I have a 2021 post called something like beginner guide to X and a 2024 post called X mistakes to avoid. For the head term they trade places every three to five weeks, and neither one gets above position 6. Combined they'd probably deserve better. Is this genuine cannibalisation and what is the actual fix, merge or differentiate?
Flip-flopping is the classic signature, yes. Before merging, check the query data for each URL separately. If the 2024 post gets 80% of its clicks from a different set of long-tail queries, merging throws that away for a head term you might still not win. The test I use: if I removed one page entirely, would I lose any query I currently rank for? If no, merge. If yes, differentiate hard and stop competing.
Then retitle the 2024 one so the head term isn't in the title or H1, and link from it to the guide with the head term as anchor. You're picking a winner rather than hoping one emerges.
The 2024 one pulls a decent tail around specific mistakes. So differentiate, probably.
Position 6 for both might not be cannibalisation at all, it might just be that neither is good enough to be top 3 and they're taking turns at the bottom of the pile. Worth being honest about that before spending a weekend on redirects.
Also look at your internal anchors. If half your site links to one with the exact head term and the other half links to the other with the same phrase, you're the one causing the confusion, not the algorithm. Fixing anchors alone settled a swap for me within a month.
@starschema_sy · 10mo ago · 2 replies
When I merge I keep the older URL as the surviving one, because it usually has the links and the history, and 301 the newer one into it. People instinctively keep the newer, better-written page and then wonder why the merged article underperforms both.
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@index_and_chill · 10mo ago
Agreed with one caveat, if the old URL has a dated slug like
/2021/guide-to-xI'd keep the clean one and eat the smaller loss.Reply
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