What is Keyword Cannibalization and How to Avoid It
When you’re developing content for your website, you want to make sure it’s keyword-rich. You might even write the same keyword in different places, just to make sure Google knows what your page is about. But if you have more than one page about that keyword, does that mean you’re guilty of keyword cannibalization? Website optimization, Keyword research/cannibalization, and SEO are not possible without the best internet. Check how much is Spectrum internet and get the best plan as per your business need
Let’s find out. If your website has a variety of pages with different topics, it can be easy to cross the line between having different content and creating duplicate content on a single page. When this happens, we call it “keyword cannibalization.” It usually occurs when your site has multiple pages targeting the same keywords. This article will explain why that’s not always a bad thing and how to avoid keyword cannibalization if you do see the warning signs.
What is Keyword Cannibalization?
Keyword cannibalization is when one of your pages has multiple headings or subtopics that include variations of the same keyword, or even the keyword itself. For example, let’s say you’re a fitness website that has a blog, articles, and videos related to fitness. You’ve written posts about “top 5 ways to build muscle” and “top 5 exercises to build muscle.” Those are two different posts, but they’re targeting the same keyword – “build muscle.”
This is considered keyword cannibalization. Though sometimes a necessary evil, keyword cannibalization can be a dangerous practice. It can lead to your site getting banned from search engines, such as Google. It can also confuse your readers by making it difficult for them to find the information they need.
Why Does Cannibalization Happen?
Cannibalization happens when you create multiple pages with similar content. When you have multiple pages targeting the same keyword, you run the risk of keyword cannibalization. One of the top reasons why cannibalization happens is that a lot of website owners are creating ultra-specific pages for their content.
For example, you might have a page about “the best weight lifting shoes for women.” But then you may also have a page about “the top 10 best weight lifting shoes for women.” Those two pages are targeting the same keyword. Cannibalization can also happen when you have too many titles or headings on a single page. If you have a page on your website that has five different subheadings and one of those subheadings is “the best weight lifting shoes for women” then you’ve got a problem.
How to Avoid Cannibalization
The first step in avoiding cannibalization is to get a clear understanding of your website’s content. You should be able to look at any page on your website and immediately know what type of content you’re reading. Next, make sure each page has unique content. It doesn’t matter if the content is good or not, as long as it’s different – it’s almost impossible to avoid cannibalization if you’re writing the same things on different pages.
You also want to make sure you’re not “over cannibalizing” – that is, you don’t want your pages to be so different that they’re no longer recognizable as being about the same topic.
When Keyword Cannibalization Isn’t Bad
There are some times when keyword cannibalization is actually a good thing. When you’re building a site from scratch, you’ll naturally have a lot of pages that are targeting the same keywords. This is completely normal and something you probably won’t have to worry about. It’s when you’ve been blogging for a while and have a bunch of established pages that you have to be careful. For example, let’s say you wrote a post about “how to build muscle” six months ago and it got a lot of traffic.
You might decide to write another article about the same topic, just with a different title or a different spin on the topic. This is normal. But if you keep doing this with multiple topics, you might find yourself accidentally cannibalizing your own content.
Summing up
Keyword cannibalization happens when multiple pages on your website target the same keywords. This can happen when you’ve written ultra-specific pages and have too many headings or titles on one page. It can also happen when you’re creating a new website and you naturally have a lot of pages that target the same keywords. It’s important to avoid cannibalization when building a website because it can lead to your site getting banned from search engines, such as Google.
