Table Of Contents
Introduction
Keyword cannibalization can be a subtle yet impactful issue for your website’s SEO. It occurs when multiple pages on your site are targeting the same or similar keywords, competing for ranking positions in search engine results. This situation not only confuses search engines about which page should rank for a specific query but also divides your potential traffic across these pages. As a result, your rankings and overall visibility in search results can suffer.
If you’re wondering how to identify keyword cannibalization and how to fix it, Ahrefs can be an invaluable tool. Ahrefs offers a set of features that can help you uncover this problem and guide you through the steps to resolve it. This article walks you through how to check for keyword cannibalization in Ahrefs, providing practical, actionable steps to identify the issue and improve your website’s SEO.
Understanding and managing keyword cannibalization can have a significant impact on your website’s performance. By following the steps in this article, you’ll be able to make data-driven decisions that help you optimize your content strategy and improve your rankings.
What is Keyword Cannibalization?
Before diving into how to check for keyword cannibalization in Ahrefs, it’s important to understand exactly what it is. Keyword cannibalization occurs when multiple pages on your website target the same keyword or a group of similar keywords. This situation confuses search engines, which struggle to determine which page should rank for the specific search query.
For example, let’s say you have two blog posts on your website, one titled “Best SEO Practices for 2025” and another titled “Top SEO Strategies for 2025.” If both of these pages are targeting the same keyword (“SEO Practices for 2025”), you could experience keyword cannibalization. These pages would end up competing against each other for rankings, leading to confusion for search engines, and potentially lowering both pages’ rankings.
Why does this matter?
- Diluted Traffic: Instead of one page ranking highly, both pages may perform poorly because they’re competing for the same spot.
- Lower Rankings: Google may not know which page to rank higher, so neither of them gets the full benefit of your SEO efforts.
- Wasted Resources: You could be spending time and effort optimizing multiple pages for the same keyword when it would be more effective to focus on one.
Now that we understand what keyword cannibalization is, let’s walk through how to detect it using Ahrefs.
Step 1: Analyze Your Site’s Keyword Rankings
To identify keyword cannibalization, the first thing you need to do is analyze your site’s keyword rankings. Ahrefs makes this process relatively straightforward with its Site Explorer tool.
Using Site Explorer to View Rankings
- Open Ahrefs and go to Site Explorer: Enter your website’s URL in the Site Explorer search bar.
- Click on “Organic Keywords”: This section shows you all the keywords that your website is ranking for, along with their respective ranking positions, search volume, and more.
- Export the data: Download the list of keywords in a CSV format for easier analysis. You’ll want to sort the data and look for instances where multiple pages are ranking for the same or very similar keywords.
Once you have this data, look for patterns. For example, you may find that several pages on your site are targeting the same or similar keywords, which could signal keyword cannibalization.
Step 2: Identify Potential Cannibalization Issues
After exporting your keywords, it’s time to identify potential instances of keyword cannibalization. You’ll need to go through the list and look for the following red flags:
Key Indicators of Keyword Cannibalization:
- Multiple Pages Targeting the Same Keyword: If two or more pages are ranking for the same keyword or phrase, this is a strong indication of keyword cannibalization.
- Similar Titles and Meta Descriptions: If multiple pages have similar titles and meta descriptions that target the same keyword, it can also point to cannibalization.
- Keyword Overlap in Content: If you have multiple pages with content that covers the same topic, they might be competing for the same search queries.
For example, if both “The Best SEO Tips for 2025” and “2025 SEO Tips” are ranking for “SEO tips,” they might be cannibalizing each other.
Step 3: Use Ahrefs’ “Content Gap” Tool
Ahrefs’ Content Gap tool can also help you find opportunities where your content may be competing with itself. The tool allows you to compare your site against competitors and identify keywords where you might be targeting the same phrase across multiple pages.
How to Use the Content Gap Tool:
- Go to Site Explorer and click on “Content Gap”: After entering your website’s URL in Site Explorer, select “Content Gap” from the menu.
- Enter Competitor Domains: Enter the domains of your competitors to compare their keyword rankings with yours.
- Analyze the Results: The Content Gap tool will show you which keywords your competitors are ranking for that you’re not. It can also highlight instances where your website is targeting the same keywords across multiple pages.
This comparison can help you pinpoint keywords where your site might be competing against itself, causing keyword cannibalization. For example, if two pages on your site are targeting “SEO trends 2025,” but you find a competitor with only one page ranking for this keyword, it might be time to consolidate your efforts into a single, stronger page.
Step 4: Monitor Keyword Cannibalization Over Time
Keyword cannibalization is not a one-time issue. It’s important to monitor your website’s keyword rankings and SEO performance on an ongoing basis to ensure that new cannibalization issues don’t arise.
Ahrefs provides regular updates on your site’s keyword rankings, allowing you to track how your pages are performing. Regularly checking your keyword rankings can help you spot any new cannibalization issues before they become a bigger problem.
Setting Up Alerts in Ahrefs:
- Create Alerts: In Ahrefs, you can set up alerts for new keywords that your site begins ranking for. This will help you stay informed about potential keyword overlaps and address them proactively.
- Monitor Ranking Changes: Keep an eye on pages that experience ranking fluctuations. Significant changes could indicate keyword cannibalization or other SEO issues.
By keeping tabs on your keyword rankings over time, you can ensure that your SEO strategy remains effective and that no new cannibalization problems emerge.
Step 5: Fixing Keyword Cannibalization
Once you’ve identified keyword cannibalization, the next step is to fix it. Here are a few practical approaches you can take to resolve this issue:
Consolidating Content
If two or more pages are competing for the same keyword, consider merging the content into one comprehensive, high-quality page. By consolidating your content, you eliminate the internal competition, which can help improve your rankings.
For example, if you have two articles targeting similar SEO keywords, combine them into a single post that covers the topic in more depth. Ensure that the new page is optimized for the keyword and addresses the intent behind the search query.
Updating Internal Linking
Internal linking is a crucial element of SEO. By adjusting your internal links, you can guide search engines toward the most relevant page. If multiple pages are targeting the same keyword, link internally to the most authoritative and relevant page to boost its chances of ranking higher.
Noindex or Redirecting Duplicate Pages
If you have duplicate or low-value pages competing for the same keyword, you can use the noindex tag to prevent search engines from indexing them. Alternatively, use 301 redirects to guide users and search engines to the best-performing page.
Conclusion
Keyword cannibalization is a common issue that can impact your website’s SEO performance. By using Ahrefs’ tools, such as Site Explorer, Content Gap, and Alerts, you can easily identify keyword cannibalization and take steps to resolve it. Whether that means consolidating content, adjusting internal linking, or implementing redirects, addressing keyword cannibalization can help improve your rankings, increase traffic, and optimize your content strategy.
The key takeaway is that being proactive in managing your website’s keywords can lead to better SEO outcomes. Regularly monitoring and adjusting your content strategy ensures that your site doesn’t suffer from the consequences of keyword cannibalization, allowing you to stay competitive in search engine rankings.
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