When creating online content, it’s important to consider how it will appear in search engines like Google. Keyword cannibalization is an SEO term concerning internal competition for keywords and search queries. This quick guide covers the basics.
What is Keyword Cannibalization?
Keyword cannibalization occurs when multiple pages on a website target the same keyword, resulting in the pages competing with each other in search engine rankings.
Keyword cannibalization can lead to reduced search engine visibility and less traffic to the website. When a website’s pages compete for the same keyword, it can confuse search engine algorithms, resulting in lower rankings for all the pages. This can lead to a drop in traffic and a decline in overall website performance.
Example
Suppose a digital marketing website has two blog posts:
- The Ultimate Beginner’s Guide to SEO
- SEO Beginner’s Guide: The Ultimate Resource
These pages target the keyword “SEO” and have the same search intent. As a result, both pages will compete with each other in search engine rankings.
This unnecessary competition will lead to search engines being unable to determine which page is the most relevant, resulting in lower rankings for both pages.
How to Avoid Keyword Cannibalization
To avoid keyword cannibalization, follow these tips:
- Conduct keyword research: Before creating any content, it is crucial to research the target keywords to ensure that no other pages on the website are already targeting the same keyword.
- Create a content strategy: A well-organized content strategy will ensure that each page on the website targets unique and relevant keywords.
- Optimize page titles and meta descriptions: Ensure that the page titles and meta descriptions accurately describe the content and target the right keywords.
- Use internal linking: Internal linking is a powerful tool for avoiding keyword cannibalization. Linking pages with similar content can help search engines understand the relationship between the pages.
Bottom Line
Keyword cannibalization is an SEO term that refers to multiple pages on a website targeting the same keyword, resulting in competition among the pages in search engine rankings. This can lead to reduced visibility and traffic for the website.
To avoid keyword cannibalization, it is important to conduct keyword research, create a content strategy, optimize page titles and meta descriptions, and use redirects. ?
