As a business owner, you’re likely well aware of the importance of search engine optimization (SEO) in today’s digital landscape. SEO is the process of optimizing your website to rank higher in online search engine results pages (SERP). It’s a critical component of driving traffic to your website and, ultimately, growing your business.
But did you know that conflicting content on your website could actually be hurting your SEO efforts? That’s right. Cannibalization of content can be costly, and it’s important to understand why and how it happens.
What is Content Cannibalization?
In its simplest terms, content cannibalization refers to multiple pages on your website targeting the same or similar keywords. Ideally, you want each page on your site to target a unique keyword or phrase. But when multiple pages target the same keywords or phrases, it creates confusion for search engines, and the algorithms can’t effectively identify which page is the most relevant to the searcher’s query. This results in lower rankings for all the pages targeting those keywords, ultimately hurting your overall SEO efforts.
What Causes Content Cannibalization?
Content cannibalization can occur intentionally or unintentionally. Sometimes, it’s the result of an SEO strategy gone awry. Other times, it’s an innocent mistake by website designers or content creators. Here are a few of the most common causes of content cannibalization:
1. Poor Site Structure:
When your website doesn’t have a logical and organized site structure, it can lead to multiple pages targeting the same keywords.
2. Repetitive Content:
Duplicate content on your website can cause widespread content cannibalization, making it difficult for search engines to determine relevance.
3. Keyword Overuse:
Overusing specific keywords in your content can lead to multiple pages targeting the same keyword, resulting in cannibalization.
4. Ignoring Analytics:
Failing to monitor your website’s analytics can lead to unintentional content cannibalization. If you’re not tracking user behavior on your site, it’s difficult to know if multiple pages are targeting the same keywords.
How to Fix Content Cannibalization
Fortunately, there are several strategies you can use to fix content cannibalization and strengthen your SEO efforts. Here are a few of the most effective strategies:
1. Consolidate Pages:
When multiple pages on your site target the same keywords, it’s often best to consolidate those pages into one. This not only eliminates cannibalization but also gives you the opportunity to create more robust content that targets multiple keywords.
2. Use Canonical Tags:
Canonical tags act as a signal to search engines that one specific page is the primary page for a particular keyword or phrase.
3. Improve Site Structure:
Creating a well-organized site structure with a clear hierarchy can help eliminate content cannibalization. This makes it easier for search engines to identify the most relevant page for a particular keyword or phrase.
4. Monitor Analytics:
Keeping a close eye on your website’s analytics can help you identify content cannibalization problems early on and take corrective action.
Don’t Let Content Cannibalization Impact Your Business
Content cannibalization can be costly for your business, leading to lower rankings, less traffic, and ultimately fewer leads and sales. By staying vigilant and taking the proper corrective action, you can eliminate content cannibalization and strengthen your SEO efforts. In turn, this will help your business grow and thrive.
We want to thank the thought leader Shannon Phelps as the source for this content and such awesome teachings on the subject and we hope that this article can help you and your business! Here’s the link to his post https://www.searchenginejournal.com/cannibalization-conflicing-content-performance-webinar/488767/
