Keyword cannibalisation is an SEO problem that occurs when several pages on your site compete for the same search term. Instead of helping you rank better, they pull each other down. Google isn’t sure which page to prioritise, and your authority gets split between them.
For small and mid-sized businesses trying to grow through search, this can gradually erode their performance. As AI-powered search results become increasingly common, clarity and content structure are more important than ever.
Let’s break down exactly what keyword cannibalisation is, why it happens, and how to fix it.
Understanding Keyword Cannibalisation
Keyword cannibalisation happens when multiple pages on your website target the same or very similar keywords. Instead of boosting your chances of ranking, this can do the opposite: your content ends up competing with itself.
When Google sees several pages optimised for the same term, it may struggle to decide which one to show. This can dilute your authority, spread backlinks and engagement across too many URLs, and result in all of them performing worse than they could.
How keyword cannibalisation happens
Most site owners don’t plan for it. It often creeps in over time as your site grows. You add new content, refresh old posts, or build landing pages around similar topics, all with the best intentions.
Here are some common causes:
- Unstructured content growth: Publishing without a content map or keyword strategy often leads to overlap.
- Targeting the same keyword on multiple pages: Trying to rank for a high-value term more than once, instead of creating a single strong page.
- Product or service page duplication: Offering similar products or services in different locations or categories without differentiating the content.
- Blog post repetition: Covering the same topic in multiple posts over time with minor variations.
- Over-optimisation: Stuffing identical target keywords into different pages in hopes of ranking better.
Real-world examples
Let’s say you run a UK-based digital agency and have two blog posts:
- “How to Improve On-Page SEO”
- “On-Page SEO Checklist for 2025”
Both aim to rank for “on-page SEO” and share similar content. Google doesn’t know which one should take the lead. Instead of one strong performer, you end up with two weaker ones, neither ranking as well as they could.
Or imagine an ecommerce store with five product pages for similar shoes, all optimised around “black running trainers.” Without apparent keyword targeting and page structure, they can cannibalise each other.
This type of internal competition makes it more challenging for Google (and now AI-driven search systems) to determine which page is most useful.
Next, we’ll look at why keyword cannibalisation is more than just a technical glitch, and how it can quietly erode your SEO performance.
How to Identify Keyword Cannibalisation
Before you can fix keyword cannibalisation, you need to spot it. And while it’s not always apparent at first glance, there are simple ways to check whether your pages are competing with each other.
Let’s go through a few practical methods.
1. Manual checks you can do right now
You don’t always need expensive tools to catch cannibalisation issues. A few manual approaches can give you a solid starting point:
Google site search
Head to Google and type this:
site:yourdomain.com [target keyword]
This shows you all the pages that Google has indexed on your site related to that keyword. If you see multiple URLs trying to rank for the same term, that’s your red flag.
Google Search Console
Go to the Performance report. Filter by a specific query.
Now check which URLs are getting impressions or clicks for that keyword.
If more than one page is competing, especially if they’re trading places or seeing fluctuating visibility, it could be a case of cannibalisation.
2. Using SEO tools to dig deeper
Manual checks are helpful, but tools can save you time and offer more detailed insights.
Ahrefs
In Ahrefs, plug your domain into Site Explorer. Head to the Organic Keywords report.
Use the filter to find keywords with multiple URLs ranking. This lets you spot overlaps quickly.
SEMrush
In SEMrush, go to Position Tracking, then check the Cannibalisation Report. It highlights keywords where multiple pages are fighting for the same spot. The visual timeline is beneficial to spot patterns over time.
Screaming Frog
Screaming Frog is helpful for spotting on-page duplication. Run a crawl and export your HTML page titles and H1 tags.
If you notice repeated or very similar titles across different URLs, it might be worth reviewing for keyword conflict.
3. A quick example
Let’s say your site ranks for “local SEO services UK.”
You notice two different pages showing up on and off in Search Console:
- /local-seo-guide
- /seo-services-uk
Neither one holds a steady position. Clicks fluctuate, and traffic feels unpredictable.
That’s a typical sign that Google isn’t sure which page to prioritise. You’re competing with yourself without meaning to.
Once you’ve identified keyword cannibalisation, the next step is to ensure your content works together and not against itself. Let’s walk through how to fix it.
How to Fix Keyword Cannibalisation
Once you’ve found signs of keyword cannibalisation on your site, it’s time to clean things up. The goal here isn’t just to tidy content, but to send clear signals to search engines about which page should rank for a particular query.
Here are the main ways to resolve it:
1. Merge or consolidate similar content
If you’ve got two or more pages covering the same topic, ask yourself: do they need to exist separately?
Often, it makes more sense to combine them into a single, stronger page. This enhances clarity for Google and provides users with a better experience.
Steps to merge:
- Choose the page that already performs best or has the most backlinks.
- Extract the valuable information from the secondary page and incorporate it into the main one.
- Redirect the old page to the updated URL (more on this later).
This approach works well for blog posts, service pages, or older guides that overlap in content.
2. Use canonical tags
Let’s say you have similar pages that you can’t merge, perhaps due to technical or business reasons. A canonical tag tells Google, “these pages are related, but this one is the main version.”
This keeps duplicate content from competing while still allowing you to maintain both URLs.
Use canonical tags when:
- You have near-identical product pages across categories.
- You’re running A/B tests on different versions of a landing page.
- Content is syndicated elsewhere, and you want your original to be prioritised.
Just make sure the tag points to the correct page and avoid circular canonicals.
3. Apply noindex or use 301 redirects
Sometimes, a page loses its value. Perhaps it’s outdated or too thin to be of much help.
In these cases:
- Use the noindex tag to prevent Google from indexing it.
- Or redirect it (301) to a more relevant page if one exists.
A redirect helps preserve link equity, while a noindex tag simply tells search engines to skip it. Either approach can help stop cannibalisation from recurring.
4. Prune low-quality or outdated content
If your site has grown quickly, there’s a chance it includes underperforming pages that overlap with newer content.
Instead of leaving them to confuse search engines, consider:
- Removing pages that get no traffic and have no backlinks.
- Folding the best bits into a better-performing page.
- Redirecting or noindexing the rest.
Less can be more when it comes to SEO clarity.
5. Improve your internal linking structure
Internal links help search engines understand your site’s hierarchy. If you’re linking to multiple pages with the same anchor text, you might be sending mixed signals.
To fix this:
- Link to your main page using the exact match keyword.
- Avoid pointing anchor text for that term to secondary or weaker pages.
- Use supporting terms or long-tail anchors where appropriate.
Over time, this builds stronger keyword associations and improves ranking signals.
How to Prevent Keyword Cannibalisation
Fixing keyword cannibalisation is one thing. Avoiding it from happening in the first place is even better. If you’re running a growing site or publishing regularly, prevention saves time and protects your rankings in the long run.
Here’s how to stay ahead of it.
1. Start with keyword mapping and content planning
Before writing anything new, map out your target keywords and match each to a specific page. This way, you give every topic a clear home and reduce the chance of overlapping with existing content.
Tips for better planning:
- Use a spreadsheet or content tool to track keyword assignments
- Include primary, secondary, and related terms for each page
- Update the map when content is added or changed
This helps keep your strategy organised and prevents new posts from overlapping with old ones.
2. Follow simple on-page SEO guidelines
When building or updating a page, make sure your on-page signals are clear and consistent.
Check the following:
- Only one page should be targeting a specific keyword or phrase
- Use your target keyword in the title, H1, meta description, and URL, but only once per term across your site
- Write naturally and keep internal links focused on the strongest page for that keyword
If you’re trying to rank for “local SEO services UK”, don’t use the same keyword on three different pages. Let one page do the work and support it with internal links and related content.
3. Keep your site structure clean and logical
A good structure doesn’t just help users. It also gives search engines a clear view of which pages are most important.
Focus on:
- Creating one central page for each core topic
- Using category pages to group related content
- Linking back to cornerstone content from smaller, related articles
The goal is to reduce confusion. If your site clearly outlines a path for every topic, Google is less likely to misinterpret your intent.
Preventing keyword cannibalisation comes down to clarity and control. With a solid structure in place, your content works together rather than competing against itself. Let’s now look at the tools that can help you manage this more efficiently.
Tools to Detect and Fix Keyword Cannibalisation
Spotting keyword cannibalisation manually works when you’re managing a small site. However, once your content starts to grow, it becomes increasingly complex to keep track. That’s where SEO tools make a real difference.
Let’s break down some of the most useful ones and when to use them.
Ahrefs
Ahrefs is one of the most popular tools for quickly identifying cannibalisation issues.
How it helps:
- Use the Site Explorer to view all organic keywords your site ranks for
- Filter by keyword and check how many URLs are showing up for the same term
- Spot fluctuations in rankings across pages targeting similar phrases
Pros:
- Clean interface and strong filtering options
- Quick to uncover keyword overlap
- Includes backlink context to help decide which page to prioritise
Cons:
- Paid tool with limited features on lower-tier plans
- Doesn’t flag cannibalisation automatically
When to use it:
Best if you’re already using Ahrefs for keyword research or backlink analysis. It’s fast and accurate once you know where to look.
SEMrush
SEMrush takes a slightly different approach with its Position Tracking tool, offering a built-in Cannibalisation Report.
How it helps:
- Automatically highlights cannibalisation across your tracked keywords
- Visual timeline shows when pages swap positions
- Easy to compare changes over time
Pros:
- Detects keyword cannibalisation without manual filtering
- Visual format makes it easy to digest
- Integrates well with ongoing SEO campaigns
Cons:
- Requires you to set up position tracking in advance
- It can feel heavy if you’re only using it for this purpose
When to use it:
Great if you’re managing SEO across multiple campaigns or need automated insights over time.
Screaming Frog
Screaming Frog is very useful for on-site audits and catching structural causes of cannibalisation.
How it helps:
- Crawl your site to find duplicated title tags, meta descriptions, and H1s
- Export data to spot pages with overlapping content themes
- Combine this info with keyword data from Search Console for deeper insights
Pros:
- Fast and flexible crawler
- Excellent for internal linking audits
- Very useful for large websites sites with complex structures
Cons:
- Doesn’t track keyword rankings
- More technical, it may require time and effort for beginners to understand and become proficient
When to use it:
Best for technical SEOs and audits where content structure or metadata is the root cause.
Choosing the right tool depends on how your site is built and where the keyword cannibalisation is happening. Some issues come from content, others from technical SEO. In many cases, using a combination of these tools gives the clearest picture.
Final Thoughts
If your site has been losing traction even though you’re regularly publishing content, keyword cannibalisation could be part of the problem. It’s one of those issues that often goes unnoticed and continues to hurt your rankings until you take a closer look.
The good news is that you can fix it. It may feel overwhelming, but with the proper guidance, your site can recover and perform better than before.
At EVO SEO, we specialise in identifying hidden SEO issues, such as keyword cannibalisation. We help businesses clean up confusion, regain lost traffic, and create a solid content structure that supports long-term growth.
Schedule a free consultation with our team. We’ll review your site, highlight areas that need attention, and provide a clear path forward.
There’s probably more potential in your content than you realise.
