When you write about similar topics, you risk keyword cannibalization, which can severely hurt your rankings. What happens is that you’re reducing your chances of ranking well on Google because you’re competing with your own content. This issue becomes more likely as your site grows, with your content vying against itself. In this guide, I’ll explain how keyword cannibalization can impact SEO, how to spot it and how to address it!
What is keyword cannibalization?
Keyword cannibalization occurs when multiple blog posts or articles on your site target the same search query. This could happen because the topics overlap too much or because you’ve optimized them with the same key phrase. When this happens, the posts are competing against each other for rankings. Typically, Google will display only one or two results from the same domain for a particular query — though high-authority sites may get up to three results. This means that if you have written many articles about the same topic, you might be ruining your chances of ranking.
How do you spot keyword cannibalization?
Checking if your site is affected by keyword cannibalization is simple. Search for your site using a keyword you think might have multiple results. To do this, type site:yourdomain.com “keyword” in Google and you’ll quickly see if there’s any overlap.
I checked the results for the key phrase ‘procrastination website maintenance‘. As you can see, Google considers multiple pages for this specific key phrase. So, what does Google show in the search engine when we search for these terms? Enter the same keywords into Google using a private browser (an incognito tab) and see what comes up.x
As you can see, only one of the results of Progress Planner is in the top 10. So, there probably isn’t much cannibalization going on. However, I also wrote the first result on my personal blog. I would rather have ranked with the Progress Planner website, though. But, my personal blog has been around much longer, which probably is the reason it’s ranking better. Only a matter of time before Progress Planner beats Marieke.com
In assessing whether or not keyword cannibalization is a thing in your situation, take note of which pages appear in the search results. Analyze their ranking positions. If two pages for the same keyword rank #1 and #2, there’s no issue. But if they’re showing up further down, say at positions 7 and 8, it’s time to take action!
How to address keyword cannibalization
There are two ways to address keyword cannibalization. The first method is merging articles that focus on the same search terms. The second method is improving the internal linking structure of your website and ‘telling’ Google which article is most important. Let’s check both methods out:
1. Merging articles
Merging two articles is a good strategy if you’re ranking with both articles and you can’t really decide which one of the two is most important.
To solve keyword cannibalization by merging two articles, start by identifying which piece of content is the strongest or most relevant for the target keyword. For example, which of the two articles has the most traffic? Then, combine the most valuable and unique information from both articles into a single, comprehensive post. Ensure that the updated content covers the topic thoroughly, providing readers with a better user experience.
After merging the content, set up a 301 redirect from the less relevant or outdated article to the newly optimized one. This will ensure that any backlinks, traffic, or SEO value from the old post transfers to the new one. This method consolidates your content and strengthens your site’s authority for the target keyword.
2. Improve internal linking
If one of the articles that is suffering from keyword cannibalization is more important (to you) than the other article, you can solve keyword cannibalization by making adjustments to the internal linking structure.
Identify which article or page you want to prioritize for a specific keyword. Also, ensure it’s the most authoritative and comprehensive. Then, adjust your internal links to point from other related, less important articles to this central piece, signaling to search engines which page should rank higher. Ensure your anchor text includes the target keyword to strengthen these connections. Yoast SEO offers helpful features, such as internal linking suggestions, to guide you in building a solid internal link structure and avoiding cannibalization. You can learn more about optimizing internal linking at Yoast.
Maintain your website and avoid keyword cannibalization!
Avoiding keyword cannibalization is an ongoing process that requires regular maintenance of your content. As your website grows, so does the risk of overlapping content competing for the same keywords. By routinely auditing your site, updating older posts, refining your keyword strategy and maintaining a clear content hierarchy, you can prevent cannibalization issues before they impact your rankings. Regularly reviewing your internal links, merging similar articles and optimizing your content ensures that each piece serves a distinct purpose. This proactive approach will help keep your SEO strategy strong and your site well-positioned in search engine results.