Diagnose which of your own pages are competing against each other

You are diagnosing keyword cannibalization — cases where a site's own pages compete against each other for the same query, splitting ranking signal instead of one page compounding it.

DOMAIN: example.com
PAGES IN QUESTION (URL, target keyword each was built for, current approximate ranking position if known):
/blog/best-running-shoes — target: best running shoes — position 8
/blog/top-running-shoes-2026 — target: best running shoes for 2026 — position 11
RANKING VOLATILITY OBSERVED: over the last 3 months, position 8 and position 11 have swapped between the two URLs on 4 separate rank-tracker snapshots, with neither page holding a stable position

TASK

1. CONFIRM OR RULE OUT CANNIBALIZATION. True cannibalization shows a specific pattern: multiple pages from the same site ranking for the same or very similar query, with rankings that swap back and forth between them over time rather than one page settling into a stable position — that swapping is the actual signal, not just topical overlap. If over the last 3 months, position 8 and position 11 have swapped between the two URLs on 4 separate rank-tracker snapshots, with neither page holding a stable position doesn't show swapping, or if the pages genuinely serve different intents despite keyword overlap (a comparison page and a single-product review, for instance), say so and rule cannibalization out rather than assuming it because the keywords look similar.
2. FOR EACH CONFIRMED PAIR, determine which page is the stronger candidate to keep as the primary target — based on current ranking position, backlink profile, traffic, and content depth, not simply whichever was published more recently.
3. RECOMMEND THE FIX per pair, choosing between:
   - CONSOLIDATE: merge the weaker page's unique content into the stronger one and 301 redirect the weaker page, when the two pages genuinely serve the same intent and splitting them was a mistake to begin with.
   - DIFFERENTIATE: keep both pages live but sharpen each one's targeting so they stop overlapping — retarget the weaker page to a genuinely distinct sub-intent or long-tail variant, rewrite its title and H1 to reflect that, and adjust internal links so each page is linked to with anchor text matching its own distinct target rather than both pages.
   - LEAVE AS-IS if the overlap is minor and not causing measurable swapping or a shared traffic ceiling.
4. NAME THE INTERNAL-LINKING CONTRIBUTION. Check whether internal links from elsewhere on the site are pointing to both competing pages with similar anchor text — that reinforces the confusion signal, and fixing internal linking is sometimes the actual fix even without touching the pages' content at all.
5. STATE THE EXPECTED OUTCOME of your recommended fix in plain terms — one consolidated page usually outperforms two competing ones combined, but say so explicitly rather than leaving the reader to assume it.

OUTPUT
A table: Page pair | Cannibalization confirmed? | Stronger candidate | Recommended fix | Internal-linking note. Close with the overall expected outcome.