ExperimentsTitles and meta descriptions
A hub page that named the same towns as its own sub-pages was competing with them
In short
The locations hub and two town pages were saying almost the same thing, so Google kept switching between them.
What I did
Brand searches were landing on different pages at different times. I found two causes. The locations hub title named the same two towns as its own town pages. And those two town pages used almost the same description. I renamed the hub to describe the whole delivery area, and gave each town page its own job: one is where you dine in and pick up, the other is about delivery.
Where
A restaurant website, August 2026
What changed
Not measured yet. The hub and the two town pages now each describe something different.
Did it work
Too early to tell
What you should do
When several of your pages appear for the same search in Search Console, compare their titles and descriptions. If they say nearly the same thing, give each page one clear job.
How long it took
About an hour
Keyword cannibalisation means two or more of your own pages compete for the same search. Google cannot tell which one you want to rank, so it switches between them, and often none ranks well.
Why it matters
A hub page should describe the whole group. Here the hub named the same towns as its own sub-pages, so it looked like a third version of the same page.
How to check your own site
- In Search Console, click a search term, then open the Pages tab. If several pages appear, they may be competing.
- Put their titles and descriptions side by side. Each page should answer a different question.
At a glance
ResultToo early to tell
Effort to copyAbout an hour
Type of businessRestaurant and food
SubjectTitles and meta descriptions
3pages saying almost the same thing
1.7position kept for brand plus town
| Status | Running |
|---|---|
| Hypothesis | Giving the hub and each town page a distinct job will stop brand searches switching between them. |
| Started | 2026-08-29 |
| Measured by | Which page ranks for brand searches, and how often it changes |
What this changed in how I work
When pages compete, I fix the wording before merging or deleting anything. It is the smallest change that can work. I also kept the brand name in one town title because that page already ranked 1.7 for brand plus town, and you do not remove what is working.
End of Lab entry No. 021
- The homepage title named a neighbouring town, not the town where the restaurant isToo early to tell13 Oct 2026
- I rewrote one menu page title to match what people actually search forMixed result13 Oct 2026