Avoid Keyword Self-Cannibalization. Please Help
-
This has been addressed plenty of times but I cannot find an example that addresses my issue so that is why I am posting this. I am getting the following Self-Cannibalization error for my Homepage and I am trying to fix it but I just don't see it or maybe I do not understand this correctly.
http://fake-diploma.com Keyword Fake Diploma
Cannibalizing link"How to make a fake diploma", "How to get a fake diploma", "Making a Fake High School Diploma", "Fake Diploma Template", and "Framing your fake diploma"
My understanding is that for Self-Cannibalization to occur I would have to have a link on this page pointing to another page using "Fake Diploma" as my anchor text since I want this page to rank for Fake Diploma. I do have the left sidebar which contains my most recent post and my of my titles do include Fake Diploma but I thought that since they were not an Exact Match and are actually longtail keywords that they did not matter or cause Self-Cannibalization. Am I wrong? How do I fix this.
-
Writing content with the keywords you want to rank is great, but just don't overuse them. There's a thin line between mentioning the keyword and stuffing an article with it. There's been a lot of chatter about the percentage of how many times your keyword should be mentioned within the text, however, I suggest you go with a "user target" in mind. Don't build content for search engines, build it for users!
-
Hey thanks for the great article. I am definitely going to have to check a few of them out as I have only been using the Google Keyword tool. Maybe I am confused again.
So Fake Diploma is my main keyword. But I also want to rank for some longtail keywords like " Fake College Diploma", "Fake Diploma Generator", "How to make a Fake Diploma" just to name a few. I thought the best way to rank for the longtail keywords was to actually write a post about that keyword and use it in the title as well. But if I am understanding you correctly by doing this it could be considered as keyword stuffing. So how and I supposed to try to rank for the longtails.
Again thank you for your patience and answering my questions.
-
You are welcome!
We posted an article about a week ago that includes a list of tools you can use to do some keyword research, almost all free: http://www.fulltraffic.net/blog/85067/5-amazingly-effective-ppc-keyword-research-tools/
WordStream's Keyword Niche Finder as a really good choice while ubersuggest will also provide you with lots of ideas. Both offer the option to download the findings. Try researching some long-tail too. Fake diploma is basically the same as "not real diploma", "diploma without classes" and so on.
-
Federico thank you for your response. I am a Rookie when it comes to SEO and I am trying my best with the information I have been able to track down. I didn't realize that could be considered Keyword Stuffing. I used the Google Keyword Tool and searched Fake Diploma and it gave me 79 related keywords and they all included the phrase Fake Diploma. I figured since Google saw them as separate Keywords I was safe. Unfortunately there are not to many other words to describe a Fake Diploma. Can you offer up any other options or suggestions? Or maybe point me in the right direction.
-
Roger actually reads the content not as in an exact match but "broad" (I think is called). As long as the link has the text "fake diploma" you are self-cannibalizating the keyword.
However, reading what you posted, I won't suggest using ALWAYS the same keyword, that could be seen as keyword stuffing, which doesn't only lower your rankings but you could get you penalized.
I would diffidently come with some alternatives, do some keyword research on the niche and try to use alternatives, it would help with the self-cannibalization + avoid a keyword stuffing penalty, while opening the possibility to earn traffic from other keywords.
Got a burning SEO question?
Subscribe to Moz Pro to gain full access to Q&A, answer questions, and ask your own.
Browse Questions
Explore more categories
-
Moz Tools
Chat with the community about the Moz tools.
-
SEO Tactics
Discuss the SEO process with fellow marketers
-
Community
Discuss industry events, jobs, and news!
-
Digital Marketing
Chat about tactics outside of SEO
-
Research & Trends
Dive into research and trends in the search industry.
-
Support
Connect on product support and feature requests.
Related Questions
-
Which page to rank for a Keyword? Home Page or Deep Page?
So, we have a situation where there is one particular keyword we want to rank for. We have been up and down over the years, at our best probably position 4-5, and now at 20ish. Thats for our home page of course, which the majority of our linking is probably pointing at. We also have a sub page which is optimised for that particular service. The term is "web design brisbane".
On-Page Optimization | | MauriceKintek
So as you can imagine, Web Design is in itself a service and we offer others. Should we optimise our home page for it and remove the sub page?
Keep the sub page because its one our services and optimise both?
Do some kind of canonical thing?
Change our interlinking? All our competitors home pages seem to be the ones that rank, and it feels and looks better in results if its the home page, but if switching up to our sub page is better im all ears. Also if our sub page is somehow hurting or leaking SEO from the home page, id like to know as well. Would prefer to not have to provide a link, due to competition but if someone wants to know we can always PM.0 -
I need some help...
I am completely perplexed here guys. I have accomplished all of the the things that the On- Page Analysis tool says that we need to perform as far as( Keyword laden page titles and webpages) yet the report comes back and gives the webpage a C and says that we still need to correct these issues. Can anyone explain this? The keywords are: " real estate augusta ga" " property management augusta ga" the address is: www.aubenrealty.com Thanks in advance, C
On-Page Optimization | | AubbiefromAubenRealty0 -
Is this helping?
A few months ago, in hopes of a) helping new customers navigate the sometimes-arcane language used in the precious metals industry and b) earning some props from Google for making the site more user friendly, I talked the Powers-That-Be into allowing me to create a glossary with links from some unfamiliar terms in each product description and added appropriate <title>tages for each term.</p> <p>My question is: <strong>In the opinion of SEOMoz was this endeavor a brilliant, transformative SEO brainstorm—or just a waste of my time?</strong></p> <p>We haven't been running analytics, so we are flying blind.</p> <p>Here's the 411:<br /> <br />Website: www.goldmart.com<br />Glossary: www.goldmart.com/glossary</p> <p>A sample description: http://www.goldmart.com/1-oz-pamp-suisse-lunar-snake-gold-bar-9999-fine-in-assay.html</p></title>
On-Page Optimization | | RScime250 -
Cannibalizing link
this is what the reports states :Cannibalizing link"Red & Color Roses", "Red roses", "Black Baccara Roses\rBlack And Red Roses\rStarting at: $ 0.72 per Rose", "Black Magic Rose\rDark Red Black Rose\rStarting at: $ 0.96 per Rose", "Forever Young Roses\rRed Rose Flowers\rVelvety Deep Red\rStarting at: $ 1.16 per Rose", "Freedom Roses\rRed Rose\rStarting at: $ 0.66 ¢ per Rose", "Madame Delbard\rRed Wedding Rose\rStarting at: $ 0.66 per Rose", "Night Fever Roses\rTraditional Roses\rRomantic Red Roses\rStarting at: $ 0.66 per Rose", and "Red Paris Roses\rDark Red Rose\rStarting at: $ 0.72 per Rose"ExplanationIt's a best practice in SEO to target each keyword with a single page on your site (sometimes two if you've already achieved high rankings and are seeking a second, indented listing). To prevent engines from potentially seeing a signal that this page is not the intended ranking target and creating additional competition for your page, we suggest staying away from linking internally to another page with the target keyword(s) as the exact anchor text. Note that using modified versions is sometimes fine (for example, if this page targeted the word 'elephants', using 'baby elephants' in anchor text would be just fine).RecommendationUnless there is intent to rank multiple pages for the target keyword, it may be wise to modify the anchor text of this link so it is not an exact match. the questions is then why having those links on that page hurts, when we need the links to take the costumer to the color of red roses they want.
On-Page Optimization | | globalrose.com0 -
2 keyword title tag best format
I have a client that does ski and snowboard rentals in lake tahoe and not sure what the best way to optimize the home page title tag. Lake Tahoe Ski and Snowboard Rental
On-Page Optimization | | tahoemedia
Lake Tahoe Ski & Snowboard Rental
Ski & Snowboard Rental Lake Tahoe
Ski Rental | Snowboard Rental | Lake Tahoe Which one of these is the best or is it not even listed??? Thanks!0 -
Help with Appropriate Use of Rel Canonical
Whenever i enable Canonical URL through the 3DCart Control panel I get this Critical Factor error when running the on page report card: Appropriate Use of Rel Canonical Moderate fix <dl> <dt>Canonical URL</dt> <dd>"http://rcnitroshop.com/Nitro-Monster-Truck"</dd> <dt>Explanation</dt> <dd>If the canonical tag is pointing to a different URL, engines will not count this page as the reference resource and thus, it won't have an opportunity to rank. Make sure you're targeting the right page (if this isn't it, you can reset the target above) and then change the canonical tag to reference that URL.</dd> <dt>Recommendation</dt> <dd>We check to make sure that IF you use canonical URL tags, it points to the right page. If the canonical tag points to a different URL, engines will not count this page as the reference resource and thus, it won't have an opportunity to rank. If you've not made this page the rel=canonical target, change the reference to this URL. NOTE: For pages not employing canonical URL tags, this factor does not apply.</dd> </dl> Now if I disable Canonical URL then run the on page report card again the critical error goes away but I get this Optional Factor error instead: Canonical URL Tag Usage Moderate fix <dl> <dt>Number of Canonical tags</dt> <dd>0</dd> <dt>Explanation</dt> <dd>Although the canonical URL tag is generally thought of as a way to solve duplicate content problems, it can be extremely wise to use it on every (unique) page of a site to help prevent any query strings, session IDs, scraped versions, licensing deals or future developments to potentially create a secondary version and pull link juice or other metrics away from the original. We believe the canonical URL tag is a best practice to help prevent future problems, even if nothing is specifically duplicate/problematic today.</dd> <dt>Recommendation</dt> <dd>Add a canonical URL tag referencing this URL to the header of the page.</dd> </dl> So basically I disabled it because obviously a Critical error is much worse then an optional error. Is there a way I can get rid of both errors?
On-Page Optimization | | bilsonx0 -
Keyword use in Title tag?
To improve SEO on a particular keyword, should you use that same keyword in the title tag of multiple pages within your site? Will that help or would it actually hurt by causing pages within your site to complete against each other for that keyword? Does it make a difference if that keyword is truly used on all those different pages?
On-Page Optimization | | KHCreative0 -
Can someone please help me identify where all these URLS to my homepage are coming from?
Hi. I installed the SEOmoz toolbar for Firefox, and analyzed my home page, then clicked on 'get a full site analysis at Site Explorer'. This is what came up: http://www.opensiteexplorer.org/www.frs-solutions.com%252Fcontent%252Fhome/a!links?src=mb I hope that link works. If not, the URL is www.frs-solutions.com Anyway, there are about 57 different URLS within my site all pointing to my homepage! I have no idea where they are coming from. Can someone with an experienced eye take a quick look and tell me what I might be up against? Thank you!
On-Page Optimization | | aprilm-1890400
