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To be successful in digital marketing you need to take advantage of multiple strategies to boost your online presence, search engine optimization (SEO) is just one tool that plays a role in that larger strategy. SEO helps websites boost their levels of visibility and draw in a higher volume of traffic. One of the most important foundational pieces of any SEO strategy is researching and selecting strong keywords. Your keywords can make or break your website’s success in search engine rankings. A frequently ignored issue when keyword planning is keyword cannibalization. This happens when multiple pages on a website target the same or very similar keywords. This confusions search engines, as they may struggle to determine which page should rank for what keyword. Resulting in pages competing against each other for rankings, which can lead to lower rankings for all of them.
The Role Keywords in SEO Strategies
Keywords are a foundational part of any SEO campaign. Your keywords act as the link between the content on your website and the questions and terms that users put into their search engines. The process of choosing keywords first starts by understanding your target audience, next you should analyze and look for trends in their search behavior, then evaluate the competition for specific terms. Incorporating well researched keywords into your content, you can improve the chances of your website ranking higher in search engine results pages (SERPs). Higher rankins means more organic traffic which only further boosts your overall online presence. By strategically choosing your keywords you can make sure that your website’s content is relevant and easily discoverable by users looking for information on topics related to your niche.
A well planned keyword strategy goes past just choosing high volume search terms. It takes a planned approach that calls into account the users’ search intent, the relevance of keywords to the content, and the potential for long term ranking success. Your keywords should integrate naturally into your content, titles, meta descriptions, and any other on page elements so that your website can provide seamless browsing and an informative experience for users. This approach not only helps in improving rankings but also in building up domain authority and trust within the audience.
What is Keyword Cannibalization?
While common, keyword cannibalization is an often misunderstood issue in SEO. It happens when you have multiple pages on a website targeting the same or very similar keywords, leading to internal competition. For example, having a dedicated page to targeting skiing lessons in Colorado and a page targeting Colorado ski lessons would lead to keyword cannibalization. This set up confuses search engines, it causes engines to struggle in determining which page should be ranked for a particular search. As a result, your site’s domain authority and ranking potential for each page are hurt, which could cause a drop in overall visibility and performance.
Common Causes of Keyword Cannibalization
There are several factors that can lead to keyword cannibalization. One of the most common causes is the creation of multiple pages with overlapping content or themes. This usually happens when websites grow and begin to produce a significant amount of content over time without having a clear keyword strategy. Another common cause is using broad or generic keywords across multiple pages, while unintentional this can create competition among those pages. Poorly structured internal linking and inconsistent use of keywords in meta tags and headers can only make this issue worse.
How Keyword Cannibalization Hurts SEO
Keyword cannibalization can have a massive impact on your SEO strategy. It can lead to a fragmented and confusing user experience, as visitors could land on pages that do not fully meet their search intent. This can result in higher bounce rates and lower engagement metrics across the site. This signals to search engines that your content is not meeting user needs and thus is not relevant. This drop in ranking authority means that no single page can effectively compete for top positions in search results, which reduces your website’s overall visibility and potential for new traffic.
How to Fix Keyword Cannibalization
To address keyword cannibalization, there are several effective strategies that website owners and SEO professionals can implement.
Consolidate Content
Your first step in solving keyword cannibalization issues is content consolidation. You should identify pages with similar or overlapping content and combine them into a single, cover all resource page. The new consolidated page can offer more value to users, become a stronger authority on the topic, and improve its chances of ranking higher in search results. Page consolidation also simplifies the website’s structure, making it easier for search engines to crawl and index the content.
Differentiate Keywords
Another approach is to differentiate keywords across pages. This strategy involves conducting a thorough audit of the existing content on your site to identify instances of keyword cannibalization. Once identified, new and unique keywords should be assigned to each page, so that every piece of content has a distinct focus and purpose. This distinction helps search engines better understand the relevance of each page and cuts back on internal competition. It also enhances the user experience by providing more targeted and relevant content for different queries.
Utilize 301 Redirects
A third solution is the use of 301 redirects. When you have multiple pages with similar content, it can be helpful to implement 301 redirects to consolidate link equity and direct traffic to the most authoritative page. This not only helps in solving the issue of keyword cannibalization but also preserves the ranking potential of the consolidated page. By signaling to search engines that one page is the preferred destination for specific queries, 301 redirects can improve the overall SEO performance of the website.
Create a Content Calendar
A tip is preventing keyword cannibalism rather than solving it is using a content calendar. This proactive approach involves planning and organizing content creation with a clear focus on using unique keywords for each piece of new content. By mapping out content in advance, you can be sure that each new page targets distinct keywords, and avoids overlap. This reduces the risk of keyword cannibalization. A content calendar also helps maintain consistency in publishing, which can contribute to better user engagement and sustained SEO performance.
Work With an Expert Technical SEO Agency
At Simple SEO Group we have delivered results driven online marketing and web development services since 2008. We serve clients from small and mid-sized businesses to fortune 1000 companies alike. To date we have helped over 400 brands improve their online presence and grow their business online. Contact us today to learn more about how we can revolutionize your business’s online presence.