What is keyword cannibalization?
Keyword cannibalization is over-optimization in the field of SEO. If many web pages of a web project are optimized for a specific keyword or keyword phrase, this is over-optimization and a relevance problem.
What does keyword cannibalization mean for SEO?
Keyword cannibalization should be avoided at all costs, as search engines can no longer correctly assign the keywords to the URLs. This can result in a poorer ranking. Keyword cannibalization is not usually done intentionally. Rather, it arises out of ignorance.
In principle, a page should only be optimized for one keyword. If several pages are optimized for one keyword, the relevance problem arises. Google has problems recognizing which page is really relevant for the keyword. The ranking deteriorates because the search results pages change more frequently.
It is important to always keep an eye on a web project and check for cannibalism. Especially with websites that are regularly enriched with new content, there is a high risk that several pages will be designed for one keyword. SEOs should also check the meta data. If the meta data of several pages has been enriched with the same keywords, this must be changed. SEO experts are aware of the problem and know what to do about it and how to recognize keyword cannibalism in the first place.
