undefined
Skip to content
Moz logo Menu open Menu close
  • Products
    • Moz Pro
    • Moz Pro Home
    • Moz Local
    • Moz Local Home
    • STAT
    • Moz API
    • Moz API Home
    • Compare SEO Products
    • Moz Data
  • Free SEO Tools
    • Domain Analysis
    • Keyword Explorer
    • Link Explorer
    • Competitive Research
    • MozBar
    • More Free SEO Tools
  • Learn SEO
    • Beginner's Guide to SEO
    • SEO Learning Center
    • Moz Academy
    • MozCon
    • Webinars, Whitepapers, & Guides
  • Blog
  • Why Moz
    • Digital Marketers
    • Agency Solutions
    • Enterprise Solutions
    • Small Business Solutions
    • The Moz Story
    • New Releases
  • Log in
  • Log out
  • Products
    • Moz Pro

      Your all-in-one suite of SEO essentials.

    • Moz Local

      Raise your local SEO visibility with complete local SEO management.

    • STAT

      SERP tracking and analytics for enterprise SEO experts.

    • Moz API

      Power your SEO with our index of over 44 trillion links.

    • Compare SEO Products

      See which Moz SEO solution best meets your business needs.

    • Moz Data

      Power your SEO strategy & AI models with custom data solutions.

    NEW Keyword Suggestions by Topic
    Moz Pro

    NEW Keyword Suggestions by Topic

    Learn more
  • Free SEO Tools
    • Domain Analysis

      Get top competitive SEO metrics like DA, top pages and more.

    • Keyword Explorer

      Find traffic-driving keywords with our 1.25 billion+ keyword index.

    • Link Explorer

      Explore over 40 trillion links for powerful backlink data.

    • Competitive Research

      Uncover valuable insights on your organic search competitors.

    • MozBar

      See top SEO metrics for free as you browse the web.

    • More Free SEO Tools

      Explore all the free SEO tools Moz has to offer.

    NEW Keyword Suggestions by Topic
    Moz Pro

    NEW Keyword Suggestions by Topic

    Learn more
  • Learn SEO
    • Beginner's Guide to SEO

      The #1 most popular introduction to SEO, trusted by millions.

    • SEO Learning Center

      Broaden your knowledge with SEO resources for all skill levels.

    • On-Demand Webinars

      Learn modern SEO best practices from industry experts.

    • How-To Guides

      Step-by-step guides to search success from the authority on SEO.

    • Moz Academy

      Upskill and get certified with on-demand courses & certifications.

    • MozCon

      Save on Early Bird tickets and join us in London or New York City

    Unlock flexible pricing & new endpoints
    Moz API

    Unlock flexible pricing & new endpoints

    Find your plan
  • Blog
  • Why Moz
    • Digital Marketers

      Simplify SEO tasks to save time and grow your traffic.

    • Small Business Solutions

      Uncover insights to make smarter marketing decisions in less time.

    • Agency Solutions

      Earn & keep valuable clients with unparalleled data & insights.

    • Enterprise Solutions

      Gain a competitive edge in the ever-changing world of search.

    • The Moz Story

      Moz was the first & remains the most trusted SEO company.

    • New Releases

      Get the scoop on the latest and greatest from Moz.

    Surface actionable competitive intel
    New Feature

    Surface actionable competitive intel

    Learn More
  • Log in
    • Moz Pro
    • Moz Local
    • Moz Local Dashboard
    • Moz API
    • Moz API Dashboard
    • Moz Academy
  • Avatar
    • Moz Home
    • Notifications
    • Account & Billing
    • Manage Users
    • Community Profile
    • My Q&A
    • My Videos
    • Log Out

The Moz Q&A Forum

  • Forum
  • Questions
  • Users
  • Ask the Community

Welcome to the Q&A Forum

Browse the forum for helpful insights and fresh discussions about all things SEO.

  1. Home
  2. SEO Tactics
  3. On-Page Optimization
  4. Duplicate meta descriptions

Moz Q&A is closed.

After more than 13 years, and tens of thousands of questions, Moz Q&A closed on 12th December 2024. Whilst we’re not completely removing the content - many posts will still be possible to view - we have locked both new posts and new replies. More details here.

Duplicate meta descriptions

On-Page Optimization
2
8
3.4k
Loading More Posts
  • Oldest to Newest
  • Newest to Oldest
  • Most Votes
Reply
  • Reply as question
Log in to reply
This topic has been deleted. Only users with question management privileges can see it.
  • elaineryan
    elaineryan last edited by Jun 22, 2012, 5:00 AM

    Hi all,

    I'm using Yoast's SEO plugin and when I run a On Page report card here on SEOMOZ it says there are 2 descriptions tags

    I've been trying to fix this but can't (I'm new!)

    Anyone any ideas on this?

    Thanks

    Elaine

    1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
    • Nobody1560986989723
      Nobody1560986989723 @elaineryan last edited by Jun 23, 2012, 6:51 AM Jun 23, 2012, 6:51 AM

      No problem, glad I could help - and I agree the Yoast plugin is a good one but if you're a paying member of SEOmoz, follow up using it with the on-page optimiser so you have a variety of angles covered.

      1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
      • elaineryan
        elaineryan @elaineryan last edited by Jun 22, 2012, 11:36 AM Jun 22, 2012, 11:36 AM

        Hi Martin

        That's what I am doing now, going through pages and taking out the description and using Yoast for everything else.  Love his Plugin.

        Thanks again for all your time and help

        elaine

        1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
        • Nobody1560986989723
          Nobody1560986989723 @elaineryan last edited by Jun 22, 2012, 11:37 AM Jun 22, 2012, 11:23 AM

          Maybe for now then, use the Description you can provide via the theme you're using and use Yoast for the other bits?

          1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
          • elaineryan
            elaineryan @elaineryan last edited by Jun 22, 2012, 11:18 AM Jun 22, 2012, 11:18 AM

            Hi Martin

            You're very kind to help.  I checked, theres only one SEC plugin and every single url on the site was showing duplicate meta descriptions according to SEOMOZ tools.  This is resolved when I don't use Yoast description.

            1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
            • Nobody1560986989723
              Nobody1560986989723 @elaineryan last edited by Jun 22, 2012, 10:41 AM Jun 22, 2012, 10:41 AM

              Hmmm. Which URLs is SEOmoz saying are containing the duplicate meta description?

              And have a look in Wordpress under 'plugins' and see if there are two 'SEO' plugins, as you might be able to disable one if one has shipped with the theme you're using.

              Another experiment might be to temporarily apply a different theme and re-run the SEOmoz tool and see if you still have duplicate META DESCRIPTIONs as that would help you to see if it is the theme causing the problem.

              1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
              • elaineryan
                elaineryan @Nobody1560986989723 last edited by Jun 22, 2012, 7:49 AM Jun 22, 2012, 7:48 AM

                Hi Martin

                Thanks for coming back to me so quickly!  I don't think there are different pages causing the problem.  I've looked at it again.

                My theme has an SEO description box, as does Yoast's plugin.  When I do not use Yoast, and run a page report there, it comes up with a tick on the box, saying that I do not have a 2 meta descriptions.

                I am guessing the problem is with my theme (having SEO already in it).  God help us all, at the moment I am in the header php having a look at that.  I am not a tech person, I'm a psychologist, so that should tell me loud and clear "Get out of the PHP!

                I have just emailed the theme support to see if there is a way to disable their SEO, as I want to continue with Yoast.

                I should say that it is not showing up in google webmaster tools.  It shows no errors or problems with the site

                Thanks again for posting

                Nobody1560986989723 elaineryan 5 Replies Last reply Jun 23, 2012, 6:51 AM Reply Quote 0
                • Nobody1560986989723
                  Nobody1560986989723 last edited by Jun 22, 2012, 11:37 AM Jun 22, 2012, 7:31 AM

                  Hi there!

                  What you need to do is note down which two pages are causing the duplicate META DESCRIPTION and then log into Wordpress and go and edit those posts or pages.

                  At the bottom of the page editor are boxes for title and meta description, so you will need to change one or both of them and then republish the page.

                  Let me know if you need screenshots as I have a couple of clients who we use Yoast's SEO plugin as a part of managing the on-site SEO.

                  Thanks,

                  Martin

                  elaineryan 1 Reply Last reply Jun 22, 2012, 7:48 AM Reply Quote 1
                  • 1 / 1
                  1 out of 8
                  • First post
                    1/8
                    Last post

                  Got a burning SEO question?

                  Subscribe to Moz Pro to gain full access to Q&A, answer questions, and ask your own.


                  Start my free trial


                  Browse Questions

                  Explore more categories

                  • Moz Tools

                    Chat with the community about the Moz tools.

                  • SEO Tactics

                    Discuss the SEO process with fellow marketers

                  • Community

                    Discuss industry events, jobs, and news!

                  • Digital Marketing

                    Chat about tactics outside of SEO

                  • Research & Trends

                    Dive into research and trends in the search industry.

                  • Support

                    Connect on product support and feature requests.

                  • See all categories

                  Related Questions

                  • Donsimong

                    Duplicating words in the page title OK?

                    Im finding a site with lots of duplicated words in the title tags, I have always avoided doing this in the past, Is there any penalty for having a word repeated twice in the title, indeed is there a benefit from having it twice, IM assuming not
                    For example: Marketing Services in Milton Keynes | Our Services | TFA
                    https://www.t-f-a.co.uk/services the word service is repeated twice, in my opinion this is of no benefit at all and is better rewritten to remove the duplication

                    On-Page Optimization | Jul 18, 2019, 3:19 AM | Donsimong
                    1
                  • rootandbranch

                    Does using Yoast variables for meta content overwrite any pages that already have custom meta content?

                    The question is about the Yoast plugin for WP sites. Let's say I have a site with 200 pages and custom meta descriptions / title tags already in place for the top 30 pages. If I use the Yoast variable tool to complete meta content for the remaining pages (and make my Moz issue tracker look happier), will that only affect the pages without custom meta descriptions or will it overwrite even the pages with the custom meta content that I want? In this situation, I do want to keep the meta content that is already in place on select pages. Thanks! Zack

                    On-Page Optimization | Jul 6, 2018, 8:32 AM | rootandbranch
                    0
                  • WallerD

                    No meta description on category page

                    Hi Moz is reporting no meta description on a wordpress category page like this one: http://www.dwliverpoolphotography.co.uk/category/uncategorized/ Can I add a meta description to a category? Best wishes. David.

                    On-Page Optimization | Jan 22, 2015, 2:10 PM | WallerD
                    0
                  • flcity15

                    URL Domain Used in Meta Description

                    Today I was asked if using a domain url in your meta description can have a negative impact on your website. This description includes a list of the homepage url, but directs visitors to a different internal page of the website. My concern fell with directing visitors to a different page of the site, but promoting the homepage in the description/snippet. With Penguin 2.1 release on the 4th, I'm very cautious of my links/urls. What are your thoughts behind this? What are the possible, if any negative impacts this could have on a site? This URL does have a brand name as so the Title.

                    On-Page Optimization | Oct 16, 2013, 5:23 PM | flcity15
                    0
                  • JohnHuynh

                    The page is missing meta language information.

                    Hi, I saw my website have a problem about meta language, I do some search and found that I need to add  on the , with 'll' is language code and 'cc' is country code. But I am confused what should I do, because my website is world wide, not launch at specific any language and country. Please give me an advice in this case. Thanks,

                    On-Page Optimization | Jul 26, 2013, 2:59 AM | JohnHuynh
                    0
                  • Greatmats

                    Meta separators

                    I've been told that pipes are the best separators for title tags.  Can anyone tell me the best ones for H1 and H2 tags?  Do I go with pipes, commas, hyphens, underscores...?

                    On-Page Optimization | Jul 17, 2013, 5:29 PM | Greatmats
                    0
                  • seowhiskey

                    Can I use the same text in my meta description as I put in my post excerpt?

                    Hi, I'm just trying to understand the right way to optimise my blog posts and this is likely a dumb question... but to what extent should the text in my meta description differ from the text in my post excerpts? cheers, Andrew

                    On-Page Optimization | Jun 10, 2013, 10:55 AM | seowhiskey
                    0
                  • Adam-Perlman

                    What's the best practice for handling duplicate content of product descriptions with a drop-shipper?

                    We write our own product descriptions for merchandise we sell on our website.  However, we also work with drop-shippers, and some of them simply take our content and post it on their site (same photos, exact ad copy, etc...).  I'm concerned that we'll loose the value of our content because Google will consider it duplicated. We don't want the value of our content undermined... What's the best practice for avoiding any problems with Google? Thanks, Adam

                    On-Page Optimization | Oct 25, 2012, 1:10 PM | Adam-Perlman
                    0

                  Get started with Moz Pro!

                  Unlock the power of advanced SEO tools and data-driven insights.

                  Start my free trial
                  Products
                  • Moz Pro
                  • Moz Local
                  • Moz API
                  • Moz Data
                  • STAT
                  • Product Updates
                  Moz Solutions
                  • SMB Solutions
                  • Agency Solutions
                  • Enterprise Solutions
                  Free SEO Tools
                  • Domain Authority Checker
                  • Link Explorer
                  • Keyword Explorer
                  • Competitive Research
                  • Brand Authority Checker
                  • Local Citation Checker
                  • MozBar Extension
                  • MozCast
                  Resources
                  • Blog
                  • SEO Learning Center
                  • Help Hub
                  • Beginner's Guide to SEO
                  • How-to Guides
                  • Moz Academy
                  • API Docs
                  About Moz
                  • About
                  • Team
                  • Careers
                  • Contact
                  Why Moz
                  • Case Studies
                  • Testimonials
                  Get Involved
                  • Become an Affiliate
                  • MozCon
                  • Webinars
                  • Practical Marketer Series
                  • MozPod
                  Connect with us

                  Contact the Help team

                  Join our newsletter
                  Moz logo
                  © 2021 - 2025 SEOMoz, Inc., a Ziff Davis company. All rights reserved. Moz is a registered trademark of SEOMoz, Inc.
                  • Accessibility
                  • Terms of Use
                  • Privacy

                  Looks like your connection to Moz was lost, please wait while we try to reconnect.