Keyword Cannibalization: What It Is, How to Spot It, and How to Fix It

Use Canonical tags

Canonical tags are an effective way to resolve keyword cannibalization without removing duplicate pages. They tell search engines which page should be indexed and ranked as the primary page, while keeping other related pages accessible to visitors.

Example:
Imagine you own an eCommerce website and have multiple pages targeting the keyword “best running shoes,” such as:

• Page A: A category page titled “Best running shoes for men and women”
• Page B: A product comparison page titled “Best Running shoes: pros and cons of popular brands”

These pages compete for the same keyword, causing keyword cannibalization. After reviewing both, you decide that Page A (the category page) is the most comprehensive and user-friendly. However, you still want visitors to access Page B for its product comparison information.

In this case, you can use canonical tags to resolve the issue:

Add a canonical tag to Page B’s HTTP header pointing to Page A:

<link rel=”canonical” href=”https://www.example.com/best-page”>

This tells search engines that Page A is the preferred page for indexing and ranking.

Meanwhile:

• Ranking signals from Page B are consolidated into Page A, boosting its authority.
• Page A becomes the primary page ranking for “best running shoes.”
• Page B remains accessible to visitors but no longer competes in search results.

For more context, check out this  guide on the best practices for canonical URLs.

3. Target different search intents for duplicate pages

If you don’t want to use canonical tags, you can resolve keyword cannibalization by revamping each page to target a different search intent. 

Here are the main types of search intent to consider: