Are you puzzled about why your targeted keywords aren’t yielding high rankings? Do you want to understand what content cannibalization might be costing you and how you can tackle it effectively? On June 28, a webinar was moderated with search experts Jon Earnshaw, Chief Product Evangelist, and Sophie Moule, Head of Product & Marketing at Pi Datametrics. Earnshaw and Moule discussed different types of content conflicts and how to resolve them to optimize your website for better search engine rankings. Here’s a summary of the webinar.
What Is Keyword Cannibalization?
Keyword cannibalization occurs when multiple pages of a website attempt to rank for the same keywords, causing confusion for search engines in determining which page to display in search results. This can arise if search engines can’t distinguish which content to prioritize. This issue relates to keywords, not URLs, meaning one page might compete with another for the same keywords on your site.
Main Types Of Cannibalization
Various types of cannibalization can occur:
- Internal
- International
- Subdomain
The focus here is on internal cannibalization. Typically, page cannibalization results from one of these four cases:
- Overlapping theme
- Authority injection
- Poor internal linking
- Non-contextual optimization
How To Identify Different Types Of Cannibalization
Here’s how to recognize the common types of cannibalization:
- Suspicious Flux – Often due to unresolved internal linking and capitalization issues.
- Content Evolution – Conflicts arise from updates like rumors, releases, and review articles.
- Inline Conflict – Pages clash based on similar search terms.
Once you’ve identified the type of cannibalization, you can address it.
How To Fix Cannibalization
Several strategies can be employed to fix cannibalization:
- Change the theme by altering the page title and enhancing it with links.
- Merge pages or redirect older content to preferred pages.
- Use 301 redirects for older pages to guide to a target page.
- Use internal linking to promote the page you want as the focal point.
- Use noindex or archive competing content.
- Create hub pages.
How To Monitor Cannibalization
Once resolved, it’s essential to monitor keyword cannibalization regularly by tracking:
- All pages
- Top-ranking URLs
- Competitors’ activities
- Historical data
Key Takeaways
- Cannibalization is inevitable.
- It operates on a keyword level.
- Decisions must be made to manage it.
- Prevention is possible.
Presentation: Boost Your SEO – How To Identify & Eliminate Keyword Cannibalization
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Image Credits:
Featured Image: Paulo Bobita/Search Engine Journal
