Keyword Cannibalization
Keyword cannibalization simply means that the various blog post or articles on the site can rank for the same search query in the Search Engine i.e Google. It may be happens due to the similar topics or by the same keyword or keyphrase optimization. Specially Google search engines can show the same result for a single query from a single domain. Additionally, if you have the high authority domain then it may be goes up-to 3 results on a same search query.
keyword cannibalism is bad for SEO
If you cannibalize your own keyword then your competitor is you. In the process of ranking in SEO Google algorithm gets confused of the ranking of the article for a certain query. Additionally, the important factor is that back links and CTR also drift on both post. As the result both articles might rank lower.
On the another aspect, the keyword cannibalization also occurs if you optimize your post with a focus keyword which is not exactly but almost same. For example, ICT BYTE has wrote a two contents one is “How to minimize the keyword cannibalization?” which have the focus keyword “minimize the keyword cannibalization” and another is “Steps to minimize the keyword cannibalization” which have the focus keyword “Reduce the keyword cannibalization”.
In this case, both keyword are exactly not the same but they are almost same. In this situation which is more important keywords for audience? Yes, only we are not but here, Google also have hard to figure out which of the two articles is the most important.
In this process the both articles may rank lower.
How to recognize it?
The process of this analysis is pretty simple. You can simply do a search of a keyword which is under your suspectious of the keyword cannibalism. In the result you need to notice which of your pages do you see in the search results, and what position do they rank? In the context of two of your pages for the same keyword are ranking search result number 1 and search result number 2, that’s not a problem. But if you don’t do you see your articles or on positions 7 and 8 then the time is demanding the changes.
Solving keyword cannibalization
There are many idea to get rid out of this problem among them the four strategy mentioned below are the effective ones.
- Audit your content
- Analyze content performance
- Decide which ones to keep
- Act: merge, delete, redirect
The first two strategy mainly helps you to decide which articles need to keep and which ones needs to merge or which is less important and need to delete. There will be many cases in which the acting part will consist of combining and deleting articles.
Merge or combine articles
Merge or combine simply means to collaborate two or more than two things on a same platform. So, if more than one article is attracting to the audience then you can mix them out to make Google easy to rank it at the top of the result. You can combine those article in a single article. Rewrite those article on more amazing way (Google loves word lengthy and well-written content). Which helps to solve the problem of Google and your.
Improve internal linking
You can help Google to figure out which article is most important to audience. You can set up the decent internal linking structure to help out google. If you link from posts that are less important, to posts that are the most important to you then Google figure out the the desire of you about the article which you want to pop up highest in the search engines.
Keyword cannibalism will affect growing websites
If your websites gets bigger then there will be the high chance to happen Keyword cannibalism on your website. If you write the article rather similar to one article then the alertness by google is head towards you. In order to get rid out of this problem you can check the keywords you want to rank for the most and be sure to check whether you’re suffering from keyword cannibalism or not.
We hope these guidelines help you to know What is Keyword Cannibalization?. If any queries arise regarding this topic then ICT BYTE recommend you to comment below. Here, we are always active to help you so don’t hesitate to share your doubt.
Also Read:
10 Free Keyword Research Tools that you need for content marketing and SEO
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