Keyword Cannibalization silently undermines your SEO efforts, largely due to webmasters’ lack of awareness about its existence. Surprisingly, some may be satisfied with having one page ranked seventh or eighth, fulfilling their ranking objective, disregarding the reality that a more authoritative website could achieve higher rankings and generate better conversions.
Ways in which keyword cannibalization is killing your SEO
1. By weakening the page’s authority
Your pages have turned into competitors due to intentional or unintentional keyword cannibalization, resulting in a competition for page-views and SERP ranks. Consequently, your CTR is now divided among several marginally relevant pages instead of having a single highly authoritative page.
Considering the situation of acquiring knowledge in a specific technology, would you rather opt for learning from a single reliable and extensive source, such as a comprehensive reference book, or from multiple incomplete books or websites that may overwhelm you unnecessarily?
Instead of consolidating your CTR on a single authoritative page, you are dividing it among several moderately relevant pages. In essence, you have transformed your pages into rivals, engaging in a competition for pageviews and rankings on SERPs.
When considering it from the perspective of a reader searching for a new book on Amazon, which would you prefer: a comprehensive book on a particular subject that showcases your expertise?
2. By making the search engine give a more relevant page less value and vice versa
Using keywords is crucial in helping search engines comprehend the subject of our webpages. If all the keywords used are identical, Google will attempt to determine the most suitable page, and if the content is overly similar, it could result in a misinterpretation.
If the page ranked lower in search results has a higher conversion rate, you could potentially lose valuable traffic that converts well.
3. By weakening your anchor text and links
Instead of consolidating all backlinks to a centralized source, they are now distributed among multiple pages. The efforts and time invested in obtaining 10 links for one page and 15 links for another could have been utilized more effectively in acquiring 25 links for a single page, resulting in improved performance.
A comprehensive and detailed page has a higher chance of receiving backlinks compared to a less comprehensive one. Likewise, rather than directing readers to a single authoritative page about the topic, your anchor text and internal links guide them to multiple pages, consequently significantly diminishing your SEO endeavors and organic traffic.
4. By having a detrimental impact on your conversion rate
It is inevitable that one of your pages will have a higher conversion rate compared to the others. Instead of directing new visitors to that specific page and maximizing its authority, you are losing potential leads. Despite the fact that keyword cannibalization negatively impacts your SEO, there are multiple approaches to revive and enhance your SEO. Now, we will explore the techniques for resolving keyword cannibalization.
5. Google may devalue the more relevant page
We employ keywords as a primary method to assist Google in comprehending the content of our pages. When all keywords are identical, Google attempts to determine the most suitable page, but if the content is excessively similar, it could make incorrect judgments.
If you have two pages ranking for the same keyword, overlooking the higher converting page that ranks lower might result in missing out on valuable traffic that converts well.
6. You’re squandering crawl budget
If you have multiple pages focused on the same keyword, it leads to unnecessary crawling and indexing of pages, affecting your crawl budget.
Small websites are unlikely to notice any changes or be concerned about their crawl budget, whereas large ecommerce websites or sellers with multiple products might face potential issues.
7. It’s a sign of poor page quality
If you have multiple pages targeting the same keyword, it suggests to your users that your content might be spread too thin and indicates to Google that your content may be inconsistent with your keywords on each page.
8. Your conversion rate will suffer
It is bound to happen that one of your pages will perform better than the others. Rather than optimizing that page and directing new visitors towards it, you are actually missing out on potential leads by sending them to less relevant pages.
Fixing keyword cannibalization
1. Consider removing some parts of your posts
In regards to keyword cannibalization, merely re-optimizing posts may not be sufficient. It would be advisable to remove some of the duplicated content in this scenario. However, if both posts generate satisfactory organic traffic and business leads, it is better to combine them into a single post rather than reducing their content.
2. Reorganize your pages
One way to effectively address keyword cannibalization is to transform your most authoritative page into a landing page with links to other distinct versions that align with your targeted keywords. This uncomplicated method helps resolve the issue.
3. Create a brand new landing page
If you don’t have a landing page that collects all your product pages in one place, consider creating one to serve as the main page and link to your different versions from there. By doing this, you can optimize your consolidated pages and variations to target both broader keyword terms and specific, long-tail keywords.
4. Merge your content
If your pages lack uniqueness and targeting the same keyword, it may be worthwhile to consolidate them into a single page. This presents a chance to convert two pages with low performance into a more authoritative and credible source. Additionally, it can assist in addressing issues such as thin content.
Start by analyzing your analytics to determine which page has the highest traffic, bounce rate, time spent on page, conversions, and similar metrics. It is possible that you may find one particular page that attracts the most traffic, while the content on another page effectively converts more users.
One possibility is to concentrate the converting copy content on the most frequently accessed page in this scenario. In an ideal scenario, you would be able to maintain your ranking while maximizing the conversion rate of the incoming traffic.
Another advantage of this strategy is that you won’t have to worry about your website being penalized because of thin content.
5. Find new keywords
If you already have exceptionally diverse and content-packed pages, and your website’s only issue is a poorly executed keyword strategy, perhaps all you need to do is discover fresh keywords.
It is important to ensure that your keywords effectively reflect the content of your page. If a website visitor searches for the targeted keyword, will they find the content on each page that is ranked for it satisfactory? If the answer is negative, it might be a good idea to conduct some keyword research.
Examining your pages on a spreadsheet, along with the provided information, can assist you in identifying enhanced keyword prospects for comparable pages.
- Keyword & rank.
- The page URL.
- SEO title & meta description.
- Word count.
- Organic traffic.
- Bounce rate.
- Conversions.
This will assist you in identifying pages that are focused on the same keywords.
Once you reach that stage, you can identify the most valuable pages, ones that can be merged, and those that require new keywords. Generally, your keyword research tool can assist you in discovering the most appropriate keywords for all the pages you intend to retain.
In case you have two pages that are performing well for a specific long-tail keyword, consider exploring a related general term to concentrate on for one of them, with the aim of attracting a greater amount of traffic. Upon identifying this keyword, make the necessary adjustments to optimize the page accordingly and revise the information in your spreadsheet for future reference and monitoring of performance.
6. Use 301 redirects
The utilization of 301 redirects allows for the consolidation of cannibalized content, where less relevant pages are linked to a single, more authoritative version. It is important to note that this strategy is only appropriate for pages with comparable content and that correspond to specific keyword searches.
Preventing keyword cannibalization
It is always preferable to prevent rather than treat.
Finding and resolving keyword cannibalization is achievable, but it is more preferable to prevent the issue rather than dealing with it afterwards. Let’s explore a couple of methods to accomplish this.
1. Hone your targeted keyword strategy
One of the most effective strategies for preventing keyword cannibalization is to develop a targeted keyword strategy that eliminates competition and unwanted overlap.
Essentially, this involves optimizing different pages for different keywords and search queries.
2. Keep tabs on your keyword rankings and performance
Simply having a keyword strategy is insufficient; you must also monitor the progress of the identified keywords in order to make them effective.
Regularly tracking keyword statistics allows you to determine the rankings of different keywords, assess ones with high competition, identify those prone to cannibalization, and identify keywords that need refinement.
3. Focus more on creating quality content first
The chances of keyword cannibalization increase when marketing teams prioritize optimizing keywords over creating high-quality content around important themes.
If you focus solely on keywords, there is a high chance that you will neglect the quality and themes of your content, which can impede your efforts to achieve your marketing goals.
Instead of exclusively focusing on keyword research, include it as a component of your marketing strategy and prioritize relevant topics and high-quality content.
4. Perform Content Audits regularly
After establishing a strong keyword strategy, implementing tracking tools, and enhancing your attention towards audience interest topics, it is crucial to regularly conduct content audits. This ensures that the material you publish remains aligned with both the interests of your readers and your marketing goals.
Over time, certain subjects might lose their relevance and become outdated, including statistics. To align your marketing objectives with current trends, it is crucial to conduct regular content audits that ensure your topics and keywords remain timely.
Side notes
If you attempt to rank multiple pages for the same keywords and search queries, it will negatively impact your SEO efforts. This will force you to compete against your own content, significantly decreasing your likelihood of achieving marketing success.
However, if you instead concentrate on using specific keywords for relevant content, prioritize topics instead of overloading with keywords, and create in-depth landing pages, it not only prevents keyword cannibalization but also enhances your ranking on search engine results pages, ultimately boosting your organic reach.
If you have already experienced keyword cannibalization, reconsider your optimization strategies by removing posts that compete against each other. Additionally, consolidate separate content pieces that have good rankings into a single authoritative post or landing page.
