What Is Keyword Cannibalization? Causes, Examples & Fixes

Many website owners unknowingly harm their own rankings. The culprit? Keyword cannibalization. When more than one page on your site targets the same keyword, search engines struggle to decide which one to rank. Instead of boosting visibility, this overlap lowers performance. In this guide, we’ll explain what is keyword cannibalization, its causes, examples, and how to fix it with SEO and internal links.

What Is Keyword Cannibalization?

In simple words, cannibalization in SEO means two or more pages on your site compete for the same keyword. Search engines don’t know which page is most relevant, so both lose ranking potential.

For example, if you publish two blogs around “best SEO practices,” Google may split traffic between them, causing SEO keyword cannibalization. This reduces the effectiveness of your SEO efforts.

Causes of Keyword Cannibalization

Here’s why cannibalization SEO happens:

1. Duplicate Content Topics – Writing too many articles on the same subject.

2. No Keyword Strategy – Failing to assign unique keywords for each page.

3. Weak Internal Linking – Not having a clear SEO internal linking strategy to highlight the main page.

4. Similar Metadata – Using identical titles or descriptions across posts.

Examples of Keyword Cannibalization

Imagine these two posts on your site:

• “Top Social Media Marketing Tips”

• “Best Tips for Social Media Marketing”

Both focus on the same keyword. Instead of ranking one, search engines may rank neither. Similarly, having service pages like “Local SEO Guide” and “Local SEO Tips” can also cause cannibalization in SEO.

How to Fix Keyword Cannibalization

Luckily, you can fix keyword cannibalization with smart steps:

1. Merge Content

If two pages cover almost the same subject, combine them into one stronger article. Redirect the weaker one to the main page.

2. Assign Keywords Properly

Map out keywords so that every page has a unique target. This avoids overlap.

3. Improve Internal Linking

Apply internal linking best practices by connecting smaller articles to your main page. This strengthens your internal linking for SEO and signals which page deserves priority.

4. Adjust Metadata

Make sure each page has a unique title, meta description, and heading.

5. Use Canonical Tags

If you need to keep similar pages, use canonical tags to show search engines which version is the main one.

Internal Links: A Key Fix for Cannibalization

One of the best ways to fight SEO keyword cannibalization is through internal linking. With a clear SEO internal linking strategy, you can guide both users and search engines.

Best practices include:

• Linking supporting blogs to a central pillar page.

• Using keyword-focused anchor text.

• Avoiding too many links to competing pages.

Following internal linking best practices ensures search engines know which page is your primary content.

Conclusion

Keyword cannibalization is a hidden SEO issue that reduces visibility. It occurs when multiple pages compete for the same keyword, confusing search engines.

The fix is clear: merge duplicate content, assign unique keywords, and strengthen internal linking for SEO. With the right internal linking best practices, you can guide Google to your most important pages. By learning how to fix keyword cannibalization, you’ll boost rankings, improve traffic, and make your site more search-friendly.