Glossary /On-page & content
Keyword Cannibalisation
Several pages on one site competing for the same query, splitting signals so none of them ranks as well as one page would.
Cannibalisation happens when a site has multiple pages targeting the same intent. The engine has to pick one, the links and engagement that should have concentrated on a single URL are divided, and the chosen page rotates unpredictably between them.
The symptom is distinctive: a query where a site’s ranking URL keeps changing, or where rankings hover in a band and never break into the top few positions despite the topic being well covered. Position tracking that records which URL ranked, not just the number, surfaces it immediately.
The fix is usually consolidation rather than deletion. Merge the overlapping pages into the strongest one, 301 the others to it, and re-point the internal links. Where the pages genuinely serve different intents, the answer is to sharpen the difference until each is unambiguous.