Internal Link Structure Question

So I have a question on internal linking...

I know that your main keyword that you're after should be focused on the home page... Let's say it is "Dog Training"

Then your longer tailed keywords should be focused on secondary pages that are linked from the homepage... Let's say it is "Dog Training Services"

However, when you're doing a link building campaign and your building links to both your home page (dog training) and deep pages (dog training services) would they be competing with one another for the phrase "dog training" since both pages contain that phrase? Wouldn't that lead to cannibalization?

So confused...

For this example, can you guys give me how you would strategize...

#1. Your On Page Information Architecture
#2. Your Off Page Link Building Strategy (where you are sending your links to with what anchor text)

rds3476 said:

For this example, can you guys give me how you would strategize...

#1. Your On Page Information Architecture
#2. Your Off Page Link Building Strategy (where you are sending your links to with what anchor text)

Click to expand...

The answer to these two questions would be very long to describe here. As far as your original question is concerned, the answer is that your inner page for which you are backlinking using the anchor text "dog training service" will outrank the home page.

This is simply because it would be more relevant to Search Engine after analyzing the corresponding keyword density, on-page optimization and backlink anchor text analysis.

In less competitive niche, it is possible that you might get an indented listing- the one where you see two pages from the same website ranking for a keyword one after the another. And in your case, your home page might just create the indented or multiple listing below your inner page.

But as I said, the chances of this happening is very rare so you should rather focus on building links to each URL with its target keyword as the anchor text. Don't bother about "cannibalization" as you have put it.

Thanks man!