How to avoid keyword cannibalization
A large part of the referencing of a website on search engines lies in the right choice of keywords. This is done through natural referencing which will integrate the keywords in the texts of the different pages of the site, or via commercial links. We speak of cannibalization of keywords, when several pages or several commercial links of the same site come to compete on the result pages of engines. Here are some pointers on how to avoid keyword cannibalization, or even use it to your advantage.
How to avoid keyword cannibalization: Plan ahead
Avoiding keyword cannibalization forces you to keep track of each publication and its keywords. If you plan your content writing several months in advance, you already know which articles are about to be written and you can easily avoid these repetitions.
Follow the clicks
One option to avoid keyword cannibalization is to identify the most trusted page and convert it into a landing page. Create a spreadsheet and list each page with the corresponding keyword. Each page will then become the authority page for each respective keyword. Even if they already exist, make sure the content is rewritten so that the information matches the keyword in question.
How to avoid keyword cannibalization: Manage your content
If you identify content with high potential, insert links in the weakest articles to these pages that you want to highlight for your SEO. This technique also has the advantage of keeping a user on your site longer. Think of your page not as a dead end, but as a door that opens on other contents. Think also to write well the URLs, Meta descriptions, titles and subtitles. It is not uncommon that from one article to another, there are similar subtitles.
Synonyms are good friends (not always)
The semantic universe of a topic is composed of many synonyms, variants, inflections and related expressions. Instead of using the same keyword several times, choose a more specific (or more general) synonym. Avoid topics that are too similar, as Google and other search engines have a great understanding of synonyms.
Long-tails, our old reliable
Instead of trying to rank on a single keyword, focus on long tail phrases instead. They will bring you more satisfaction and will allow you to avoid this kind of problems
When avoiding keyword cannibalization, knowing how to identify and correct it are assets to have a perfectly referenced website.