Glossary
Query Cannibalisation
When two or more pages on the same site compete for the same head query, splitting link equity and confusing search engines about which to rank. The architecture enforces one query, one URL.
In plain terms
When two or more pages on the same site compete for the same search, splitting the links and signals between them and leaving search engines to guess which one you meant.
Usually neither page ranks as well as a single consolidated page would, and the problem is invisible unless somebody looks for it.
Why it matters in Kenya
The most common local cause is location pages: a dozen near-identical pages with the town name swapped, all chasing the same service query. The second is a blog post that duplicates a service page.
What to do about it
Four checks you can run on your own site this week.
- Keep one query per URL, decided before the page is written
- Audit for pages whose titles and headings overlap heavily
- Consolidate duplicates and redirect, rather than leaving both live
- Create a location or variant page only where there is genuinely different substance
More terms
Other words you will meet when commissioning web, e-commerce or search work in Kenya.
- Orphan PageA page with no internal links pointing to it.
- Click DepthThe number of clicks from the homepage to a given page.
- Core Web VitalsA set of Google metrics measuring loading performance (Largest Contentful Paint), interactivity (Interaction to Next Paint) and visual stability (Cumulative Layout Shift).
