Do you have multiple web pages ranking for the same keyword? Initially, that may sound like a good thing, but it could be a sign of keyword cannibalization.
Targeting specific keywords with multiple pages on your website can hurt your ranking in search results. In this article, you’ll learn what keyword cannibalization is, how to spot it on your website, and some tips to fix it.
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What is Keyword Cannibalization?
Keyword cannibalization happens when multiple pages on your website target the same keyword. For example, you have a blog about hiking.
You might have one post about the best hiking trails in the area and another about the best hiking gear. Both of these posts target the keyword “hiking.”
It can be a problem because it can be difficult for search engines to determine which page shows the most relevant result for that keyword.
As a result, your pages may end up competing with each other in search results instead of ranking higher.
Examples of Keyword Cannibalization Issues
Keyword Cannibalization can cause several issues that can hurt your website’s traffic and search engine ranking.
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Lower Rankings in Search Results
Multiple pages that compete for the same keyword often result in difficulty for search engines to determine which page offers the most relevant result.
As a result, your pages may not rank as high as they could if they target different keywords.
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Lower Click-Through Rates in Search Results
If your pages compete with each other in search results, then searchers may have difficulty choosing which result to click on. As a result, your website’s overall click-through rate (CTR) may suffer.
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Difficulty Analyzing Search Traffic
If you have keyword cannibalization on your website, it can be difficult to analyze which page is getting the most search traffic for a particular keyword.
As a result, optimizing your pages for better search engine ranking becomes difficult.
Also, check out – What is the cost of SEO Audit
How Important is it to Solve Keyword Cannibalization?
Keyword cannibalization is a critical issue to solve because it can hurt your chances of ranking in search results.
If multiple pages compete with each other for the same keyword, it can be difficult for search engines to determine which page is the most relevant result.
As a result, your pages may not rank as high as they could if they target different keywords.
According to Moz, “keyword cannibalization can result in wasted link equity, lower click-through rates (CTRs), and decreased organic traffic.”
In other words, if you have keyword cannibalization on your website, you could miss out on traffic and ranking opportunities.
Spotting Keywords Cannibalization Issues
If you think you may have keyword cannibalization on your website, there are a few ways to spot that issue:
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Check Your Google Search Console Account
The first step is to check Google Search Console. It’s a free tool that lets you see your website’s performance in Google search results.
Google search console aggregates all the search queries that your website appears for and displays them in an easy-to-read format.
To check for keyword cannibalization, go to the Search Traffic > Search Queries section of Google Search Console. Then, look for any keywords that have multiple pages on your website ranking in the search results.
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Use a Keyword Cannibalization Tool
A few different keyword cannibalization tools can help you spot the issue on your website. One option is Screaming Frog, a desktop program that crawls your website and looks for any instances of keyword cannibalization.
Another option is Botify, which is a cloud-based keyword cannibalization tool.
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Perform a Manual Search
If you want to check for keyword cannibalization manually, you can do a search on Google or another search engine.
First, key in your keyword and hit enter. Then, scroll through the results and look for instances where multiple pages from your website rank in the search results.
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Check Your Google Analytics Account
Using Google Analytics installed on your website, you can check for keyword cannibalization in the Acquisition > Search Console > Queries report.
This report shows you the keywords your website ranks for in Google search results. You can use this report to spot instances where multiple pages from your website rank for the same keyword.
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Check Your Google AdWords Account
You can check for keyword cannibalization in the Keywords tab if you have a Google AdWords account. This tab shows the keywords your website ranks for in Google search results.
You can use this report to spot instances where multiple pages from your website rank for the same keyword.
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Check Your Site’s XML Sitemap
You can check for any instances of keyword cannibalization in the XML sitemap of your website.
To do this, simply open your sitemap in a text editor and search for any instances where multiple pages are being mapped to the same keyword.
Also, check out – Local SEO ranking factors
How to Solve Keyword Cannibalization Issues
If you’ve spotted keyword cannibalization on your website, there are a few different ways that you can solve the issue.
Choose a unique keyword for each page
You need to choose a unique keyword for each page on your website, to avoid using the same keyword on multiple pages. Instead, choose a different keyword for each page relevant to that page’s content.
Optimize your titles and meta
Once you’ve chosen a unique keyword for each page, you need to optimize your titles and metas, which means that you should include your keyword in each page’s title and meta description.
If you have very similar web pages, you can use canonical tags to instruct search engines which page is the most important.
For example, if two web pages rank for the same keyword, a canonical tag tells search engines which page you want them to rank.
A canonical tag is an HTML element that tells search engines which version of a page to index. It looks like this:
<link rel=”canonical” href=”http://example.com/page-1″ />
You should place the canonical tag on all of the similar pages. You can add the canonical tag to each page’s <head> section.
Remove and redirect cannibalized pages
You can remove or redirect if you have cannibalized pages on your website. To remove a page, simply delete it from your website.
To redirect a page, you need to add a 301 redirect from the cannibalized page to the most important page. A 301 redirect shows search engines that a page has been permanently moved to a new location.
Rework on your internal linking structure
If pages on your website cannibalize each other, you may need to rework your internal linking structure. It means that you will need to change how your pages are linked.
For example, if you have two pages that are both ranking for the same keyword, you can link to the most important page from the cannibalized page.
It will help to transfer authority from the cannibalized page to the most important page.
How to Avoid Cannibalization Issues in the Future?
To avoid keyword cannibalization in the future, you should keep the following tips in mind:
Choose unique keywords for each page
When choosing keywords to target, make sure you choose unique keywords for each page to ensure that they’re more likely to rank for different keywords and avoid confusion for searchers.
Use keyword research tools
Several keyword research tools are available to find unique keywords to target.
Some popular keyword research tools include Google Keyword Planner, SEMrush, and Moz Keyword Explorer.
Monitor your website’s search rankings
It’s essential to regularly monitor your website’s search rankings to spot any instances of keyword cannibalization. You can use Google Search Console or Moz Pro to track your website’s search rankings.
Use different keyword match types.
When targeting keywords, use a mix of different keyword match types, including broad and exact match keywords, to ensure that your pages are more likely to rank for different keywords and avoid confusion for searchers.
Monitor your website’s organic traffic
It’s also important to regularly monitor your website’s organic traffic to spot any instances of keyword cannibalization.
Google Analytics is a great tool to use for tracking your website’s organic traffic.
Also, check out – How to know if your website is SEO friendly
Final thoughts
Keyword cannibalization is an issue that can commonly occur on most websites. If you’ve spotted keyword cannibalization on your website, there are a few different ways that you can solve the issue.
You can choose a unique keyword for each page, optimize your titles and meta, use canonical tags, remove and redirect cannibalized pages, or rework your internal linking structure.
It’s also highly recommendable to use experienced SEO services to fully leverage the skills and knowledge of SEO experts regarding this matter.
Solving keyword cannibalization issues can be challenging, but it’s crucial if you want your website to rank well in search results.
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