Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is an ideal tool to enhance lead traffic and improve your position on search engines. If your business is focusing on SEO as a critical pillar of your marketing, one thing you need to watch out for is SEO cannibalization. At first glance, SEO can seem fairly self-explanatory for businesses. However, once you look deeper, you realize that many technical strategies set effective SEO apart from the rest.
This article will discuss SEO cannibalization and how it can damage your rankings and success rates. Keep reading to learn everything you need to know.
What is SEO Cannibalization?
SEO Cannibalization occurs when two or more pages on your website are optimized for the same keyword. This can include static web pages, blogs, subpages, or other subcategories on your site. For example, if you are a web design agency, you are probably trying to rank for something similar to “best web design agency” or “web design agency in x location.” While this can be optimized on your home page, don’t dedicate a subpage or blog post to these keywords.
Search engines are algorithm-based; they are easily confused by keyword usage, especially when keywords are over-saturated or placed in unclear locations. Many companies are experiencing SEO cannibalization without even realizing it.
Common Areas Where Keyword Cannibalization Happens
SEO-Focused Blog
The blog is a business’s top resource for SEO when executed correctly. Many businesses have a keyword list they use to DIY their SEO approach; it often leads to duplicate keywords for every post. If you’re implementing SEO on Wix, there need to be both broad and topic-specific unique keywords incorporated into every post. Optimizing blog posts for the same keyword as another post or web page will lead to SEO cannibalization.
Website Shop Pages/ Subcategories
Website pages are another area of SEO development that gets misunderstood. Each page can be optimized for unique industry-specific keywords, but they should all be different. Otherwise, you risk compromising your SEO strategy altogether.
Business with Similar Products
You'll need to get creative with SEO keywords if you are in a niche industry that sells similar products with little diversity. Although they may be similar topics, keywords can be different words, phrases, and search densities. Many businesses with a small product line struggle to execute an effective SEO strategy.
Duplicate Internal Linking
Keyword cannibalization can occur if you internal link the exact phrase in multiple website areas. Consider building unique internal and external relations for every blog post. Search engines are not a fan of duplicates under the same domain, whether internal links, content, or keywords.
How Cannibalization Negatively Effects SEO
If multiple pages are struggling to rank for the same keyword, search engines work to determine which to prioritize. The biggest mistake businesses make thinking more is better. However, ranking more pages under your domain for the same keyword can adversely affect you. You can reverse the traffic you receive to your site as a whole.
The most significant sign of cannibalization is rapid fluctuations in your rankings or traffic. If you are rising the ranks of Google, this will bring in consistent leads. Cannibalization will leave search engines confused, resulting in inconsistencies. Your conversion rates may also take a toll since the user experience is diminished with inaccurate keyword placement.
Quality content is key to successful SEO, so ensure your keywords never disrupt the value you provide readers. That’s why it’s essential to consult a professional for guidance to avoid making fatal business mistakes. Website content should always push your business forward, not make you fall behind.
Additionally, cannibalization will influence your crawl budget and external linking. Search engines will crawl site pages more frequently; however, this can lead to indexing which reduces the visibility of your website. External links also lose value due to cannibalization, causing zero beneficial results. As you can see, cannibalization can dissolve your entire SEO strategy. Every business needs to be mindful of these missteps, especially if you want to grow your numbers and traffic.
The Takeaway: Major Downfalls of Cannibalization
● Decreases the authority of your site pages on SERPs.
● Weakens the ability of Google to rank the proper, most relevant pages.
● Reduces the effectiveness of anchor text and internal and external links.
● Plummets your conversion rates and user experience.
● Prevents your business from rising the ranks and maintaining consistent traffic.
● Zeros out all the hard work you put into your SEO strategy, providing no real benefits.
● Wastes your time, money, and marketing budget.
Fix Cannibalization and Perfect Your SEO Strategy With BizLadder
If you are looking for help with Wix SEO, BizLadder is your trusted team of professionals. Cannibalization is a problem many businesses face; however, business owners often lack the industry expertise to identify, adjust and execute a solution. Here at BizLadder, we are experts at the Google algorithm. Moreover, we understand how to push your business forward with proven SEO strategies that help you grow and reach your goals.
Do you need a site audit to check for cannibalization? Are you looking for a complete content overhaul to fix your issues and implement proper SEO keywords? Consult with Bizladder today. We will refine your SEO on Wix, so you get results instead of varying numbers.
Call or text us at 302-307-3247 or explore our services here at Bizladder.com.