{"id":5776,"date":"2023-08-16T04:18:35","date_gmt":"2023-08-16T09:18:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/keyword.com\/?post_type=blog&p=5776"},"modified":"2025-09-10T10:35:53","modified_gmt":"2025-09-10T15:35:53","slug":"keyword-cannibalization-guide","status":"publish","type":"blog","link":"https:\/\/keyword.com\/blog\/keyword-cannibalization-guide\/","title":{"rendered":"Keyword Cannibalization Guide: The Impact and Steps to Identify Issues"},"content":{"rendered":"

What happens when you type one of your primary keywords into Google, and the ranking page that shows up is not your priority page? This is a result of <\/span>keyword cannibalization<\/b>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Essentially, you have too many identical keywords spread throughout the content of your website, so search engines don\u2019t know the exact page to rank for a particular keyword.<\/span><\/p>\n

If this is happening to you, all you need is a simple tweak to turn the wheel in the right direction.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In this article, we explain keyword cannibalization, its impact, and steps to identify and solve it.<\/span><\/p>\n

What is Keyword Cannibalization?<\/h2>\n

Keyword cannibalization refers to a situation in search engine optimization (SEO) where multiple pages within a website compete against each other for the same or closely related keywords. It occurs when different pages on the same website are optimized and structured to target identical or highly similar keyword phrases, confusing search engines, and users.<\/span><\/p>\n

When keyword cannibalization happens, the search engine algorithms face difficulty determining which page should be ranked as the most relevant and authoritative source for a particular keyword. In other words, search engines weigh the multiple pages optimized for that exact keyword against one another and randomly pick the one they think is the best fit.<\/span><\/p>\n

For example, Keyword.com is a rank-tracking software. If \u201crank tracking\u201d is the only keyword we target on all our pages, we are telling Google that every page is about rank tracking \u2026 even though we have content on rank tracking reports, Share of Voice, local keyword tracking, rank tracking API, etc. Google\u2019s algorithm can randomly rank a page about Share of Voice on its result page for \u201crank tracking\u201d keyword. By scattering your website\u2019s ranking potential across multiple pages, you will dilute its individual impact and ensure the priority page ranks best.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What If These Pages Rank for Other Keywords?<\/h3>\n

If two pages target the same keyword and one ranks high while the other (which you would prefer to rank) is on the 5th page of SERPs, this is keyword cannibalization. One page is consuming all traffic. But what if individual pages rank for multiple other keywords?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Is it still considered keyword cannibalization if there are other keywords? Ahrefs explains:\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Ahrefs <\/span>researched<\/span><\/a> three million queries and discovered that the average #1 ranking page would also rank at the top 10 for nearly 1,000 other relevant keywords, while the #10 ranking page will also rank for over 400 similar keywords.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Ahrefs<\/p>\n

In this case, you don\u2019t need to worry about the traffic from one keyword. There isn\u2019t a real cannibalization issue because your overall organic performance is not affected by the existence of these two pages. However, deleting any of the pages can lead to a loss in traffic and other keyword rankings.<\/span><\/p>\n

6 Negative Impacts Keyword Cannibalization Has on Your Website<\/h2>\n

Imagine you have an ecommerce website selling various brands of running shoes. You have two pages on your website targeting the keyword \u201cbest-running shoes\u201d: one is a general category page showcasing a wide range of running shoes, and the other is a specific product page for a famous brand of running shoes. What are the adverse effects of this practice on your SEO campaign?<\/span><\/p>\n

1. Reduced Search Visibility<\/h3>\n

When users search for \u201cbest running shoes,\u201d search engines may struggle to determine which page to rank higher. As a result, your website may not appear prominently in the search results, or it may get outranked by competitors with a clear and focused page targeting that specific keyword.<\/span><\/p>\n

You can read our<\/span> blog post<\/span><\/a> to learn more high-impact SEO tweaks to increase your site\u2019s search visibility.<\/span><\/p>\n

2. Diluted Authority<\/h3>\n

When two pages target the same keyword, it diminishes the authority and relevance of the website.<\/span><\/p>\n

Instead of consolidating authority on a single page that provides comprehensive information about the best running shoes, it gets divided between the category and product pages. As a result, the authority of each page is split into bits.<\/span><\/p>\n

3. Confusing User Experience<\/h3>\n

Users who search for \u201cbest running shoes\u201d may expect to find a single page that offers an unbiased overview of the top options available. However, it can be unclear if they encounter both the category page and the product page in the search results. They may click on one page expecting general information but end up on a specific product page instead, leading to a poor user experience and potentially causing them to leave your site.<\/span><\/p>\n

4. Decreased Organic Traffic<\/h3>\n

Due to reduced search visibility and a confusing user experience, keyword cannibalization can decrease organic traffic to your website. Users may bounce back to the search results and choose a competitor\u2019s website that provides a more detailed and relevant page for their search query.<\/span><\/p>\n

5. Difficulty in Ranking for Related Keywords<\/h3>\n

Keyword cannibalization can make ranking for related keywords or long-tail variations challenging. In this example, if you have a separate page targeting \u201cbest trail running shoes\u201d or \u201cbest minimalist running shoes,\u201d the presence of the cannibalized pages may hinder your ability to rank well for these specific terms, as search engines may see them as duplicates or closely related.<\/span><\/p>\n

6. Diversified Links<\/h3>\n

Backlinks effort that ought to have gone to one full page will be split into the two pages. Imagine your backlink outreach acquired 20 links to the category page and 15 links to the product page; you could have summed your effort to acquire 35 links to one well-detailed page. And you know, backlinks are a crucial ranking factor as it helps to determine a website\u2019s popularity, relevancy, and authority.<\/span><\/p>\n

Steps in Identifying Keyword Cannibalization<\/h2>\n

The simple trick to identifying keyword cannibalization is checking pages targeting the same keyword and addressing the same search intent. It\u2019s easy to identify keyword cannibalization in a small site with few pages compared to a full-blown website with thousands of pages.<\/span><\/p>\n

Small site owners can create a spreadsheet highlighting their pages\u2019 URLs and associated keywords to identify keyword cannibalization.<\/span><\/p>\n

For example, a small ecommerce site that sells clothing can have a spreadsheet like this:<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
\n

URLs<\/b><\/p>\n<\/td>\n

Keywords<\/b><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
www.yoursite.com\/bodysuits<\/span><\/td>\nbodysuits<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
www.yoursite.com\/trousers<\/span><\/td>\ntrousers<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
www.yoursite.com\/waistcoat<\/span><\/td>\nwaistcoat<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
www.yoursite.com\/sportswear\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/td>\nsportswear<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
www.yoursite.com\/hoodies<\/span><\/td>\nhoodies<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
www.yoursite.com\/tshirts\u00a0<\/span><\/td>\ntshirts<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

 <\/p>\n

Once you\u2019ve created the sheet, you can run down the list to check for duplicate entries. If you prefer, you can use google sheets for SEO<\/a> tracking to make the process more easy to maintain.<\/span><\/p>\n

However, a more prominent site might need a more comprehensive process. Let\u2019s examine a few strategies:<\/span><\/p>\n

1. Perform a Content Audit<\/h3>\n

A content audit provides valuable insights to improve your content strategy and SEO campaign. Specifically, a content audit helps you identify duplicate content that can affect your SEO game. In other words, you can figure out multiple pages optimized for the same keyword and same intent.<\/span><\/p>\n

You can simplify the task using tools like <\/span>Screaming Frog<\/span><\/a> and <\/span>Google Search Console<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

2. Create a Keyword Map<\/h3>\n

Keyword mapping is assigning or mapping keywords to specific pages on a website based on keyword research. We explained this strategy earlier as a simple tweak to identify keyword cannibalization in small websites. This process is also helpful for site owners with huge websites. However, it\u2019s expedient to use a keyword mapping tool.<\/span><\/p>\n

Keyword mapping tools help to arrange your pages in a group of keyword clusters to form a topical website structure. Through this process, you can see pages optimized for multiple keywords.<\/span><\/p>\n

3. Google Site Search<\/h3>\n

This process helps check cannibalization issues for a specific keyword.<\/span><\/p>\n

Do a search on Google like this – site:yoursite.com keyword.<\/span><\/p>\n

Google will automatically provide a list of indexed pages for that keyword. For instance, if we want to check for cannibalization for a keyword on our site like \u201cshare of voice,\u201d we will have a result like this:<\/span><\/p>\n

\"SOV<\/p>\n

\"SOV<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

From the result, we have three pages that target this keyword, but there isn\u2019t any keyword cannibalization issue because the pages satisfy different search intent.<\/span><\/p>\n

4. Use a Keyword Cannibalization Checker<\/h3>\n

Gone are the days when you had to monitor your SEO campaign manually; with one click, you can access several issues on your website with strategies to fix them.<\/span><\/p>\n

Keyword cannibalization checkers are one of the game changers!<\/span><\/p>\n

A keyword cannibalization checker helps you quickly discover multiple pages on your site targeting the same keyword.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Let\u2019s check some of the best keyword cannibalization checkers:<\/span><\/p>\n