Similar keywords on multiple pages?

If you follow our advice on site structure, you know to avoid using the same keyword twice. You’re aware that you shouldn’t cannibalize your own chances to rank. Things get a bit more complicated when you’ve got keyphrases that are similar, but not quite the same. How do you avoid keyword cannibalization and use your site structure to your advantage, in those cases?

Tristan sent us a question on the subject. He wondered what to do when he wants to optimize a page for a keyphrase containing a keyword that he already optimized another page for:

“What should I do if my phrases contain keywords I’ve already optimized other pages for? For example [bridal makeup course] and [makeup course]. Both pages have been optimized with ‘makeup course’ in their phrase. Would they conflict with each other? What should I do about this?”

Watch the video or read the transcript for the answer!

Dealing with related head and long tail keyphrases

Well, Tristan, if you do it right, then the ‘bridal makeup course’ page will automatically rank better for [bridal make up course] than the ‘make up course’ page. The problem you have is that you’re afraid that your ‘bridal makeup course’ page will outrank your ‘make up course’ page for the term [makeup course].

If that’s the case you should really make sure that your ‘bridal makeup course’ page links to your ‘makeup course’ page telling people that that’s the more general page about your make up courses. And that the bridal make up course is specific to bridal makeup.

Actually having the two pages might make it easier to rank for the makeup course keyword. In fact, you might get lucky and get two results, where your makeup course page ranks #1 and your bridal makeup course page ranks #2, as an indent for the same keyword. So it doesn’t have to be a problem at all. Good luck!

Ask Yoast series