Imagine you have two kids. They are both screaming "MOM!" at the same time.
Who do you listen to? You get confused. You get annoyed. You probably ignore both of them.
This is exactly what happens when you have "Keyword Cannibalization."
It happens when you write two or more articles about the exact same topic. Instead of helping you, these pages fight each other.
They confuse Google. Google doesn't know which page is the "Master" and which is the "Copy." So, it often ranks neither of them.
In this guide, we will show you how to stop this internal civil war and get your pages working together.
Why More Content Isn't Always Better
A few years ago, the strategy was "Write as much as possible."
So, you wrote:
- "Best Running Shoes 2024"
- "Top 10 Running Shoes"
- "Guide to Running Shoes"
The problem? These 3 pages are all trying to rank for the keyword "Running Shoes."
Google looks at your site and says: "I see 3 pages. I don't know which one is the best. I'm just going to rank Zappos instead because their site is organized."
You are your own worst enemy.
How to Spot the Problem (The Symptoms)
You might have Cannibalization if:
The Cannibalization Test
Symptom 1: Your rankings fluctuate wildly (Page 1 one day, Page 5 the next).
Symptom 2: The wrong page is ranking (e.g., your old 2018 blog post is ranking above your new 2026 guide).
Symptom 3: You are stuck on Page 2 and can't move up.
The Fix: The "Merge" Strategy (301 Redirects)
The solution is simple but requires bravery: Kill your darlings.
You need to pick a "Winner" and a "Loser."
Step 1: Identify the two competing pages.
Step 2: Decide which one is better (better content, better design, better links).
Step 3: Take any unique, good information from the Loser page and move it to the Winner page.
Step 4: Delete the Loser page.
Step 5: Set up a 301 Redirect from the Loser URL to the Winner URL.
This tells Google: "Hey, this old page moved here. Please give all its authority and links to this new Master Page."
⚠️ Warning: Don't Just Delete!
If you just delete the old page without a redirect, you lose all the SEO value it built up over the years. Always use a 301 Redirect. It transfers the "SEO Juice."
When NOT to Merge (Different Intent)
Sometimes, two pages look similar but serve different people.
Page A: "Buy Nike Shoes" (E-commerce product page).
Page B: "Review of Nike Shoes" (Blog post).
This is NOT cannibalization. One is for buying (Transactional), one is for learning (Informational). Keep both! They help each other.
Conclusion: Quality Over Quantity
A website with 50 amazing, distinct pages will always beat a website with 500 repetitive, thin pages.
Audit your site. Find the duplicates. Merge them. Make your site lean, mean, and easy for Google to understand.
Are Your Pages Fighting?
We can run a "Cannibalization Audit." We identify every duplicate topic on your site and give you a spreadsheet of exactly what to merge and what to delete.
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