Keyword Cannibalization vs. Optimizing Site

[NikCall]

I am in the process of optimizing our website and I am having a hard time reconciling two best practices I have found on Moz.

1. You should avoid having multiple pages focus on the same keyword because you will lose some control of which result will show.

2. You should identify your core keywords and weave these keywords multiple times (naturally) throughout your site.

I have spent months identifying our top 7 keywords and am working through the site now.  The first piece of advice keeps giving me pause.  Can anyone weigh in with other considerations or advice on how I can reconcile these two strategies.

Thank you

[EGOL]

.... each of your pages/articles would still be focussing on a single keyword (or keyword cluster) while bearing in mind the overall goals.

You are 100% correct.  They are all about the same long tail keyword with even longer long tail keywords as variants.

You wouldn't have two pages competing for "Stihl Chainsaw MS170 Maintenance" for example, but you might have multiple pages that are talking about "Stihl Chainsaw MS170" in various ways, all probably linking to the page where the customer could buy the actual product or parts, etc.

You are right.  And, those pages linking to one another will support the attack on "Stihl Chainsaw MS170"... and all of them plus all of the pages for other models will support the attack on "Stihl Chainsaws".

[Xiano]

A brilliant response EGOL, however, I would like to put to you, that each of your pages/articles would still be focussing on a single keyword (or keyword cluster) while bearing in mind the overall goals.

You wouldn't have two pages competing for "Stihl Chainsaw MS170 Maintenance" for example, but you might have multiple pages that are talking about "Stihl Chainsaw MS170" in various ways, all probably linking to the page where the customer could buy the actual product or parts, etc.

Of course, if a customer were to search "Stihl Chainsaw MS170" and not be showing any clear intent, then Google may well show multiple results from your site, which, I agree, would be great. (And you'd also likely show up in the SERP generated by clicking on the various, "People also search for", etc)

[EGOL]

1. You should avoid having multiple pages focus on the same keyword because you will lose some control of which result will show.

First, disclosure.   Most people will consider me to be a heretic when it comes to keyword cannibalization.   I embrace it, I advocate it, I practice it, I attack it.... and it makes me a lot of money.

Let's say that I want to sell Stihl chainsaws.  I would write multiple articles about each one.   I would write an article about the features of each model, an article about maintenance for each model, article about the replacement parts for each model (and how to replace them), an article that show the advantages of each model.  There would also be a lot of articles that compare the various models.   We are talking about dozens total, a few articles for each model, and many articles about how to select, ideas for use, accessories, chains, sharpening etc.   When I was done with these articles my site would be the go-to place for these products and would be 10x better than what the manufacturer has prepared.  When you search for one of these saws, you would find two, three or four of my pages at the top of the SERPs.

Lose control over what  content will show???   HELL YEAH!!!  Because all of my content is gonna show up in the SERPs.   People will see that dominance and know that I am The Man for these products and that my site is the go-to-place for the.  All of those pages at the top of the SERPs will push the competitors down and people will come to my site instead of my competitors site.

This is not cannibalization.  This is deep expertise, deep helpfulness, and deep moneymaking.   It's a deep investment of money and time too.   And you really gotta be The Man to be able to produce this kind of site.

2. You should identify your core keywords and weave these keywords multiple times (naturally) throughout your site.

Stop thinking about this.  Just stop it.   Instead, write naturally, paying no regard to how keywords are woven into your website.  You will waste less time chasing the myths of SEO and more time writing great content.

While I am dissing "best practices"....

If you build the chainsaw website described above....  you will not have to go begging for links.  The links will come to you.

The problem with that, is very few people have the knowledge and the willingness to actually buy all of those saws and use them for enough hours to know them.   This experience is what separates the people who really have the content knowledge from those who are faking it.

[Xiano]

Hi,

For your more generic keywords, perhaps general industry or overall business, I would keep those throughout the site. For more focussed keywords, maybe individual products, services, content pieces; I would keep those to individual pages.

A very brief example, if you were a car servicing centre, I would be using terms like "car maintenance" and "car repair" across the site, but focussing specific pages on "Tyres", "Brakes", "MoTs", "Car Air Conditioning", etc.