Preventing keyword cannibalisation on your website

Ensuring that your website is performing as effectively as possible, and securing the best possible results,is an important factor for businesses to consider. One aspect that can cause a significant problem, but that often goes overlooked, is keyword cannibalisation. But what is this, and what are the problems associated with it? And what are the effective options for preventing keyword cannibalisation on your website?

What is keyword cannibalisation?

Keyword cannibalisation can be a significant problem in search engine optimisation (SEO). This occurs when multiple pages of a website target the same or highly similar keywords, which can actually lead to a reduction in organic traffic to those pages. This is because, when a user enters a query in a search engine, it seeks to deliver the most relevant and diverse set of results. As a result, if a website has several pages competing for the same keyword, search engines will not be able to accurately rank the pages for content quality, relevance and originality, and so it will dilute the rankings for these pages instead. This means that content that was originally ranking for the keyword may suffer a loss in traffic or rank position, while the new content may not appear in the top search results at all.

What kind of problems does keyword cannibalisation cause?

Not only can keyword cannibalisation lead to the aforementioned loss in organic traffic and search engine ranking, but this can also cause a host of other issues and problems too. These include:

• Reducing the user experience- when a user encounters several pages offering similar information, they may become frustrated, unable to distinguish which page addresses their query most effectively. 
• Reducing the authority and credibility of a website- Instead of consolidating expertise on a particular topic, the website scatters it across multiple pages, diluting the site’s overall value in the eyes of search engines. As a result, the chances of securing high-quality backlinks reduce significantly. 

What are the effective options for preventing keyword cannibalisation on your website?

So, to avoid these problems that are associated with keyword cannibalisation there are a number of steps you should take.These include:

• Thorough keyword research- It’s always important to thoroughly research any keyword you are aiming to target with content online, but you should also focus this attention inward to your own website as well. This will allow you to avoid repeating content that is too similar. Effective keywords research will also allow you to develop a clear keyword strategy, and assign specific keywords to individual pages. This will ensure that each page serves a unique purpose and covers distinct aspects of the topic.
• Content optimisation- Optimising the current content on your website is always an option. This means reviewing the existing content to identify any overlaps or keyword similarities. If you notice any of these, you can consolidate the content to create a fully comprehensive and informative page. This consolidation will boost the authority of the page and reduce competition among internal pages. You can take this one step further by ensuring that regular content audits are undertaken, and that looking for cannibalisation is on your task list.
• Page differentiation- You should also ensure that each page has a unique angle or focus on the chosen topic. Differentiating content will help search engines understand the relevance of each page and serve distinct search intents, and it will also help any potential customer or client who lands on your website, to find what they’re looking for quickly and easily.This leads to an improved user experience and increases the opportunity for sales and sign ups.

For more information or advice, or for professional web marketing and web design, get in touch with the team here at Pumpkin Web Design.We are Preston’s leading web design and web marketing professionals and we provide valuable web design, SEO, and marketing solutions to a range of clients, across the North West, including Southport and Wigan, as well as Manchester.