Cannibalization Detection & Fixes
Find pages competing for the same keywords with multi-signal scoring, intent classification, and one-click fix actions — Set Canonical, open Page A/B, or dismiss false positives.
Before you start
Keyword cannibalization happens when two or more pages on your site target the same primary keyword. Google may pick one URL to rank — often not the one you prefer — and suppress the others.
Before scanning:
- Set focus keywords on key posts (see the Post Editor Metabox guide)
- Ensure published content exists — thin or noindex pages are excluded automatically
- Plan time to review Critical and High severity pairs first
Open Cannibalization
Navigate to:
SEO Rank Genius → Tools & Analytics → Cannibalization
Cannibalization Detector
Multi-signal analysis with intent classification
KPI row — Total Issues plus Critical, High, Medium, and Low severity counts.
Click Scan Now to run a fresh analysis. Large sites process in batches — a progress bar appears until complete. Last scan time shows in the header bar.
Understanding signals
Each page pair receives a 0–100 confidence score built from six signals:
Modifiers that reduce score
- Different intent — informational vs transactional (−40%)
- Pillar/cluster pair — intentional silo structure (−60%)
- Mutual linking — pages cross-link with clear context (−30%)
- Different location — geo-targeted variants (−50%)
- FAQ pattern — one page is FAQ support content (−30%)
Filter pills, issue row with Page A / Page B, signal chips, and Set Canonical actions.
Fix workflow
Work Critical and High pairs first. Each issue row includes action buttons for the most common fixes.
Pick the stronger page
Open Page A and Page B. Choose which URL should rank — usually the one with more content, links, or conversions.
Set Canonical (Critical/High)
Points the weaker page’s canonical URL at the stronger page. Use when both pages must stay live but only one should rank.
Consolidate or differentiate
- Consolidate — merge content, 301 redirect the weaker URL (use Redirections tab).
- Differentiate — change focus keyword, title, and H1 on the weaker page to a long-tail variant.
Re-scan and monitor GSC
Run Scan Now after edits. Watch Google Search Console Performance over 2–4 weeks for the remaining page’s impressions to rise.
Dismiss vs fix
Dismiss hides a pair from future scans — use when the overlap is intentional (e.g., localized landing pages with different intent modifiers already applied).
Dismissed pairs are stored separately and can be cleared by re-running a full scan after changing exclusion rules. Dismiss is not a substitute for canonical tags when both pages compete in Google.
Troubleshooting
Scan returns zero issues but GSC shows overlap
Confirm focus keywords are set on competing posts. The scanner excludes noindex, thin, and utility pages. Run Scan Now after bulk keyword updates.
Too many false positives
Check pillar/cluster assignments in the metabox. Pairs with different intent modifiers should score lower — verify intent badges on each page in the issue row.
Set Canonical did not remove the issue
Re-scan after saving. Canonical changes apply to the weaker page (Page B). Clear page cache and confirm the canonical tag in page source.
Scan stuck on progress bar
Large catalogs process in 200-post batches. Wait for completion or refresh the admin page — progress resumes from the last batch checkpoint.
Dismissed pair reappeared
A full re-scan with changed content may surface the pair again if signals increased. Re-dismiss or apply a permanent fix (redirect or keyword change).