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Keywords and content planning

What is keyword cannibalization, and how do you fix it?

Keyword cannibalization is when two or more pages on the same site target the same search, so they compete with each other and Google has to choose between them.

Illustration: two pages, one search

  1. 1The search: emergency plumber leeds
  2. 2Page A: /services/emergency-plumbing, the page that takes bookings
  3. 3Page B: /blog/what-to-do-in-a-plumbing-emergency, a guide
  4. 4Both get impressions for the search, and each week Google shows a different one.

Keep Page A on the search. Retarget Page B at the question it answers, and link it to Page A.

How to spot it

In Search Console, open the Performance report, filter by the query, and look at the Pages tab. Two or more of your URLs getting impressions for the same query, with positions that swap week to week, is the usual sign. A site: search for the phrase shows which of your pages Google thinks match it.

How to fix it

Decide which page should own the search, then:

  • Merge the weaker page into the stronger one and 301 redirect it, if they say the same thing.
  • Give the other page a search of its own, if it has a real job, and rewrite its title and headings to match.
  • Point your internal links for that phrase at the page you chose.
  • Use a canonical tag only when the pages are true duplicates.

When it is not a problem

Two of your pages both ranking on page one for a phrase is a win, not cannibalization. It becomes a problem when neither page ranks as well as one clear page would, or when the wrong page shows.

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Keyword cannibalization: questions people ask

Does keyword cannibalization cause a penalty?

No. It is not a penalty; the cost is that your pages split the attention one page would get, and Google may show the weaker one.

Should I just delete one of the pages?

Rarely. Merging and redirecting keeps the links and history the page has earned. Delete only a page with nothing worth keeping.

See which searches your own site should answer next.

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