Learn how to fix keyword cannibalization and improve your SEO

Posted on by Lani Haque

Last Updated on July 8, 2025 by Lani Haque

When performing Search Engine Optimization (SEO), it’s easy to inadvertently do something that hurts your website’s performance. Keyword cannibalization is something that we don’t consciously do.  It just happens when writing articles about our niche and entity. What exactly is keyword cannibalization?  It is where your own website pages compete against each other for the same search terms. This internal competition can confuse search engines, dilute your ranking power, and ultimately lead to lower organic traffic.

We’ll try and provides some clarity on what keyword cannibalization is, explain the effects of keyword cannibalization, and provide actionable strategies to identify, fix, and prevent it.

Table of Contents

  • What is Keyword Cannibalization?
  • How Does Keyword Cannibalization Harm Your SEO?
  • Identifying Keyword Cannibalization Issues
  • Effective Strategies to Fix Keyword Cannibalization
  • Preventing Future Keyword Cannibalization
  • Summary
  • Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
  • References

What is Keyword Cannibalization?

Keyword cannibalization occurs when you have two or more pages on your website that are optimized for the exact same, or very similar, keywords.   While it may seem like you’re strengthening your authority for that particular keyword you are actually creating two pages that are trying to rank for the same keyword.  Now these two pages are competing against each other. This sends mixed signals to search engines like Google, making it difficult for them to figure out which page is most relevant to the user’s search.

It’s important to distinguish between “keyword cannibalization” (multiple pages targeting the same keywords) and “content cannibalization” (multiple pages covering the same broad topic). Both can dilute your website’s topical authority and confuse users, but keyword cannibalization specifically impacts search rankings.

How Does Keyword Cannibalization Harm Your SEO?

So how exactly does keyword cannibalization affect your SEO?

  • Lower Rankings: Instead of one page ranking high, you may have multiple weaker pages ranking lower, or fluctuating in position.
  • Diluted Link Equity: Inbound links (backlinks) and internal links that should be strengthening one authoritative page are split among 2 or more pages, reducing their overall impact.
  • Confused Search Engines: Search engine crawlers struggle to understand which page is the definitive resource for a given keyword.  This can potentially lead to poorer indexing and ranking decisions by the search engine.
  • Reduced Click-Through Rates (CTR): If multiple pages appear in the SERPs, users might not know which one is most relevant.  *Your preferred page might be outranked by an internal competitor.
  • Wasted Crawl Budget: Search engines might spend valuable crawl budget on less important duplicate content, rather than on your most valuable pages.
  • Poor User Experience: Users might land on a less comprehensive or relevant page, leading to frustration and higher bounce rates.

Identifying Keyword Cannibalization Issues

Catching keyword cannibalization early is key to reducing the negative effects. Below are some ways to do this.

Using SEO Tools:

  • Google Search Console: Navigate to the Performance report and look for queries where multiple URLs from your site are appearing in the search results. This is a strong indicator of potential cannibalization.
  • Ahrefs/Semrush (or similar tools): These tools often have dedicated “cannibalization” reports within their site explorer or position tracking features. You can also identify it by checking which URLs rank for specific keywords over time.

Manual Checks:

  • Site Search: Use Google’s site:yourdomain.com “your keyword” operator. This will show you all pages on your site that Google has indexed for that specific keyword. If multiple pages appear, take a deeper look into the pages for cannibalization.
  • Content Audits: Regularly review your content for topic overlap. Use and update a keyword mapping that assigns a unique main keyword and intent to each piece of content.

Effective Strategies to Fix Keyword Cannibalization

Once you have figured out there is keyword cannibalization on your site, you now want to start fixing the problems. The best approach often depends on the context and the value of the competing pages.

1. Content Consolidation (Merge & Redirect)

This is the ideal solution.  If you have more than one webpage covering similar content and ranking for the same keyword(s) then combine the content into a single webpage.  Choose the page with the webpage that has the great authority as the one to keep and combine both content onto that one page.  Or create a new, more robust page with the merged content from both pages.  Use 301 redirects from the old page(s) to the new one.  

2. Implement 301 Redirects

For pages that are clear duplicates or significantly weaker than a preferred page, a 301 redirect is a permanent solution. It tells search engines that the old URL has moved to a new location and passes on most of the link equity.

3. Utilize Canonical Tags

If you have near-duplicate pages that you must keep separate (e.g., product pages with slight variations), a canonical tag tells search engines which page is the preferred version to index and rank. This prevents the “duplicate content” penalty without removing the pages.

4. Optimize Internal Linking

Review and optimize your internal link structure. Ensure that your most authoritative page for a given keyword receives the most internal links, using relevant anchor text. This guides both users and search engines to your preferred content.

5. Adjust On-Page Optimization

For pages that are accidentally competing, you might be able to adjust their on-page SEO elements (title tags, meta descriptions, headings, content focus) to target different, related keywords or distinct search intents.

6. Use “Noindex” (Last Resort)

If a page is truly low-value, duplicate, and provides no unique benefit, you can add a noindex tag to its HTML. This tells search engines not to include the page in their index. Use this sparingly, as it removes the page entirely from search results.

Preventing Future Keyword Cannibalization

Proactive measures are always better than reactive fixes. Here’s how to avoid keyword cannibalization in the future:

  • Keyword Mapping Strategy: Before creating new content, conduct thorough keyword research and map out which primary keyword and search intent each page will address. Ensure no two pages target the exact same core keyword.
  • Comprehensive Content Briefs: When assigning content, provide clear briefs that outline the target keyword, search intent, and how the new content fits into your existing site structure without overlap.
  • Regular Content Audits: Periodically review your content inventory to identify potential overlaps and address them before they become significant SEO problems.
  • Focus on Topical Authority: Instead of creating many thin articles, aim to build comprehensive, cornerstone content that covers a topic thoroughly, reducing the need for multiple competing pages.

Summary

Keyword cannibalization is a common SEO issue that can be unnoticed. This is when your own website pages compete for the same search terms. This internal competition can lead to diluted rankings, confused search engines, and reduced organic traffic. SEO tools like Google Search Console and conducting thorough content audits can be used to determine keyword cannibalization. Fixes range from merging and redirecting content, to strategic use of canonical tags, and optimizing internal links. Prevention is important and achieved through keyword mapping and regular content reviews. Once keyword cannibalization is understood and identified, it can be addressed which in turn can improve your website’s search engine performance. This ensures your content work together and not against each other.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

What is keyword cannibalization?

Keyword cannibalization occurs when multiple pages on a single website target the same or very similar keywords, causing them to compete against each other in search engine results. This can confuse search engines and dilute the ranking potential of all involved pages.

How does keyword cannibalization negatively impact SEO?

It can lead to lower rankings for all competing pages, decreased visibility, reduced backlink impact (as equity is split), confused search engine crawlers, and a diluted overall SEO performance. It also makes it harder for search engines to determine which page is most relevant to a user’s query.

What are the most effective ways to fix keyword cannibalization?

The most effective solutions include content consolidation (merging competing pages into one comprehensive resource), implementing 301 redirects from the old pages to the new one, and strategic use of canonical tags for pages that need to remain separate but are very similar. Optimizing internal linking is also crucial. Canonicalization of the webpages that are involved can sometimes help the cannibalization.

Can keyword cannibalization be prevented?

Yes. This involves developing a clear keyword mapping strategy where each new page targets a unique primary keyword and search intent. Regularly conducting content audits and optimizing your internal linking structure also helps prevent future issues.

Is it always bad to have multiple pages ranking for the same keyword?

Not necessarily. As highlighted by some experts, if multiple pages rank for the same keyword but serve different search intents (e.g., informational vs. transactional), it might not be a problem. True cannibalization occurs when this competition negatively impacts your overall organic performance and ranking potential.

References

Avatar for Lani Haque
Lani Haque

I enjoy learning and sharing that knowledge. Sharing has been in many forms over the years, as a teaching assistant, university lecturer, Pilates instructor, math tutor and just sharing with friends and family. Throughout, summarizing what I have learnt in words has always been there and continues to through blog posts, articles, video and the ever growing forms of content out there!

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