Playbook: diagnose and fix keyword cannibalization for real

Playbook: diagnose and fix keyword cannibalization for real
I ran this on a real blog using GSC + Ahrefs. 'Cannibalization' is over-diagnosed — here's how to confirm it's actually hurting you before you merge anything.

The steps:
— In GSC, filter to one query, add the Pages dimension. Two+ of your URLs showing = possible cannibalization.
— Confirm it's harmful: do the URLs swap positions week to week, and is neither cracking the top 5? That's the real symptom.
— If one URL clearly owns it and the other just appears occasionally — leave it. Not every overlap hurts.
— For true conflicts: pick the stronger URL (more links, better intent match), merge the weaker's unique content in.
— 301 the loser to the winner, update internal links to point only at the winner.
— Watch GSC for 2-3 weeks — the surviving URL should consolidate and climb.

GSC:
➕ The only source that shows your real query-to-page conflicts, free
➖ Manual, one query at a time
Ahrefs:
➕ Helps decide which URL is stronger (links/traffic)
➖ Won't detect the conflict itself as well as GSC

Best for: detection → GSC. Decision → Ahrefs.
Pick this if two posts keep trading rankings. Skip the merge if one page already wins cleanly.