for suitable keywords, but without reviewing existing content first.

A second reason could be under-optimization. In this case, content is published regularly, but without having an SEO focus or taking relevant keywords into account.

But even large and older domains carry a significant risk for keyword cannibalization, as usually many people are involved in the website processes. The result: The overview is lost.

What are the effects of keyword cannibalization?

The consequences of keyword cannibalization can appear in various ways. If multiple pages of the same domain serve the same keyword and the same search intent, the Google algorithm may struggle to determine which of the two pages is the more relevant result for the search request. Usually, all affected pages lose out in ranking, and subsequently in visibility.

Keyword cannibalization can cause various problems and affect the performance of the relevant website on the search results page.

The most common indicators of keyword cannibalization are:

• URL switches: Multiple pages of a website alternately rank for the same keyword
• Fluctuating SERP positions
• Difficulty improving the ranking of a keyword

URL switches

If you notice that a different URL is constantly displayed for a specific keyword in the search results, this is a strong indicator of keyword cannibalization. In this case, Google probably cannot determine which page should rank in the top positions. Contradictory signals are usually the cause of such position fluctuations.

However, this does not necessarily have to be a bad thing, especially if you are offering different content variants for a generic keyword. If multiple pages rank for the same keyword, however, this can negatively affect the user experience and the conversion path.

In addition, you should expect that all signals going to Google will be divided and thus decrease for the individual pages. The Link Juice, through internal and external linking as well as the authority, are also spread across multiple pages in this scenario.

Fluctuating SERP positions

If the position for a keyword fluctuates to a great extent, this can also be a sign of keyword cannibalization. If a keyword occasionally drops out of the top 10, is on rank 50, and then suddenly reappears on rank 9, this is an unusual fluctuation that you should closely monitor.

Changing URLs and ranking fluctuations often go hand in hand. URL changes can send confusing signals to Google, which can in turn result in fluctuating SERP positions.

Difficulty in improving ranking

You have gained high-quality new backlinks and optimized content, but the ranking still doesn't want to rise? The subpage seems to be stuck in one position? In such cases, it is often keyword cannibalization.

This scenario can be very frustrating. Often, the authority is divided among multiple pages instead of being bundled on one subpage. The result: No page can fully exploit its potential and is ranked lower than it deserves. Incoming links also play a key role in ranking. If the authority of incoming links is divided among multiple URLs, this also results in contradictory signals.

When is it not keyword cannibalization?

You occupy the first two places for the same keyword, but once with a product page – with a transactional intent – and once with a blog post – with an informative intent? This is not keyword cannibalization. You've done everything right. Achieving multiple rankings with the same keyword, especially in the top 10, is not cannibalism.

As long as your results fulfill different search intents, provide high-quality content, and create added value for readers, you don't need to worry.

There's also no need to worry about longtail keywords. It's completely normal for a page to rank for many topic-relevant long-tail keywords and thus overlaps in keywords occur.

How can keyword cannibalization be identified?

Now that you know what keyword cannibalization is, you can take action. There are various ways you can identify keyword cannibalization in cases of suspicion.

Special SEO-tools like Quaro, or also the Google Search Console or the Google search operator can provide first aid. Below you will find an overview of the most important methods:

Semrush: With the Semrush Guru or Business plan, you can access the ‘Cannibalization’ tab under the position tracking function. To search for cannibalization problems, you can use the tool in two ways: You can display URLs or keywords. In the next step, the respective page or keyword can be analyzed. Semrush shows if multiple URLs rank for the same keyword, at what positions these pages appear, as well as the position history, the search volume, and the traffic.

Ahrefs: A similarly popular tool is Ahrefs. Under the tab ‘organic keywords’ you have the possibility to access historical data for all keywords and recognize problems with keyword cannibalization. If you click on ‘show history chart’, you will see a ranking chart. If there is an indication of keyword cannibalization, the keyword should constantly disappear from the index or if multiple URLs rank for the same search term.

Google Search Console: The GSC is a very useful tool and a real all-rounder. You can get to the bottom of keyword cannibalization with the Search Console by finding a list of search queries under ‘Performance’ with which a specific website has achieved impressions and clicks. Under the ‘Search queries’ tab, you can select a specific keyword that you want to analyze. Now you can display a list of URLs that rank for this keyword and the associated statistics.

In addition to the ranking, also check impressions and clicks. If more than one page is shown, with only minor value differences, this can be an indication of keyword cannibalization. But user signals such as a low click-through rate (CTR) of a page or a high bounce rate can also indicate that optimization is needed and different pages are competing.

Search operator: Another possibility is to use the search operator „site:[domain] keyword“ directly on Google in incognito mode. With this manual method, Google displays a list of subpages that have been optimized for a specific keyword. Subsequently, you can check the corresponding URLs for thematic overlaps and similar snippets.

At OMR Reviews, you will find an overview of all relevant keyword cannibalization tools, can compare them, and will certainly find the right software for your business.

Examples of SEO cannibalization

As already mentioned, you have the opportunity to find out how many URLs of a website rank for a keyword using so-called search operators.

"site:chefkoch.de Pizza dough" for example, shows all subpages of the domain that have been optimized for the main keyword "Pizza dough". With this check, you gain a quick overview of how often a certain keyword has already been used as a main keyword.

How can keyword cannibalization be fixed?

With the keyword cannibalization tools mentioned above, the Google Search Console and the search operator, you have concrete clues indicating whether action needs to be taken or not.

As causes and effects of keyword cannibalization are varied and depend on individual circumstances, there also are different possibilities for Onpage optimization. In many cases, it's all about the right organization or restructuring of contents. Particularly disadvantageous cases, however, may require a new landing page or a canonical tag. Here is an overview of optimization measures that you can use to counter keyword cannibalization.

301-Redirects

Can you do without a URL because the content is outdated or irrelevant? In this case, it is advisable to remove the page affected by keyword cannibalization with worse performance and redirect to the stronger page via 301. Ensure to update all internal links and check after a few weeks whether the URL has really disappeared from the Google index.

Canonical Tag

Sometimes, however, there are also reasons why all URLs need to remain. If it is not possible to remove the cannibalized page, canonical tags can be helpful. This way, a URL can be designated as the primary page. With the canonical tag, search engines are signaled that the content of a subpage is not „original“, but the original is located somewhere else. However, this solution should be viewed with caution, because canonicalization is only a recommendation for search engines.

NoIndex-Tag

This option also keeps all URLs. To resolve keyword cannibalization, the weaker landing page can be marked in the robots.txt with the attribute „noindex, follow“. Excluding a page from indexing should only be chosen as a solution if the cannibalized page absolutely must remain, for example due to internal company reasons.

Merge and optimize pages

In many cases, it is a good alternative to merge the contents of two or more competing pages. The aim here is to bundle the weaker pages into an optimized stronger version. This is especially sensible if one page noticeably stands out positively in terms of links and traffic. This also gives you the chance to review the existing content, optimize it and get the best out of it.

Create new landing page

In this variant, new targeted content is created focusing on the respective search intent. This can be an advantage if none of the cannibalized URLs is suitable for the main keyword and it is not worth optimizing a page.

Differentiate the keyword focus of the pages

This optimization measure can also be very effective. You can align one of the competing pages with another, similar keyword, or a long-tail search term, and refine the keyword alignment. In this scenario, you have the chance to achieve a good ranking with all existing pages.

Revise internal linking

You can help Google figure out which page is most important by maintaining a good link structure. This is particularly advisable if matching anchor text is used that refers to different pages. With this option, you can increase the ranking and authority of your URL. Also, high-quality external linking (backlinks) have a crucial influence on the SERP position and should not be forgotten.

How to prevent keyword cannibalization

For those who want to save subsequent work, the saying goes: prevention is better than cure. In general, software solutions, such as Quaro. Following are general tips on how to prevent keyword cannibalization:

Create a content plan with detailed keyword research and keyword mapping: The risk of keyword cannibalization is significantly minimized if you do a detailed keyword analysis and then create a unique keyword cluster for each relevant URL. This way, you keep an overview of main and secondary keywords as well as all past and upcoming topics. Use specific keyword combinations or longtail keywords, if possible, rather than generics, then you will really create content that is on point.

Regularly check existing content: You should also check your website for outdated, superfluous or harmful content. Moreover, it can be useful to occasionally carry out a more extensive content audit.

Prevent it safely with the SERP Overlap Tool: If you're ever unsure whether you need a separate page for two similar keywords or whether both terms can be covered with one page, this tool can be worth its weight in gold. The SERP Overlap Tool helps to compare the search queries for two different keywords with each other and determines the so-called „SERP Overlap Score“ and the „Relevance Score“ with subsequent action recommendation. And the best: This function is free.

Conclusion

Keyword cannibalization sounds dramatic at first, but it's not that bad in most cases. Especially with larger sites with lots of content, it's normal for subpages to rank for several similar keywords.

Competing keywords are a quite common problem in search engine optimization. It's important to consider this topic from the start, so keyword cannibalization doesn't occur at all. If it does happen, this guide provides you with enough options at hand to quickly fix small cannibalization problems. Remember that keyword cannibalization doesn't necessarily have to be a bad thing.

And most importantly: Content is King: A high-quality user-oriented content, fulfilling the correct search intent and a good User-Experience will always be the most important factors to achieve a good ranking in the long term.