What is Scalenut's Cannibalization tool?

What is Cannibalization?

In website management and SEO, cannibalization occurs when multiple pages on a website target the same keywords or topics, leading to competition between those pages. 

What impact does Cannibalization have on your website?

Cannibalization makes it difficult for search engines like Google to determine which page should rank higher in search results, leading to a loss of traffic and visibility for those pages. 

In short, cannibalization makes the two pages compete against each other and undermine each other's potential to rank well in SERPs.

What are the problems faced due to Cannibalization?

• Keyword Confusion: When multiple pages target the same keyword, it can confuse search engines and visitors, leading to uncertainty regarding the most relevant and authoritative page.
• Diluted Authority: Instead of dispersing the SEO strength across multiple weaker pages, consolidating it into one authoritative page increases the overall ranking power.
• Lower Rankings: When pages on the same site compete, they may collectively rank lower.
• Poor User Experience: Visitors may find it confusing when different pages within the same site address similar topics with slightly varying angles or information

How do you find Cannibalization?

Finding cannibalization issues on a website requires a comprehensive audit of its content and SEO strategy.

1. When evaluating website content, conduct an SEO compliance and performance audit. Unless the site is very large, finding issues should be straightforward.
2. Analyze historical keyword rankings using tools like Google Search Console and Scalenut's Traffic Analyzer to uncover cannibalization problems. These tools provide comprehensive keyword history and ranking data.
3. Perform a search on Google using the query "site:websitename.com topic name" to reveal related topics within your website.
4.  Use site search without host clustering to identify cannibalization issues. Removing clustering ensures that you can obtain distinct results, making it easier to identify problematic areas.
5.  If you notice that a single keyword has multiple URLs ranking on Google, it suggests a problem of keyword cannibalization. To identify such cases, you can use a site explorer tool. Remember that Google may only sometimes show several pages from one website, but it's still worthwhile to investigate.

Scalenut’s Cannibalization tool

The newest addition to Scalenut’s Traffic Analyzer is the Cannibalization tool. 

You can find it right inside the Traffic Analyzer module. All you need to do is click on the ‘Cannibalization’ option.

Here’s an overview of the Cannibalization tool -

Please note: The default filter is set. You can always remove that and filter out the data as per your preference, and turn it back on when needed.

Cannibalization Index: It measures keyword competition by comparing a page’s top and second-top page impressions. Higher values show higher cannibalization.

To filter the cannibalization index, simply set a minimum and maximum value. Then click ‘Apply’.

You can repeat the same filter process of setting a minimum and maximum value for Impressions and Position.

However, for Keywords, the process is slightly different - You can include and exclude the terms. For more than one keyword, simply put a comma in between. Then, click ‘apply’.

Let’s consider that you want to stick to the default filter. 

On the left side, you get to see the Affected Keywords. 

The total number of affected keywords for your filter is given beside it. In this case, 106/3042. 

You can use the filter beside the ‘Total Impressions’ to sort the key terms; the default filter is sorted descending on impression.

The data of Cannibalization index, total impressions, Total Traffic, Traffic Share, CTR and Affected Pages of each keyword is given beside it.

Remember:

The values are between 0-1. 

1 means absolute cannibalization. You need to look at them. 

0 means you can neglect them.

You can further expand the data by clicking on the ‘drop-down arrow’.

Here’s how the expanded view will look like -

The extended view shows a graph. It is a representation of different URLs and rank with respect to date.

You can select 5 Page URLs at a time.

This view also has the number of Affected Pages for the keyword, along with the Page URL, Rank, Impressions, Impressions Share, Traffic, Traffic Share and CTR.

To exit the extended view, simply click on the same arrow.

Quick Tip: You can also filter the Rank.

What are the Benefits of Using Scalenut’s Cannibalization tool?

Smarter list of filters

• Customization: Users can define specific data points and criteria they want to analyze. This level of customization allows for targeted analysis, focusing on relevant factors.
• Precision: A smart filtering system can sift through vast amounts of data quickly, pinpointing instances of cannibalization based on complex criteria. This saves time and effort compared to manual analysis.

Scalenut's Default Filter

• Standardisation: Scalenut's Default filters provide a standardised starting point for analysis. It is useful for beginners or those unfamiliar with the complexities of cannibalization analysis.

Ease of Use

• User-Friendly: Having default filters simplifies the tool's usability, making it accessible to a wider range of users. Beginners can rely on defaults, while advanced users can fine-tune settings according to their needs.