CRO Cannibalization: What Is It and How to Fix It

Achieving optimal conversion rates is a top priority for businesses of all sizes. However, many organizations unknowingly fall victim to a common yet detrimental phenomenon known as conversion rate optimization cannibalization, or for short CRO cannibalization. Alterior Digital has made this guide so you as the business owner or decision maker understand its impact on your website's traffic. Let's get started.

Understanding CRO Cannibalization

What is CRO Cannibalization?

CRO cannibalization occurs when multiple pages on a website compete for the same primary keyword (focus keyword) or conversion goals. This internal competition creates confusion for search engines and users, but more so search engines, as they are the ones crawling your website trying to identify which page should rank for a specific keyword. As a result, your website's visibility, user experience, and conversion potential can significantly decrease.

The Root Causes of CRO Cannibalization

Several factors can contribute to the emergence of CRO cannibalization:

1. Lack of Keyword Strategy: Without a clear keyword strategy, a log or excel workbook where you track the keywords already used, whoever is writing the content for the website could potentially target the exact keyword(s) across multiple pages.

Relevant Post: How to build and SEO keyword strategy

2. Uncoordinated Content Creation: In larger organizations, different teams may create similar content without awareness of existing pages. This is more of a process and communication problem, however, it impacts your CRO.

3. Site Structure Issues: Poor information architecture can create redundant pages.

4. Historical Content Accumulation: Websites may accumulate similar content over time as topics are revisited without proper content auditing. Having a tracker will minimize this scenario.

5. Misunderstanding of SEO Practices: The misconception that more pages targeting a keyword will improve rankings can lead to cannibalization. You want to have one primary/focus keyword per page.

What Is Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO)

Before diving deeper into CRO cannibalization, it's crucial to understand the fundamentals of Conversion Rate Optimization:

Definition and Importance of CRO

We just went over how CRO can be impact for your conversion rate, now let's quickly review what is Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO). CRO is the systematic process of increasing the percentage of website visitors who take a desired action — be it making a purchase, signing up for a service, filling out a form, or any other conversion objectives you have for your business.

CRO is critical because it helps you make the most of your existing website traffic, improving the efficiency of your marketing efforts and maximizing your return on investment (ROI). Depending on the industry you are in, you might want to double down on a set of keywords that drive more ROI for your business. However, that is not the case for all businesses. If you want to know if your company follows a specific pattern, get your free SEO Audit, and we will get back to you.

Key Elements of a Successful CRO Strategy

1. User Experience (UX) Design: Ensuring your website is intuitive, easy to navigate, and visually appealing.

2. Persuasive Copywriting: Crafting compelling headlines, product descriptions, and calls-to-action (CTAs).

3. Data Analysis: Utilizing analytics tools to gain insights into user behavior and identify areas for improvement.

4. Mobile Optimization: Ensuring your website performs well on all devices, especially mobile.

5. Page Speed Optimization: Improving load times to reduce bounce rates and increase engagement. This is huge, to make sure you make it a priority. Here is another post that will guide you on how to make your page speed faster.

Relevant Post: How to Optimize Images for SEO

CRO Cannibalization: The Negative Impacts

CRO cannibalization can have severe consequences on your digital marketing efforts. Let's explore these impacts in detail:

1. Decreased Domain Authority

When multiple pages compete for the same keywords, it dilutes the authority and relevance of each page. Search engines may struggle to determine which page should rank for a given query, potentially leading to lower rankings for all competing pages. This fragmentation of authority can harm your website's overall domain authority, making it more challenging to rank for competitive keywords across your entire site.

2. Damaged Backlink Profile

A strong backlink profile is crucial for SEO success. CRO cannibalization can lead to an inconsistent and scattered backlink profile. Instead of consolidating backlinks to a single, authoritative page on a topic, links get divided among multiple pages targeting the same keywords. This dilution weakens the impact of your backlinks, hindering your SEO efforts and potentially reducing your site's overall authority in the eyes of search engines. Which of course, we do not want. Just remember how you worked to get those backlinks; it is quite a laborious process, so do not let it go to waste.

3. Lower Page Quality

Let's remember that content is king and providing quality content is perceive as value creation for the readers in the "eyes" of search engines. So, when multiple pages target the same keywords, their content often becomes repetitive and redundant. Ask yourself, how many times can you read the same thing over again? We hope it starts painting a picture that has an impact on the quality and uniqueness of each page. Search engines prioritize high-quality, original content, and duplicative pages may be seen as low-value or thin content. This perception can lead to lower rankings and reduced organic traffic.

4. Decreased Conversion Rates

CRO cannibalization can significantly impact your conversion rates negatively by creating a confusing user experience. When visitors encounter multiple pages with similar content, they may struggle to determine which page contains the most relevant or comprehensive information for what they are looking for.

Take a step back and remember a time when you wanted to look for something, and you clicked on a search result that seemed to provide what you were seeking. Once you are there, you notice that the content provided is for another service that the company is offering...how can this be?

Well, if you target the same primary keyword and one page performs better than the other, guess what? In the search results, the one that has more authority will pull up. This is exactly what you do not want happening, as your consumer will most likely click away and go to a different result, decreasing your conversion rate.

5. Search Engine Confusion

Search engines like Google strive to provide the best user experience by displaying the most relevant and valuable content for each query. When multiple pages on your site target the same keywords, it becomes challenging for search engines to determine which page to prioritize in search results.

This is exactly what we've described above, and even though you want the other page to show on the search results, it will not be the case, and it will result in inconsistent rankings, with different pages appearing for the same query at other times, leading to unstable search visibility and potential loss of traffic.

6. Wasted Crawl Budget

Search engines allocate a certain amount of time and resources (crawl budget) to crawl and index your website. When you have multiple pages with similar content, you're essentially wasting this crawl budget on redundant information. This inefficiency can prevent search engines from discovering and indexing your truly unique and valuable content, potentially harming your overall SEO performance.

7. Diluted Marketing Efforts

CRO cannibalization can also impact your broader marketing initiatives. If you're running paid advertising campaigns or social media promotions, having multiple pages targeting the same keywords can lead to competing ad copy and landing pages.

This competition can increase your advertising costs and reduce the effectiveness of your campaigns. Small businesses do not have infinite money compared to larger organizations, so make sure you have some sort of tracker so you do not run to these types of scenarios.

CRO Cannibalization: How to Detect It

Identifying CRO cannibalization is the first step towards resolving the issue. Here are detailed methods to detect cannibalization on your website:

1. Conduct a Thorough Content Audit

Perform a comprehensive review of your website's content, focusing on:

• Page titles and meta descriptions
• Heading tags (H1, H2, etc.)
• Main content and topics covered
• Target keywords for each page

Look for patterns of similarity and overlap between pages. Tools like Screaming Frog can help automate this process for larger websites. There are other tools, such as SEMRUSH and AHREFS. We believe that in terms of site audits which falls under the the Technical SEO arena, AHREFS pulls ahead.

2. Analyze Search Console Data

Google Search Console provides valuable insights into how your pages perform in search results:

• Review the "Performance" report, focusing on queries that trigger multiple URLs from your site.
• Look for instances where lower-priority pages are ranking above your preferred pages for essential keywords.
• Check for fluctuations in rankings for key terms, which might indicate competition between pages.

3. Utilize SEO Tools

Leverage specialized SEO tools to identify potential cannibalization:

• Tools like AHREFS, SEMRUSH, or Moz can help you identify keywords for which multiple pages on your site are ranking.
• Look for instances where rankings for a particular keyword fluctuate between different pages on your site.

4. Conduct Site: Searches

Perform site: searches in Google using your target keywords:

• Use the format: site:yourdomain.com "target keyword"
• If multiple pages appear for the same keyword, it could indicate cannibalization

5. Review Internal Linking Structure

Analyze your internal linking structure to identify potential issues:

• Look for instances where multiple pages on the same topic are linked to with similar anchor text.
• Check if your internal linking is consistently pointing to the preferred page for each topic.

How to Fix CRO Cannibalization

Great, you follow the steps above and now it is time to make the necessary adjustments to get it fixed! Here are strategies to resolve the issue:

1. Conduct Comprehensive Keyword Research

• Use tools like Google Keyword Planner, AHREFS, or SEMRUSH to identify unique, conversion-focused keywords for each page.
• Focus on long-tail keywords that align with specific user intents.
• Create a keyword map to ensure each page targets a unique set of keywords.

2. Implement a Content Consolidation Strategy

• Identify pages with similar content and consider merging them into a single, comprehensive resource.
• Use 301 redirects to point old URLs to the new consolidated page.
• Update internal links to point to the new consolidated page.

3. Optimize Your Site Structure

• Review your website's information architecture.
• Implement a clear hierarchy that logically organizes your content.
• Use breadcrumbs to help users and search engines understand the relationship between pages.

4. Use Canonical Tags

• Implement canonical tags to indicate the preferred version of a page when similar content exists.
• Ensure canonical tags are correctly implemented across your site.

5. Develop a Content Differentiation Plan

• For pages that must remain separate, focus on differentiating the content.
• Emphasize unique aspects, use cases, or audience segments for each page.
• Ensure each page provides distinct value to the user.

6. Implement Strategic Internal Linking

• Update your internal linking strategy to reinforce the preferred page for each topic.
• Use descriptive anchor text that aligns with the target keywords of the linked page.
• Avoid linking to multiple pages with the same anchor text.

7. Leverage Topic Clusters

• Organize your content into topic clusters with a central pillar page and related subtopic pages.
• This structure helps search engines understand the relationship between your content and can prevent cannibalization.

8. Regular Content Audits

• Conduct regular content audits to identify and address potential cannibalization issues early.
• Set up a schedule for reviewing and updating your content to ensure ongoing optimization.

9. Educate Your Team

• Provide training to your content creators, SEO team, and web developers about CRO cannibalization.
• Establish clear guidelines for content creation and keyword targeting to prevent future issues.
• Get a tracker going. Having a topical map will go a very long way. Remember, in order for Google to see you as an authority in a specific niche, you need to become a Topical Authority.

Measuring Success: KPIs for CRO Cannibalization Resolution

After implementing these strategies, it's crucial to measure their impact. Key performance indicators (KPIs) to track include:

1. Organic Traffic: Monitor changes in organic traffic to the consolidated or optimized pages.

2. Keyword Rankings: Track improvements in rankings for target keywords.

3. Conversion Rates: Measure changes in conversion rates for the affected pages.

4. Bounce Rate: Look for decreases in bounce rate as user experience improves.

5. Page Authority: Monitor increases in page authority for your primary pages.

6. Crawl Stats: Check Google Search Console for improvements in crawl efficiency.

Conclusion: Mastering CRO to Drive Business Growth

Keep in mind that addressing CRO cannibalization is not a one-time task but an ongoing process of optimization and refinement. By implementing the strategies outlined in this guide, you can overcome the negative impacts of cannibalization and achieve greater conversion rates.

Remember, the key to success lies in consistently monitoring your website for cannibalization issues, taking prompt action to resolve them, and continuously optimizing your content strategy. With a focused approach to CRO and a keen eye on preventing cannibalization, you'll be well-positioned to drive significant improvements in your website's performance, user experience, and ultimately, your bottom line.

If you are not sure if your website has this problem, we suggest you get your free SEO Audit and we will take a look to make sure everything is optimal. Alterior Digital prides itself in being thorough to optimize our clients' results.