Keyword Cannibalization: How to Find, Fix, and Prevent It
What Is Keyword Cannibalization?
Keyword cannibalization is an SEO issue that occurs when multiple pages on a site compete with each other for the same Google rankings.Â
Pages compete when they target the same keyword and satisfy the same search intent—i.e., serve the same purpose. Or Google interprets them as doing so.
SEO keyword cannibalization can happen when you:
- Publish similar pieces of content over time
- Publish a new version of a page without redirecting the old one
- Create different paths to the same product category
- Optimize similar pages for the same keyword
- Do not optimize subcategory pages
Keyword cannibalization in SEO is not just caused by mentioning the same keyword on multiple pages.Â