Websites with similar keyword topics confuse search engines which one to index. Keyword cannibalization confuses search engines to pick the original content.
When a website publishes multiple content with similar keyword topics then search engines confuse which one to rank. When this happens it is called keyword cannibalization in seo. Don’t delete or remove cannibalized posts to avoid 404 errors. Instead 301 redirect is the best solution for keyword cannibalization solution.
What is keyword cannibalization in SEO?
When multiple keywords are optimised in your website for the same search query it means you are competing with yourself. It results in a ranking decrease for all similar posts.
When your ranking content deranks due to the other similar content is called keyword cannibalization. LSI keywords are useful to reduce the effect of cannibalization.
keyword cannibalization concept understanding
keyword cannibalization occurs for the same keywords and same intent searches. I am talking about the same search query with the same search intent containing similar type keywords like best home tutors, best home tutors in Hawaii etc.
Sometimes you might not use exactly the same keywords but the intent is the same then also you face keyword cannibalization problems.
Removing the same keywords is not the solution, you should not write the same content for the same search query again and again. For example you are offering your services all over UAE and publishing blogs like seo services in Abu Dhabi, best seo services in UAE or find the affordable seo services in Sharjah.
All are with the same intent offering the same services. No matter if you offer your services to multiple states and countries. What you should do is give different information in every post.
If you are making content around seo what you should do is give information about all the related aspects. For example, write one post about “what is cannibalization in seo” and another about “how to solve cannibalization in seo”. Here you can see in seo looks similar but has different search intent.
Users who don’t know about cannibalization will search what is cannibalization and go to the same post. Whereas users who are facing the cannibalization issue will search for something similar to a solution of cannibalization in seo to sort out the issue and go to the same post.
Users are clear on their searches and when they get a clear answer they clearly click on the relevant post. Similarly search engines will also get the clarification of the topic and rank the topic according to the search intent.
Confusion starts when you have published two same search intent blogs like:
- How to solve cannibalization in seo.
- Solution to the cannibalization issue.
If both same posts appear from the same website then the user gets confused on which post to click, similarly search engines also get confused which one to index and rank.
Understand with another example. If a same website publish two blogs with keywords given below :
Best rugby tshirts under $50 .
Rugby game best tshirts below $50.
Now think on which one you will click if both editions are from the same website. You might get confused before clicking any of them and may scroll down towards another website. Similarly search engines get confused which one to rank as both keyboards target the same search intent audience.
This means the blog is not written first for the people instead of the website owner trying to write for keyword ranking.
Below table shows the example of keyword cannibalization and non cannibalization. Two different websites A & B targeting the same keyword “SEO” but providing different information resulting in more authenticity of website B and poor ranking of website A.
| Website A | Website B |
| SEO company in Las Vegas offering seo | SEO services in New York |
| Seo freelancer offering seo services in USA | What seo does |
| Seo services in California helping businesses | What is cannibalization in seo |
| Best seo services in new york growing plumbing business | What is off page optimization |
| Offering seo services in Netherlands to small and large businesses | Helpful on page off page optimization checklist |
| Website designing and seo services in Montana city | How seo brings query on top |
Keypoint – Search intent is the key point. So, keep the search intent in mind then start creating the content.
Table clearly shows all the keywords with the same search intent under website A. Website B keywords are also about seo but covering all aspects of SEO in every post and making website B more trustworthy. Website B is making useful contents for different search intents fulfilling the needs of different users with clear search queries and covering wider keywords as well.
How to identify keyword cannibalization in website
Two methods explained below:
Find with colon website name
Site:your website name space “topic”
You will get all the related topics written for the same search intent and query might have the same keywords. Look at the below screenshot showing the same or related queries for seo services search intent.
Find your similar keyword content through search console
You don’t need any paid tools like semrush, ahref or ubersuggest to find out the cannibalization on the website. It is recommended to use search console which is a free tool offered by Google and called google search console tool. Screenshot given below:
After opening the search console go to the performance tab and check above given clicks, impression and average position tabs. Now put any keyword in the filter option and hit enter you will get all the pages post ranking on the same keyword.
Deeply analyse which posts are ranking for the same keyword, note down them. Analyze which post is ranking higher and which are not for the same keyword and same search intent.
Queries and pages tab plays an important role to analyse the best performing content check out the impression which post is getting most impressions and clicks check out your position as well.
According to the analysis, now decide which is your best performing content that you want to keep and which is worst performing content that you want to remove, merge or redirect.
How to solve keyword cannibalisation?
Remove and redirect are 2 options that help in solving the issue. Let’s understand them one by one and which is the best one that you should use.
Remove or delete post
When you find out the cannibalised content that has lower impressions remove it or remove multiple. After removing them your content may rank higher as it was ranked earlier or the chances of ranking increases. It is an option but not recommended as it gives seo error, briefed below.
Deleting post gives seo error not recommended
The biggest problem of deleting or removing any content is you face another seo error 404. After deleting a post you have to sort out that error. It means you have created one more task while solving a previous task.
If you are practicing interlinking correctly then you must have made some interlinks of the deleted post/page. Now you face a lengthy task of removing the deleted posts url from all other posts where you have interlinked it, now your work is doubled. If you will not do this then whenever user will click on the removed/deleted link that you made while interlinking they will see 404 page not found error resulting in bad user experience and one more seo error.
Therefore it is good to avoid this step to sort out the cannibalisation. Let’s move to another option.
Use redirect 301 option to solve cannibalization
You can use 301 redirect. Redirect the worst performing similar contents to the best performing or the content which you think will perform better than others. Take the help of google search console as guided above in the post. Redirecting will not create seo errors that occur in deleting and removing. Instead it is a good seo practice, as the user lands to the relevant information not to the page not found error.
I want to fix keyword cannibalization without removing page or post
It happens with all new bloggers when they give hours to research and write a blog. They have given time and hard work; they don’t want to delete that particular content. When someone doesn’t want to remove the pages or a post in which they have given a lot of effort they should redirect it. Add the value of the content which you are redirecting to the main content but dont repeat the information while adding.
How to prevent keyword cannibalization for other posts?
After reading the above information I am hoping you understood what is cannibalization in SEO and now you don’t want to repeat the mistake then do the following.
Change the same keywords from other posts that have different search intent as providing different information. Suppose you have written two different posts but by mistake used the same keyword in the post. For example your content “best shoes under 500” is ranking and you have used the same keyword in between multiple blog posts.
In another blog “different types of shoes” you have used the same keyword best shoes under 500, in one more blog best puma shoes you have used the same keyword between the content.
This is a seo mistake, so remove all of them and use LSI keywords. LSI are similar type keywords but not exact. For shoes under 500 you may use, wear quality shoes or use while playing you must wear shoes. So, the intent is not selling anything like the intent of selling in the post, shoes under 500. This is how you can cover different keywords and remove the same keywords.
Repeating the same ranking keyword in multiple blog posts and targeting one particular blog post from that keyword in multiple posts is considered a black hat technique by Google so don’t do this.
If you have done this by mistake then remove this mistake and you will see your sight has started performing well as it was doing earlier. Only editing is not the solution you have to practice multiple and correct white hat seo practices only.
Conclusion – The conclusion is stop making content on the same intent keywords for different blog posts as it confuses both users and search engines. You should not use already highly ranking keywords in other blogs instead use LSI keywords to interlink from each other.
