Keyword cannibalization: Should I be concerned about it?

Hello guys,

I found some info about keyword cannibalization. Basically, it means that you can't use the same focus keyword for 2 articles on your site because they would be both competing with each other in SERP.

Is it correct?

So I have a question because I can't figure out who to proceed with the basic on-page SEO for my blogs.

I have a financial blog. There are pages that I optimize for particular keywords to rank better. And then there are pages like news pieces or overviews that somehow use the same keyword(s), but maybe not in the exact same density.

Fo example, I have a category with posts about credit cards. I have guides on various credit card tips and issues optimized for particular long-tail keywords. But then I have credit cards reviews and news, and these posts too use the same keywords (like 'compare credit cards', 'best credit cards', etc.).

I mean, how is it possible to never ever use the same keyword twice for a blog of some substantial weight (I mean the number of posts like hundreds)? If I had only like 30 posts optimized for main keywords, it would be possible. But with hundreds of posts?

How do you go about this keyword cannibalization thing, guys? Or is it something I shouldn't worry about? Or maybe I don't get it right?

Thanks in advance for your thoughts and tips!

I wouldnt read too much into it. In the example that you mentioned the sensible thing would be to have your main page optimized for credit card tips or whatever and then all of those other posts about closely related topics just link to your main credit card page.

I think you just dont want multiple pages fully optimized for the exact same keywords for obvious reasons, it doesnt matter if pages talk about similar subjects and in fact if you are linked to that credit cards page from other pages relating to the subject then its going to have an effect similar to silo and its going to re-enforce the relevence of that page.

Just be sensible with how you set things up, how you categorize your pages and how you interlink them together.

In 2022, this is soo important to rank.

Just make sure no 2 pages are focused towards the same keywords with similar search intent.

It is really important to pay attention to keyword cannibalization these days IMO

There's a lot more going with keyword cannibalization.

First of all, it boils down to intent.

If you have two articles that target the same keyword, you can get away with it if your articles differ in focus when it comes to intent.

As you probably already know, sometimes keywords can be both transactional and commercial at the same time.

Many other keywords can be both informative and commercial at the same time.

In those situations, as long you are clear with the search intent context of your article and you categorize them correctly, there should be no keyword cannibalization.

If anything, it can help your site build up more domain authority sooner rather than later.

blackbeans said:

There's a lot more going with keyword cannibalization.

First of all, it boils down to intent.

If you have two articles that target the same keyword, you can get away with it if your articles differ in focus when it comes to intent.

As you probably already know, sometimes keywords can be both transactional and commercial at the same time.

Many other keywords can be both informative and commercial at the same time.

In those situations, as long you are clear with the search intent context of your article and you categorize them correctly, there should be no keyword cannibalization.

If anything, it can help your site build up more domain authority sooner rather than later.

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thank you so much for your answer that help me a lot in my case!

I'd say it's more about your target "topic" rather than the target "keyword".

For example, you got two articles titled "What are the early symptoms of Covid-19?" and "What are the organs most affected by Covid‐19?" and both of them may talk about the basics of the virus, or how it spreads, or self-care tips against it, etc. Technically, you're talking about the same subtopic in two articles and most likely you'll use the same keywords multiple times in these two articles. But as long as the overall topic isn't the same and the overall patterns that a reader will have in his mind after reading the articles are distinct, you'll be good.

You want to worry about keyword cannibalization when you're talking about the same thing in two or more articles. You might not use the same keywords but the essence of the articles might be very similar or the same. Like, "How to detox after using spray paint?" and "What to do if you inhaled spray paint?".