Is your website traffic continuously declining even after publishing high-quality SEO content? Have you lost many keyword rankings despite following the best-known SEO practices? If you answered yes, the problem is probably cannibalization. Also known as content cannibalization, it is one of the most overlooked aspects of keyword research.
Some business owners have a misconception that only targeting relevant SEO keywords will make their website rank higher. In reality, result-driven SEO demands more than mere keyword research and content optimization. If you have been publishing numerous website pages targeting the same keywords, it will cause damage.
If your website has been hit because of cannibalization, this article can help you fix the issue. Therefore, let’s continue reading.
What is Cannibalization?
Before exploring practical and effective ways to fix keyword cannibalization issues, let’s quickly gain a fundamental understanding of cannibalization. For the uninitiated, keyword cannibalization is a common SEO issue that often gets overlooked. It arises when you create numerous website content pages targeting similar keywords.
When you publish top-notch SEO web content for multiple pages and unknowingly they target similar keywords, search engines get confused about your site’s authority. As a result, they start de-ranking your website content, even if you have been publishing niche-focused content for a while.
It confuses search engines, and when they fail to determine which page should be ranked first for a given keyword, they begin re-ranking the content of all of the associated pages. Simply put, search engines start lowering the ranks of all the pages trying to target similar keywords on a website.
How to Fix Cannibalization?
It should come as no big surprise that new website owners are generally novice writers and cannibalize their websites without even knowing that they are doing it. Therefore, if you’re being penalized for cannibalization and not getting the rankings that you want, it’s a good time to consider hiring an SEO company with web content experience.
Keyword cannibalization can rank websites if they’re not fixed immediately. You can deploy a reliable SEO company to fix the issue or identify the problem pages and rectify them. If you want to fix the issue yourself, check the mentioned practical ways of doing it below.
Here’s how to fix cannibalization issues that result in visible improvements in website ranking and traffic:
#1: Leverage Google Search Console
Every website owner has access to the Google Search Console. To identify cannibalization issues using this method, log in to your Google Search Console, select the performance option under search results, and then search SEO keywords you feel are affected by keyword cannibalization.
Now, hover to the pages tab to find a list of pages targeting similar keywords. Once you’ve identified the keywords and pages creating the problem, take appropriate action for immediate repairs. The more you can do to help your website and pages rank higher on the major search engines, the better the results.
#2: Use Paid Third-Party SEO Tools
The market has various tools, like Ahrefs, Semrush, Jetoctopus, and others that can be used to create detailed reports on keyword cannibalization. They fetch real-time data from your Google Search Console, making it easier to spot cannibalization issues while providing you with a detailed analysis.
However, these tools are expensive, and you need to have a good grip on these tools to get excellent results. Therefore, the best option to fix cannibalization issues is to hire SEO experts who know the ins and outs of technical SEO. They will have the right tools along with the required knowledge to fix all the issues related to your ranking.
#3: Have Patience
Writing SEO content is not enough to rank websites, as correct keyword research and mapping are equally important. Even niche-focused websites can fall prey to cannibalization, losing rankings for all major keywords. Fixing cannibalization requires plenty of time, effort, and technical know-how – which few businesses possess.
Whether you fix cannibalization issues yourself or hire an expert SEO company, you should be ready to witness wild ranking fluctuations during the fixation process. However, be patient because following the right tactics to fix cannibalization will generate visible improvements over some time.
Why Should I Hire an SEO Company to Fix My Cannibalization?
Keyword cannibalization can be tough to detect and fix, especially if your website has hundreds of pages. If you don’t have the required skilled workforce, access to sophisticated SEO tools, time, etc., you should consider the help of an SEO company to fix your cannibalization issues.
If you’re still not clear on how to fix cannibalization issues or lack the necessary resources, it is best to hire an SEO agency such as the Internet Marketing Team. Businesses that want their websites to rank for relevant keywords sustainably should invest in the best Gilbert SEO services for long-lasting results.
For more information about how we can help fix your website’s cannibalization issues, writing SEO content, and SEO-managed services, contact us today, and let’s get started.