An SEO glossary of terms every marketer should know in 2026
A practical, current glossary covering the essential SEO terminology every marketer should be comfortable with, from foundational concepts to 2026-specific terms.
6 min read
Keyword cannibalisation occurs when multiple pages on the same site target the same or very similar search intent, splitting ranking signals between them and often resulting in neither page ranking as well as a single, consolidated page would.
How cannibalisation typically happens
It often accumulates unintentionally over time — a blog covering a topic, then a separate service page targeting the same term, then a later article covering nearly the same ground again, each created without deliberate awareness of the earlier, similar content already existing.
- Multiple blog posts written on nearly the same topic over time.
- A blog post and a service page both targeting the same commercial term.
- Similar landing pages created for different campaigns, unintentionally overlapping.
Why it genuinely hurts rather than doubling your chances
Rather than doubling your visibility for a term, competing pages typically split both backlink authority and Google's own confidence about which page is the definitive answer, often resulting in Google ranking neither page as strongly as a single, consolidated version would achieve.
Two decent pages competing for the same query rarely outperform one genuinely strong page — competing with yourself is still competing, and it rarely goes well.
How to identify cannibalisation
In Search Console's Performance report, filter by a specific query and check which of your pages received clicks or impressions for it — if multiple distinct pages appear, alternating in position over time, this is a clear sign of cannibalisation.
Fixing cannibalisation
- Identify the strongest-performing of the competing pages and consolidate the others into it, using a 301 redirect.
- If the pages genuinely address distinct, different intents, differentiate them clearly and adjust internal linking and targeting accordingly.
- Update internal links across the site to consistently point to the single, consolidated page.
- Recheck Search Console after consolidation to confirm the single page's performance improves as expected.
Frequently asked questions
Is having multiple pages on a broad topic always cannibalisation?
No — pages addressing genuinely distinct subtopics or intents within a broad topic, especially when properly interlinked as a topic cluster, are not cannibalising each other.
Can cannibalisation happen between a blog post and a service page?
Yes, this is a particularly common pattern, and often the service page (closer to commercial intent) should be the one consolidated toward, since it more directly serves the business goal.
How long does it take to see improvement after fixing cannibalisation?
Improvement typically becomes visible over several weeks to a couple of months as Google recrawls and reassesses the consolidated page and applies the redirect signal fully.
If you suspect cannibalisation is limiting your rankings, contact our team for a diagnostic review.
The takeaway
Search Console's performance report, filtered by query, shows exactly which of your pages compete for the same term — this free tool is often all you need to diagnose cannibalisation directly.
Written by Fibvo — Bengaluru and Erode, India — working with clients in other time zones. Questions, or think we have it wrong? Tell us.
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