Keyword cannibalisation occurs when multiple pages on a website target the same or similar keywords, and compete with one another to rank on search engine result pages.
Given that pages rank for many keywords, brands must look for pages that not only targets the same keywords, but also seek to fulfil the same or very similar intent. For this, brands can conduct a content audit to identify cases of keyword cannibalisation.
They can also look at historical rankings to check if any of their pages have the same keyword or intent competing against each other. Similarly, brands can run a Google search to remove host clustering – where Google excludes similar pages originating from the same host, from its search results.
Once a brand is sure its website is facing a cannibalisation issue, it can consolidate its pages. Businesses can either redirect an outdated page into a more relevant one or combine old pages.
[11 minute read]
