Keyword cannibalization – what is it and what are its consequences?

What is keyword cannibalization?

Content on subpages does not have to be identical, as is the case with duplicate content (copying, duplicating content on the page), but thematically similar and saturated with the same phrases. This leads to competition between these subpages in search engine results for specific keywords.

Keyword cannibalization – causes

As we have already mentioned, the main reason for the occurrence of cannibalization is the possession of websites/content with similar themes. Additionally, several other causes of this phenomenon can be listed.

• lack of meta tags or their incorrect settings;
• very similar product categories;
• many subpages with similar content;
• use of the same anchor texts;
• lack of canonical addresses.

How does cannibalization of phrases affect positioning?

Keyword cannibalization can affect SEO in various ways.

Fluctuation of URL addresses position

Keyword cannibalization can contribute to significant fluctuations in the positions of specific URL addresses in search results, which prevents achieving stability and maintaining a position in the TOP10, TOP5, or TOP3 for selected keywords. This disrupts the ability to accurately assess other SEO activities within the website and their impact on the position of subpages.

Reduction of traffic

The phenomenon of cannibalization leads to a significant decrease in traffic on an online store or website. The presence of two different subpages with the same keywords in search results will result in visitors either accessing one or the other address. This means that instead of accumulating traffic on the subpage that is more important to you, it will be divided into two or more. This, in turn, can greatly affect the number of inquiries, purchases, or other desired actions.

Higher position of less important subpages

The existence of keyword cannibalization within a single domain can also lead to a higher position of a less significant subpage. For example, instead of displaying a subpage with a product or service for a specific phrase, a blog article about the service or an informational subpage will be shown, which will not translate into sales.

Keyword cannibalization – analysis

Diagnosing whether keyword cannibalization affects your website requires constant monitoring of keywords and analyzing traffic on the site. If you notice significant fluctuations in the rankings of specific subpages, you may suspect that this problem is occurring within your domain.

To find out if this phenomenon is happening on your website and if so, where and on which phrases, it is worth using professional tools, among which are:

• Senuto,
• Ahrefs,
• SEMSTORM.

All of these tools allow monitoring the positions of subpages for specific keywords, enable analyzing traffic and fluctuations in search results positions. Some of them also have the option to check cannibalization reports (available, for example, in Senuto).

How to cope with cannibalism?

Keyword cannibalization can be a significant problem in achieving high positions in search results. What should be done when keyword cannibalization occurs? Here are a few suggestions.

1. Combining several publications into one – if cannibalization concerns subpages or articles that are thematically similar, it is enough to merge several publications into one and redirect the remaining ones to the appropriate page (with a 301 redirect).
2. Utilizing rel canonical – if for some reason you do not want to remove publications, you can use rel canonical tags to indicate that the more important content (which should be indexed) is located at a different address.
3. Modifying content and keywords – in the case of publishing articles on similar topics, it is worth distinguishing the keywords used in them. For example, if you have 2 blog posts about garden paths, let one of them focus on what can be done with such a path, while the other may present ideas only for inexpensive paths.
4. Internal linking – make sure that all anchors with similar keyword phrases lead to one address.

It is better to prevent mistakes than to fix them later

As with any problem, when it comes to word cannibalization, it is better to make an effort to prevent this problem from occurring at all, rather than trying to get rid of it and minimize its negative effects.

SEO activities are time-consuming, and building website positions requires patience. It is very easy to lose good positions, so it is not worth risking that hard work will be wasted. From the very beginning, attention should be paid to proper planning and targeting of phrases.

Properly matching phrases and URLs, as well as optimizing the content and code of your website, will allow you to prevent any issues not only related to cannibalization but also other unwanted phenomena by Google.

By using professional SEO tools (such as those mentioned earlier), you can stay on top of things and react before matters escalate and a solution needs to be found.