Fix SEO Issues › Stop Pages Competing
How to Stop Pages Competing Against Each Other
Keyword cannibalisation is when two or more of your own pages compete for the same search intent. Google can't choose which to rank, so it ranks both weakly — or neither.
What Cannibalisation Actually Looks Like
Most cannibalisation isn't obvious. It's not two pages with identical titles. It's a service page and a blog post targeting the same commercial intent. It's a pillar page and a supporting cluster page overlapping on the same query. It's two "how-to" posts covering the same process at slightly different angles.
How to Identify Cannibalisation
- Search Google for your most important keywords with site:yourdomain.com
- If more than one page appears, check whether both are targeting the same buyer intent
- In Search Console, filter impressions by URL for any keyword to see which pages compete
- Run a structural audit — Infinite Authority maps cannibalisation across your entire site automatically
How to Fix Cannibalisation
The fix depends on the type and cause:
- • Consolidate: If two pages cover genuinely overlapping content, merge them. Redirect the weaker URL to the stronger one.
- • Differentiate: If the pages serve different intent stages, clarify the difference in content and targeting.
- • Redirect: If one page is clearly the winner and the other adds no unique value, redirect and remove.
- • Canonicalise: In cases of near-duplicate content, use canonical tags to indicate the preferred version.
Prevention: The Pre-Publish Check
Once cannibalisation is fixed, the challenge is preventing new content from recreating it. Every new page needs a clear, unique intent defined before it's written. Infinite Authority governs this at the publishing layer — flagging intent conflicts before content goes live.