Keyword cannibalization occurs when multiple pages on your website target the same keyword or similar search terms. This results in those pages competing against each other in search engine rankings. Instead of helping your site rank higher, it dilutes the effectiveness of each page and can lead to lower rankings for all competing pages.
Why It’s Harmful for SEO
- Reduced Ranking Potential: When Google can’t determine which page is most important, all competing pages may rank lower.
- Diluted Authority: Backlinks, clicks, and other ranking factors are spread across multiple pages, weakening each page’s overall impact.
- Confused Search Engines: Search engines struggle to identify the most relevant content to rank for specific queries.
How to Identify and Fix Keyword Cannibalization
- Audit Your Content: Look for similar articles or pages that target the same keyword.
- Merge or Consolidate Pages: Combine competing content into a single, high-quality page.
- Improve Internal Linking: Link to the most important page from other relevant content to signal its priority to search engines.