Ever wondered why your website isn’t ranking well on Google even though you’ve published tons of content around the same topic? You might be unknowingly hurting your SEO with something called keyword cannibalization.
What Is Keyword Cannibalization?
Keyword cannibalization happens when multiple pages on your website are targeting the same or similar keywords. Instead of helping your SEO, it confuses search engines about which page to rank, and as a result, none of them perform well.
Imagine this: You have 3 blog posts all targeting “Best SEO Tips for Beginners.” Google doesn’t know which one to show, so it splits traffic and ranking power between them — or worse, doesn’t rank any of them.
Why Is It Bad for SEO?
- Dilutes your ranking power
- Lowers CTR (click-through rate) because multiple results confuse users
- Wastes crawl budget on similar pages
- Leads to poor UX — users may land on the wrong page
- Hurts topical authority if your site appears scattered
How to Identify Keyword Cannibalization
Here are a few ways to detect it:
1. Google search: Type site:yourdomain.com “keyword” in Google
2. Google Search Console: Look for pages ranking for the same keyword
3. SEO tools: Use Ahrefs, SEMrush, or Ubersuggest to spot overlap
4. Manual audit: Review your content and check if multiple pages target the same intent
How to Fix Keyword Cannibalization
- Consolidate Content
Merge similar pages into one comprehensive, high-quality article. Redirect the old URLs to the new one. - Re-Optimize One Page
Pick the best-performing page and update it. Then change the keyword focus of the others to target different but related terms. - Use Canonical Tags
If you need similar pages, userel="canonical"to tell Google which one to prioritize. - Internal Linking
Link related articles in a structured way to guide search engines and users to the most important page. - Create a Content Strategy
Plan your content in clusters: 1 main pillar post + supporting topic pages. Each should have a unique keyword focus.
Final Thoughts
Keyword cannibalization is one of the sneakiest ways your SEO can suffer — without you even realizing it. By auditing and organizing your content smartly, you can boost rankings, improve UX, and drive more organic traffic.
