SEO Cannibalization: What It Is and How to Solve It

Have you ever noticed that your website doesn’t show up where you expect it to in Google, even though you have a lot of content on that topic? You may be facing a problem called “SEO cannibalization”. Don’t worry, it’s not as complicated as it sounds. Let’s explain it in a simple way.

What is SEO cannibalization?

Imagine you have a cake store. You make chocolate, vanilla and strawberry cakes. Now, if someone searches for “chocolate cake” on Google, which page of your website should come up? The home page of your store? The specific chocolate cake page? Or maybe the blog where you talk about how you make your chocolate cakes?

When you have multiple pages that could show up for the same search, you’re competing with yourself. That’s SEO cannibalization. Your own pages “eat” each other in the search results.

Why is this happening?

There are several reasons why it can happen:

1. You have a lot of pages on the same topic.
2. You use the same keywords on different pages.
3. Your website has grown over time and you have forgotten what content you already had.

Is it always bad?

Not always. Sometimes having more than one page in the results can be good. For example, if you appear in first and second place for “chocolate cake,” great! You take up more space on the results page.

But if a less important page appears before your main page, there’s a problem.

How can you tell if you have this problem?

There are a few simple ways to check:

1. Google the main topic of your website. For example, “Cakes [name of your store]”. Do several of your pages show up in the results?
2. Use Google Search Console. It’s a free Google tool that shows you how your site appears in searches. Search for keywords where several of your pages appear.
3. Use the “site:” command in Google. Type “site:yourdomain.com keyword” and see how many pages of your site appear for that keyword.
4. If you have a WordPress website, you can use SEO plugins to help you detect cannibalization problems. These plugins usually offer content and keyword analysis tools. You can find more information about the best SEO plugins for WordPress in this article.

How can you fix it?

If you find you have this problem, don’t panic. There are several ways to fix it:

1. Combine pages: If you have several pages on the same topic, consider putting them together into a single, more complete page.
2. Use redirects: If you decide to merge pages, be sure to redirect the old pages to the new one. This is done with something called a “301 redirect”.
3. Differentiate your pages: If you really need several pages on similar topics, make sure each one has a unique focus.
4. Improve your internal structure: Make sure your most important pages have more links from other parts of your site.
5. Use the “canonical” tag: This is a way to tell Google which is the main page on a topic if you have several similar ones.

How to avoid this in the future?

To avoid this problem in the future:

1. Plan your content: Before creating a new page, think about whether you already have similar content.
2. Use different keywords: Try to use different keywords for each page.
3. Review your site regularly: From time to time, take a look at your content and see if there are pages that can be combined or improved.

Summarizing what you’ve learned

SEO cannibalization may sound complicated, but it’s actually quite simple. It’s about making sure your pages work together, not against each other. With a little attention and care, you can make your website stronger and show up better in Google searches.

Remember, the goal is to make it easy for people to find exactly what they are looking for on your website. If you do it right, not only will Google be happy, but so will your visitors.

Do you have more questions about SEO cannibalization? Feel free to do more research or ask an expert for help – good luck with your website!