Business

3 Tips to Fix Keyword Cannibalization from Real Guest Blogging

Published

4 years ago

July 23, 2020

Have you ever seen two or more of your web pages ranking for the same keyword? At first, this might seem like a good thing. After all, the more pages showing up on the first page, the more traffic you get, right? As any wise webmaster would tell you, however, this problem could be costing you potential customers and sales.

Real Guest Blogging specializes in content marketing, and one of the most common problems they encounter with their clients is keyword cannibalization. This happens when you target the same keyword across two or more pages on your website. Without an efficient content strategy in place, it proves challenging to prevent keyword cannibalization, particularly if you have a huge site with hundreds or even thousands of indexed pages.

It’s worth noting; however, that keyword cannibalization isn’t always a bad thing. But if you know that fixing the problem can improve your conversion rate and profit margins, then you should equip yourself with the right knowledge to stop your posts from cannibalizing each other once and for all.

1) Identify what pages are affected

Your first step is to identify what pages of your website are affected by keyword cannibalization. The easiest way to do this is to head over to Google and use the search query: “domain + keyword.” For instance, typing “bestwidgets.com + red widgets” will return a list of all indexed pages on your blog that contain this particular keyword or similar variations.

You need to sift through this list and identify what keywords these pages are ranking for. From there, it’s all a matter of finding out whether one or more pages rank for the same keyword.

2) De-optimize

When you see a page cannibalizing another, and you’re sure that your site will be better off without its ranking for the same keyword, then it’s time to start de-optimizing. The easiest thing to do is to remove the keyword in question from the page you want to withdraw from the search results pages. But this usually doesn’t cut it. In most cases, you have to look at the internal links pointing to that page and de-optimize the anchor texts as well.

To take things up a notch, you may want to use a backlink checker to see the external inbound links of the page. This entails reaching out to the webmasters of the sites that link to your page, and you can’t expect them to reply all the time. But it’s worth trying if you want the best shot at de-optimizing the page.

3) Merge similar content

Merging is the best route to take when two or more pages have very similar topics. Usually, you can combine these pages into a brand new page, allowing you to create a more comprehensive post that could have a higher ranking potential. Just remember to use a 301 redirect from the old pages to the new URL. Doing so will preserve “link juice,” giving the new page a better chance of ranking for your target keyword quickly.

4) Delete the page

Of course, you also have the option of merely deleting the pages that cannibalize others. Many webmasters might find this a bit extreme, and it can be not easy to delete a page knowing that you put in the time and effort to create it. But if you know that it hurts the chances of ranking another page, then it’s best to delete it. This applies in particular to pages that get little traffic and have no backlinks.

In Summary

Keyword cannibalization can be a severe problem for any website, yet it’s easy to forget about it as you focus on creating content and optimizing other website elements. Real Guest Blogging recommends preventing the issue before it even arises. Determine whether any of your existing pages already rank for the target keyword you have in mind. This helps you figure out whether it’s worth creating content from scratch or you’re better off updating an old post.

Business

Turning Tragedy into Triumph Through Walking With Anthony

Published

5 days ago

April 18, 2024

Rosario Farell

On the morning of February 6, 2010, Anthony Purcell took a moment to admire the churning surf before plunging into the waves off Miami Beach. Though he had made the dive numerous times before, that morning was destined to be different when he crashed into a hidden sandbar, sustaining bruises to his C5 and C6 vertebrae and breaking his neck.

“I was completely submerged and unable to rise to the surface,” Purcell recalls. “Fortunately, my cousin Bernie saw what was happening and came to my rescue. He saved my life, but things would never be the same after that dive.”

Like thousands of others who are confronted with a spinal cord injury (SCI), Purcell plunged headlong into long months of hopelessness and despair. Eventually, however, he learned to turn personal tragedy into triumph as he reached out to fellow SCI victims by launching Walking With Anthony.

Living with SCI: the first dark days

Initial rehabilitation for those with SCIs takes an average of three to six months, during which time they must relearn hundreds of fundamental skills and adjust to what feels like an entirely new body. Unfortunately, after 21 days, Purcell’s insurance stopped paying for this essential treatment, even though he had made only minimal improvement in such a short time.

“Insurance companies cover rehab costs for people with back injuries, but not for people with spinal cord injuries,” explains Purcell. “We were practically thrown to the curb. At that time, I was so immobile that I couldn’t even raise my arms to feed myself.”

Instead of giving up, Purcell’s mother chose to battle his SCI with long-term rehab. She enrolled Purcell in Project Walk, a rehabilitation facility located in Carlsbad, California, but one that came with an annual cost of over $100,000.

“My parents paid for rehabilitation treatment for over three years,” says Purcell. “Throughout that time, they taught me the importance of patience, compassion, and unconditional love.”

Yet despite his family’s support, Purcell still struggled. “Those were dark days when I couldn’t bring myself to accept the bleak prognosis ahead of me,” he says. “I faced life in a wheelchair and the never-ending struggle for healthcare access, coverage, and advocacy. I hit my share of low points, and there were times when I seriously contemplated giving up on life altogether.”

Purcell finds a new purpose in helping others with SCIs

After long months of depression and self-doubt, Purcell’s mother determined it was time for her son to find purpose beyond rehabilitation.

“My mom suggested I start Walking With Anthony to show people with spinal cord injuries that they were not alone,” Purcell remarks. “When I began to focus on other people besides myself, I realized that people all around the world with spinal cord injuries were suffering because of restrictions on coverage and healthcare access. The question that plagued me most was, ‘What about the people with spinal cord injuries who cannot afford the cost of rehabilitation?’ I had no idea how they were managing.”

Purcell and his mother knew they wanted to make a difference for other people with SCIs, starting with the creation of grants to help cover essentials like assistive technology and emergency finances. To date, they have helped over 100 SCI patients get back on their feet after suffering a similar life-altering accident.

Purcell demonstrates the power and necessity of rehab for people with SCIs

After targeted rehab, Purcell’s physical and mental health improved drastically. Today, he is able to care for himself, drive his own car, and has even returned to work.

“Thanks to my family’s financial and emotional support, I am making amazing physical improvement,” Purcell comments. “I mustered the strength to rebuild my life and even found the nerve to message Karen, a high school classmate I’d always had a thing for. We reconnected, our friendship evolved into love, and we tied the knot in 2017.”

After all that, Purcell found the drive to push toward one further personal triumph. He married but did not believe a family was in his future. Regardless of his remarkable progress, physicians told him biological children were not an option.

Despite being paralyzed from the chest down, Purcell continued to look for hope. Finally, Dr. Jesse Mills of UCLA Health’s Male Reproductive Medicine department assured Purcell and his wife that the right medical care and in vitro fertilization could make their dream of becoming parents a reality.

“Payton joined our family in the spring of 2023,” Purcell reports. “For so long, I believed my spinal cord injury had taken everything I cared about, but now I am grateful every day. I work to help other people with spinal cord injuries find the same joy and hope. We provide them with access to specialists, funding to pay for innovative treatments, and the desire to move forward with a focus on the future.”