Glossary
What is Keyword cannibalization?
Keyword cannibalization is when several pages on your site target the same search, so they compete with each other and none ranks as well as one strong page could.
Keyword cannibalization happens when more than one page on your site is aimed at the same search term. Instead of one page building strength, the pages split links and relevance signals, and search engines may flip between them or rank neither well.
How it happens
- Writing a new article on a topic you've already covered.
- Near-duplicate pages for slightly different phrasings of the same intent.
- Old and new versions of a page both left live.
Finding it
In Search Console, search for a query and look at the Pages tab: if several of your URLs appear for it, they may be competing.
Fixing it
- Decide which page should own the term.
- Merge the others into it and redirect them.
- Or differentiate them clearly, each for a distinct intent.
- Make sure internal links point to the page that should win.
How Seovyn avoids it
One keyword gets one page. Before planning an article, Seovyn checks the term against every page on your site, including the ones written before Seovyn, and just before writing it checks whether one of your pages already ranks in Google's top 10 for it. Either way, the new article isn't written.
Related
- Keyword researchKeyword research is finding the search terms your audience uses, and judging which are worth writing a page for.
- Internal linkingInternal links are links from one page of your site to another. They help readers navigate and help search engines find pages and understand how they relate.
- Canonical URLA canonical URL is the preferred address of a page when the same content is reachable at several. It tells search engines which one to index.