Why Keyword Cannibalisation Is Hurting Your Website Rankings
Scarlet, January 9, 2025
If you’re running an eCommerce business, creating new pages is a natural part of your website evolution. Uploading new products, expanding collections, blogs, and filters all demand dedicated space, right?
Not always.
Without careful planning, you might make a critical SEO mistake—keyword cannibalisation. This hidden issue could drag your website rankings down and cost you valuable traffic and sales.
Let’s dive into what keyword cannibalisation is, why it’s such a problem, and how to fix it.
What is Keyword Cannibalisation?
Keyword cannibalisation occurs when multiple pages on your website target the same keyword or search intent. Instead of boosting your visibility in search results, this creates confusion for search engines like Google.
Rather than seeing your site as an authority, Google doesn’t know which page to prioritise.
This results in:
Diluted ranking signals
Lower positions in search results
A poor user experience for searchers
How Keyword Cannibalisation Happens
In eCommerce, it’s easy to unintentionally create pages that compete against each other. Here are some common scenarios:
Blog posts: Three separate posts all targeting “best running shoes.”
Category pages: Multiple categories optimised for similar terms like “women’s sneakers.”
Product pages: Several products targeting the same keyword, such as “Nike Air Max.”
Filter URLs: URLs for specific filters (e.g., colour or size) competing with your main category pages.
When this happens, search engines struggle to understand which page best answers a user’s query—and often, none of them perform well.
The Consequences of Keyword Cannibalisation
When your pages compete with each other, it impacts your SEO in several ways:
Split Ranking Signals
Backlinks, traffic, and other SEO signals are spread thin across multiple pages instead of consolidating their authority into one.
Confused Search Intent
Google may rank the wrong page, leaving users frustrated and less likely to convert.
Wasted Crawl Budget
Search engines spend time crawling redundant pages, reducing their focus on your most important content.
Internal Competition
Your pages become rivals instead of working together to strengthen your rankings.
The Cost of Cannibalisation
One of our clients, an online fashion retailer, faced this exact issue.
They wanted to rank for “leather boots” but had multiple pages targeting the same keyword, including:
A product page for a specific leather boot.
A category page for leather boots.
A collection page for seasonal styles.
A blog post on “How to Style Leather Boots.”
A filter URL for leather boots under £100.
The result? Their pages were stuck on the third page of Google, far from where customers could find them.
How to Fix Keyword Cannibalisation
Fortunately, keyword cannibalisation is fixable. Here’s how we tackled the issue for our client:
Conducted a Keyword Audit
We analysed their target keywords and identified overlapping pages.
Selected a Primary Page
We chose the page that best addressed the search intent and had the highest potential to rank.
Consolidated or Redirected Competing Pages
Content from competing pages was merged where appropriate, and the remaining pages were redirected to the primary URL.
Optimised the Primary Page
We fine-tuned the metadata, content, and internal links to maximise its authority.
The Results
After addressing keyword cannibalisation, the results were clear:
Higher Rankings: The primary page for “leather boots” moved to the first page of Google.
Increased Traffic: Organic visitors grew by over 30% within two months.
Boosted Conversions: Customers were finding exactly what they needed, leading to more sales.
When Was the Last Time You Checked for Keyword Cannibalisation?
If you’ve never audited your website for cannibalisation, now is the time. This hidden issue could be preventing your eCommerce store from reaching its full potential.
Ready to take control of your SEO?
Book a call with us today to receive an SEO audit and reclaim your rankings.