Keyword cannibalization
Keyword cannibalization is when several pages on your site go after the same search, so they compete with each other and none does as well as one would.
Keyword cannibalization is when two or more pages on your own site target the same search. Instead of one strong page, you have several half-strong ones, and search engines have to guess which to show. Often they swap between them, or pick the one you'd least like people to land on.
It usually happens by accident. A blog grows for years, and three different writers each publish their own "how to make cold brew."
How to spot it
Search Console shows which of your pages appear for each search. If the same search brings up two or three of your pages, and each sits on page two, that's the classic sign. You'll also find it by searching your own site for a phrase and seeing several titles that say the same thing.
Not every overlap is a problem. A guide and a product page can both appear for "cold brew coffee" because they answer different needs.
How to fix it
Pick the best page for the search. Merge the useful parts of the others into it, then redirect the old addresses to it. If a page has to stay, change its focus so it answers a different question, and link from it to the main page.
For example, Fernhill Coffee has "Cold brew guide," "How to make cold brew at home" and "Cold brew in 5 steps." It merges them into one guide, redirects the other two, and the single page moves from position 14 to position 5.
Why it matters for AI answers
When an AI platform reads your site to answer a question, it chooses which of your pages to quote. If three pages say slightly different things about the same subject, maybe with different steps, ratios or prices, the answer may quote the outdated one. One clear, up-to-date page per question makes it easier for the platform to get you right.
In AnswerOrbit
The Pages tab in Sources shows which of your pages the answers used. If an older page keeps being cited for a prompt where you've written a better one, that's a sign to merge or redirect. See Sources.