How To Identify Keyword Cannibalization in SEO

//

PrioNow

Keyword cannibalization can be difficult to identify as it happens quietly and sometimes without obvious signs. If your rankings for a keyword fluctuate between pages or a key page is losing clicks, it’s a sign your pages might be competing for the same keyword, affecting your performance. This guide will show you how to effectively detect keyword cannibalization.

Key Indicators to Find Keyword Cannibalization

Keyword overlap is normal on a website. The key is to identify pages that compete against each other and negatively impact your performance.

You should not simply check if pages rank for the same keyword but also identify issues based on data. The best way to do so is not only to count how many clicks each keyword gets on a page but also to look at the percentage of total traffic each page receives for that keyword.

How to identify keyword cannibalization

Here is another example:

PageClicksPercentage of Total Keyword Traffic
Page A50096.3%
Page B234.4%
Total523100%

In this example, Page B receives only 4.4% of the traffic for the keyword, which isn’t considered cannibalization. However, if Page B received 150 clicks (28.7%), it indicates a competitive overlap that needs to be addressed.

Methods to Identify Keyword Cannibalization

Since 2017, we’ve managed four websites, and we’ve learned several effective methods for spotting overlapping keywords. However, because this process can be time-consuming and tricky, we highly recommend using a keyword cannibalization tool to automate the process for you.

MethodMetrics CheckedProcessCoveragePrice
Site Search on GoogleNoneManualSingle KeywordFree
Google Search ConsoleClicksManualSingle KeywordFree
PrioNowClicks, Percentage of Total TrafficAutomatedEntire Website$
AhrefsClicksManualSingle Keyword$$$
SEMRushClicks, PositionSemi-AutomatedAll keywords provided$$$

1. Use Google Search Console (GSC)

Google Search Console is a valuable and free tool for monitoring your website’s performance in search results. Here’s how to use it to identify keyword cannibalization:

  • Access Performance Reports: Navigate to the “Performance” section to view data on your website’s search queries, clicks, impressions, and average position.
  • Review Top Queries: Identify the primary keywords your site is ranking for.
  • Check Multiple Pages: For each top query, see how many pages from your site appear in the search results. Multiple pages ranking for the same keyword indicate potential cannibalization.
  • Analyze Click Data: While GSC shows the number of clicks each page receives for a keyword, it doesn’t provide the percentage of total traffic for the specific keyword directly related to cannibalization. So, you’ll have to calculate it manually. However, seeing multiple pages with significant clicks for the same keyword can hint at internal competition.

Tip: Regularly monitor your top-performing keywords in GSC to catch any new instances of keyword overlap early.

2. Perform a Site Search on Google

A simple yet effective way to spot keyword cannibalization is by performing a site-specific search on Google. Here’s how:

Use the Site Operator: In the Google search bar, type site:yourwebsite.com “your keyword”. Replace yourwebsite.com with your actual domain and “your keyword” with the keyword you want to check.

Example:
site:yourwebsite.com “SEO tips”

  • Review Search Results: Google will display all the pages on your site that rank for the specified keyword. If multiple pages appear, it indicates that these pages might be competing for the same keyword.
  • Evaluate Page Performance: While this method shows which pages are ranking, it doesn’t provide click data. However, observing multiple pages in search results for the same keyword can be a clear sign of cannibalization.

Limitations: This method doesn’t show click data or the exact impact on performance, but it’s a quick way to visualize potential keyword overlap.

3. Use Keyword Cannibalization  Tools

Different tools allow you to identify and analyze keyword cannibalization more efficiently. Here are some of the best ones to consider:

PrioNow

Our advanced tool PrioNow is designed to simplify SEO content audits by automating the identification of keyword overlaps. Here’s how PrioNow can help:

  • Automated Scanning: PrioNow connects to Google Search Console and scans your entire website to detect keyword cannibalization.
  • Performance Impact: It flags only those keyword overlaps that impact your website’s performance, saving you from sorting through unnecessary irrelevant data.
  • Detailed Insights: PrioNow provides click data and performance metrics for each affected page, allowing you to prioritize and address the most critical issues effectively.

SEMrush & Ahrefs

Both SEMrush and Ahrefs are popular SEO tools that offer robust features and could help with keyword cannibalization:

  • SEMrush:
    • Position Tracking: Use the Position Tracking tool to monitor how your pages rank for specific keywords over time. You just need to provide a list of keywords and the tool will generate a report with pages affected.
  • Ahrefs:
    • Site Explorer: Analyze your website’s keyword rankings and see how many pages are ranking for a single keyword. 

Tip: Use the reporting features of these tools to generate comprehensive reports on keyword overlaps and prioritize your SEO efforts accordingly.

Conclusion

No matter what method you use to identify keyword cannibalization, always base your decisions on data. To avoid manual work, errors, or focusing on the wrong pages, we recommend using a tool like PrioNow to simplify the process and save time.