How to use Keyword Cannibalization report
This report is useful when you want to find situations where multiple pages compete for the same search intent. If impressions are almost evenly split between pages, this usually means the content overlaps or the search intent is unclear, and restructuring may be needed.
You can also use this report to validate experiments. If you update content or merge pages, you can track whether impressions start consolidating on the main page.
The report is also helpful when analyzing drops in keyword performance, because cannibalization can cause ranking instability.
For large websites, sorting by impression share helps quickly identify keywords that might require content auditing. Clicking through pages to Page Details allows you to inspect search metrics and related keywords without leaving the report.
You can open the report under GSC Insights → Keyword Cannibalization.
What keyword cannibalisation is
Keyword cannibalization happens when more than one page ranks for the same keyword.
Sometimes it is normal, for example, when Google tests pages for broad-intent keywords. In such cases, one “top page” usually collects the majority of impressions and clicks.
If several pages collect almost equal amounts of impressions and clicks for the same keyword, this usually indicates a direct intent issue or overlapping content. In this case, Google struggles to determine which page is the best match, and the situation requires review.
The report helps you identify both scenarios and decide what to do next.
How the report works
The report analyses the last 90 days of Search Console data and includes only those keywords that rank on two or more pages. For each keyword, you see search performance metrics and the distribution of impressions between competing pages.
You can search keywords using the search bar and filter them using a simplified keywords filter. You can also manage which metric columns are displayed.
Data in the table
The table contains all keywords that ranked on multiple pages within the last 90 days.
Next to each keyword, there is the Pages column that displays how many pages rank for it.
You can sort the report so that the top of the list shows keywords with the highest number of competing pages. The report also highlights how many impressions the top page collects. This value appears both as a number and as a percentage from the total impressions for the keyword.
A high percentage (for example, 80–90%) usually means there is no real issue. A low percentage means impressions are spread across pages and the keyword may require attention.
Viewing competing pages
When you click the number in the Pages column, a pop-up opens showing all pages that rank for the selected keyword.
Inside the pop-up, you can see impressions, clicks, CTR and position for each page specifically for this keyword. You also see the Impression Share metric, which shows the percentage of impressions each page receives. The list is sorted so that pages with the highest share appear at the top.
