A situation that occurs when multiple pages on a website target the same keyword or set of keywords, resulting in competition among those pages for rankings in search engine results pages (SERPs). This can lead to a dilution of authority and relevance for those pages, as search engines may have difficulty determining which page is the most relevant for the target keyword.
Keyword cannibalization can occur when website owners inadvertently create multiple pages targeting the same keyword, such as when creating similar content on different pages or using similar keywords across multiple pages. It can also occur when a website's information architecture is poorly designed, resulting in multiple pages targeting the same or similar keywords.
Keyword cannibalization can negatively impact a website's search engine rankings and traffic, as search engines may not know which page to rank for a given keyword, and may end up ranking a less relevant page.