Keywords, a key asset to SEO, can also be penalized if misused. Especially if they are found on multiple pages of the same website. This is called keyword cannibalism.
Result: Search engines get lost in your content and no longer know where to place duplicate keywords. You run the risk of seeing a low priority page in poll position, which could lead to the loss of a more qualitative article. Worse: You could lose space on all the cannibal pages.
So how do you keep your keywords from colliding?
1. Identify Keyword Cannibalism
The first step to avoiding keyword cannibalism is to identify the offending content.
Technique A: Via Google’s “Site” Command
To search, go to Google’s site command.
Type: Site: yoursite.com , keywords ,
Then you will find the referenced pages on these questions. Check that you don’t have priority content that ends up on a less important page. If so, the keyword is cannibalism.
Technique B: Google Search Console via the “Performance” section
Go to the “Performance” section of Google Search Console, then click “Questions” to select the keywords to test.
Select a keyword, then click the “Pages” section. You will see the optimized link on this phrase.
In the example below, we will check if the query is ” instagram trending 2020 Cannibalism produces:
By clicking on it, then on the “page”, we see that two articles are located on this keyword. With the two ingredients being fairly recent and of similar quality, this isn’t a real problem.
Analyzing the keywords that generate cannibalism allows you to repurpose related content, while informing you of expressions you should stop optimizing.
Read also: SEO Audit: 20 points to analyze without delay
2. Break Content With Intent
When it comes to search engine queries, users are guided by four main goals:
- information : These Internet users have a specific question or want to know more about a certain topic;
- Guidance : the intention is to visit a particular website;
- transactions : the Internet user is here to purchase the product or service;
- commercial : Here, in the near future, it is intended to convert, but the Internet user first uses the Web to conduct in-depth research.
To avoid cannibalism, adapt the same theme for all four intentions. For example, around the keyword “accounting software», Deny requests:
- Choose Accounting Software
- accounting software [marque]
- buy accounting software
- Which is the best accounting software?
3. Work on the Semantic Universe of Keywords
To avoid using the same keywords on different pages, choose synonyms, variations, and related expressions. Use a textual field of targeted questions to avoid cannibalism, which further increases your website entrance.
Warning: Google has a pretty good grasp of synonyms! Avoid words or phrases that are too similar. To determine the semantic universe of a keyword, let Google round out your expressions.
Simply choose a main keyword and place it in the search bar. The search engine automatically provides a list of related topics:
You can also select a question and check “Related searches” at the bottom of the page:
4. Use 301 Redirects
301 Redirect allows you to permanently redirect a page to a new location.
For example, you created an exactly new version of an article published years ago. Analyze in depth which URL has the most authority, amount of inbound links, keywords located etc. Usually this will be old material.
Redirect it to new page. This allows users to find what they are looking for and sends a positive signal to the search engines. This is because the redirected URL will transfer its authority to the landing page.
5. Merge Similar Content
If you want to create content on the same topic and with the same keywords, the ideal is to focus all your efforts in a single URL. This protects the pages from competing with each other. Only one of them gets all the rights. In addition, you provide your readers with very valuable content, which is excellent for your image. As far as “old” pages are concerned, use a 301 redirect to get them to the main URL.
Keyword cannibalism is a blow to the authority of a website. So take the time to identify it and rearrange your stuff. In the future, consider working on the lexical field of keywords, merging similar content and rejecting your articles or pages as intended.
And if you need encouragement to improve your natural context, post an ad on Codeur.com!