Keyword and URL cannibalisation in multilingual SEO 

Keyword cannibalisation happens when multiple pages on one site target the same keywords or phrases, causing them to compete in search results. Keyword and URL cannibalisation is the “often negative” effect when two or more pieces of content from the same domain rank on the same Google results page. This tends to happen on multilingual sites when things like identical translations or similar content are published in different regional subdirectories (like /en-gb/ vs /en-au/) without a clear differentiation between the two.  

When this happens, Google struggles to identify which page is the most relevant, and will sometimes flip between the URLs or favour one market’s page over another market’s search results. Remember, though, intentional multi-ranking can drive more traffic to your website, but that’s hardly ever the case when cannibalisation is unintentional. 

Your identical or near-identical translations for different reasons will look like duplicate content to Google if you don’t guide search engines properly. Poor or missing hreflang and canonical tags can leave search engines guessing which version to show, potentially messing with your conversion rates. Correct hreflang implementation is very important, and it’ll do the opposite. These tags tell Google which language or country a page is for to prevent duplicate content issues. 

Causes of cannibalisation on multilingual sites 

Cannibalisation usually comes from overlapping content or unclear targeting, and in multilingual contexts, a few of the common causes include: 

1. Uncoordinated translation workflow.  
   When teams independently translate content for each region, they can end up creating near-identical pages. Without central planning, multiple language versions can end up competing for the same keywords or even the same language. 
2. Overlapping regional content  
   Even if content isn’t literally duplicated, similar or overlapping regional content can compete with each other. Large websites generating lots of information can easily have repeated topics on different URLs. 
3. Improper keyword targeting
   Different markets may use different terms, like “jumper” vs “sweater”, but if localisation doesn’t adjust keywords properly, those pages might clash. Alternatively, teams may mistakenly target the same core keyword for different language versions. In multilingual projects, this often happens when region-specific keywords aren’t coordinated. 
4. Incorrect hreflang or canonical tags 
   If hreflang tags are missing, incorrect, or pointing to the wrong language/country codes, Google might index the wrong version for a region. 
5. Uncoordinated content calendars 
   Different teams publishing similar campaigns at different times can create duplicates. 
6. Technical issues like filters/parameters 
   URLs with duplicate content often alternate in the ranking when filter pages or parameterised pages rank instead of the page that’s supposed to rank. On multilingual sites, this can happen if regional filters or category parameters aren’t canonicalised, causing one country’s filter page to outrank another country’s main page. 

Identifying cannibalisation in global content 

Finding cannibalisation in a multilingual context requires data tools and manual checks, and these SEO tools often include reports or filters for cannibalisation: 

1. Semrush Position Tracking – Cannibalisation Report: In Semrush’s Position Tracking, the Cannibalisation tab shows affected keywords and cannibal pages for you to check. When you set up tracking for each target country or region and filter by location, you can see if multiple regional URLs or pages are ranking for the same keyword in that locale. The report lists all pages and their positions for each keyword. 
2. Google Search Console (GSC): In GSC, go to Search Results, then filter by a keyword, or view Queries. Click a query and switch to the Pages tab, which shows which URLs of your site got impressions/clicks for that query. If more than one URL appears under the same query, that signals potential cannibalisation. 
3. Ahrefs (Site Explorer): Use Ahrefs’ Organic Keywords report on each regional site or subdirectory and filter by a target keyword to see all pages ranking. Ahrefs’ historical data lets you watch if two pages from your site alternately held a high position for the same term. If two localised pages switch positions or if one is always in the shadow of the other, that can indicate cannibalisation. 
4. SISTRIX Toolbox: The Sistrix tutorial on cannibalisation shows how to use filters. In Sistrix’s Ranking or Keywords modules, you can filter for “Keyword cannibalisation” to list keywords targeted by more than one URL. The report will show all pages from your domain that rank for the same query. 
5. Manual checks: A simple approach is to run Google site: searches. For example, “site:yourdomain.com keyword” often shows all pages on your site matching “keyword”. Disable host clustering (add &filter=0 to the URL) to reveal multiple results from the same site. 
6. Technical crawls: Tools like Screaming Frog, Sitebulb, Botify, etc., can crawl your multilingual site to find mismatched tags. Screaming Frog’s bulk export of page titles and H1s can help spot accidental duplicates in different languages. 

Fixing cannibalisation with localisation in mind 

Once you’ve identified cannibalisation, the remedy in a multilingual context must balance SEO needs with localisation goals. Some of the common fixes include: 

• Consolidate pages: If two or more pages on the same topic serve the same purpose in the same language, consider combining them. For multilingual sites, if /en-gb/ and /en-au/ pages are identical, you must decide whether to create one canonical page or unify them into one template with location variants. Consolidation often involves choosing a preferred URL and redirecting the others to it. 
• Use canonical tags: When you need to keep multiple versions of a page, add a <link rel=”canonical”> from the duplicate to the primary version. On multilingual sites, each language page should canonicalise to itself and not to the main site’s page. E.g., the UK English page /en-gb/product should canonicalise to /en-gb/product, rather than to /en-au/product or /en/product.  
• Adjust internal linking and on-page focus: Make it clear to Google which page should rank for a keyword. Strong internal linking on the most relevant page, with clear anchor text, is a great way to guide Google’s choice. Also, review title tags and H1s to make sure each page targets a unique keyword phrase, and avoid using identical meta titles or H1s on the competing pages. 
• Localise or rewrite content: Creating content that’s unique to its market is the best way to fix this issue. Instead of having two pages with the same, translated, content, create content that addresses local needs, examples, or spelling. Multilingual content creation is often the most necessary. 
• Review hreflang and canonical setups: You just make sure every regional version has the correct hreflang annotation, like. hreflang=”en-gb” on UK pages and hreflang=”en-au” on AU pages. Use tools like Screaming Frog to verify that each page’s hreflang chain is bidirectional and complete. If Google is still indexing the wrong version, look at using canonical tags or even noindex on the lower-priority page. 
• Noindex or delete redundant content: In some cases, entire pages should be removed from Google’s index, like if a promotional campaign page is only for email traffic and not needed in organic search, adding noindex stops it from cannibalising your SEO pages. You can also delete or merge old/duplicate blog posts on the same topic. After deletion, make sure any useful links are redirected to the remaining page. 
• Coordinate keyword focus per page: Refine each page’s keyword targeting so that no two pages, in any language, are competing for the same query. If two pages inevitably rank for similar terms, figure out which intent each fulfils.  

By applying these fixes with localisation in mind, you guide Google to treat each market’s page separately. 

Best practices for preventing cannibalisation 

Avoiding cannibalisation in a global strategy comes down to how you coordinate your content creation and how you monitor and govern the content. These are a few of the things to keep in mind:  

Multilingual keyword research 
Plan your keyword strategy per market together, so you know where each one fits and how to adjust the content. Discover region-specific keywords and assign them clearly. Make your English (US/UK/AU) variants don’t overlap for no reason. Dedicated research per market can uncover unique search patterns and stop two pages from accidentally targeting the same niche. 

Cross-team editorial planning 
Keep a global content calendar or governance framework that’s in line with all of the regional teams. Hold regular meetings between the teams handling different languages/regions, and share content plans so nobody writes the same topic twice. Use a shared taxonomy of keywords and audiences. Assign a “content coordinator” role or use an editorial tool to flag similar upcoming articles across markets. When campaigns are global, decide centrally where the translations will be housed and how to differentiate them. 

Localisation briefs and guidelines 
For each piece of content, offer the audience clear instructions to translators and local writers about keyword focus and intent. This reduces the chance that different teams inadvertently write the same content. 

Content governance frameworks 
Establish guidelines on when to create new pages versus translating existing ones. We suggest integrating E-E-A-T and cultural checks into your process to make sure new content is truly adapted. Document procedures for internal linking, canonical usage, and hreflang tagging so that every new language site follows the same practices. 

Automated monitoring and alerts 
Set up automated SEO alerts and dashboards for each region. Use SEO tools to notify your team of issues like sudden drops in country-specific traffic or indexing errors. Use Screaming Frog, or similar tools, to crawl on a schedule to catch new hreflang or canonical mistakes. 

Separate tracking per market 
Configure search analytics by region. In Google Search Console, set up each language or country version as its own property. This way, you get clean data for each market. 

UK vs Australian content collision in a real-world example 

Here’s a cautionary tale lurking around the corner of the fashion retail sector. Imagine a retailer has both /en-gb/ and /en-au/ sections with the same English-language content, with the same product descriptions, same images, etc. If the hreflang tags are misconfigured or absent, Google might index one page and ignore the other. This could lead to the UK page outranking the Australian page in Australian Google results. Australian customers searching for the local site might instead be served the British page, which might have different prices or shipping info, which would obviously hurt your conversion and sales rates. This has happened in real cases, with identical or very similar content across regional subfolders, combined with incomplete hreflang setup, that resulted in the wrong version ranking for queries in a given country. The fix was to rewrite the content for each market and correct the hreflang so that each region’s page is recognised as separate. Once the Australian page was tailored for local audiences and properly annotated, Google began showing it again instead of the UK page in Australia. 

Ultimately, avoiding cannibalisation in multilingual SEO is all about how clear you’re willing to be. Localisation matters more than you realise, and making content truly local means giving each market its own voice. When Google sees that, it’ll naturally treat each page as distinct from the others. Using the right technical signals is equally important. Proper hreflang tags and canonicals tell search engines exactly which page is for which audience. 

As many SEO professionals note, some overlap is inevitable on global sites, but the goal is to minimise the confusion for your audience. Create each page to satisfy a specific search intent in its locale, and use internal links with descriptive anchors and on-page keywords to show that uniqueness to your audience. 

Key Content’s multilingual SEO and localisation services 

Key Content specialises in helping global brands prevent and solve these issues with expertise in international SEO, multilingual SEO, and content localisation services designed to keep markets distinct from each other. Our teams coordinate international keyword research, develop cross-market content calendars and briefs, and audit technical SEO for proper hreflang and canonical usage to create global marketing strategies. By creating high-authority, market-specific content in partnership with our clients, we make sure that each language or country version of a site is unique and targeted.