Several site owners have reported an odd ranking behavior with their content:
after moving a targeted keyword to a new dedicated landing page, Google continues to rank the homepage instead.
In this case the original homepage was optimized for phrases like:
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“clone di Udemy”
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“script clone di Udemy”
Later, the homepage was turned into a broader marketplace landing, and a new page was created at:
Internal links were updated, backlinks were pointed at the new URL, and the new page was added to the main navigation.
But weeks later, Google still ranks the homepage for the primary query, and the search result title hasn’t updated.
Homepage Still Seen as Primary Entity
SEO experts note this is a common outcome when a homepage has a long history for a specific term.
Google appears to have built a strong association between the domain root and the topic, meaning:
“Udemy clone” = homepage
That entity strength doesn’t undo itself quickly just because a new page exists.
Matching anchor text and internal links help, but they are only part of the signals Google uses.
The New Page Is Recognized — But Not Preferred
In many of these cases:
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the new page is indexed
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Google knows about it
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but the algorithm still prefers the homepage
This suggests Google’s ranking systems treat the homepage as the most authoritative source for that topic until signals overwhelmingly shift.
Historical Authority and Backlinks Still Count
Why does this happen?
Experts point to several contributing factors:
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Backlink history: homepage usually has the most links
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Internal authority: homepage often sits at the center of site hierarchy
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User metrics: engagement data historically tied to homepage
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Semantic overlap: even broad landing pages can carry old keyword signals
Because of this, Google often takes weeks or months to transition ranking signals from an old URL to a new one.
What Site Owners Are Seeing
In this situation:
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Google SERPs still list the homepage for “clone di Udemy”
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The homepage title has not updated in results
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The dedicated page appears lower down
This has led to frustration, because internal linking and external signals were updated correctly.
Not “Cannibalization,” But Prioritization
While some call this keyword cannibalization, it’s more accurate to say:
Google has not yet decided that the new page is a better match than the homepage.
With entrenched associations and link equity, the old URL still wins until enough signal builds around the new page.
Timeline Observed in Cases Like This
SEO practitioners tracking similar situations report:
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First 30 days: home still dominates
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30–90 days: gradual re-ranking if signals increase
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90+ days: new page can take over if it proves more relevant
There is no guaranteed switch point, but changes generally lag.
Bottom Line
If Google continues to show a homepage result for a keyword even after a dedicated page exists, it’s usually not a bug. It’s:
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a ranking preference for historical authority
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a reflection of how Google weighted signals over time
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not a sudden issue of “duplicate content” or error
Site owners should expect that reassigning a keyword’s ranking can take weeks or months, even with correct on-page and linking signals.
