I do not want all my META descriptions to be unique.

[reallygoodstuff]

Hi,

I have maybe 20 categories (new) that I really like to have the same Meta description for all of them. The category names call out the use of their respective products. but, all of these categories are related to a much bigger global initiative.

I don't have enough space in the title to discuss the individual terms as well as the broader project, so I would like the META to say something like "Products related to <this thing="" my="" customers="" care="" about="">from</this>

However, I am extremely paranoid about adding 20-25 meta descriptions that are identical, because Google.

Am I overthinking this and being paranoid about Panguin and Penda?

[Davenport-Tractor]

Joe,

Your NOT being overly cautious, but I do think your not thinking outside the box. The box being your 1 Meta Description you are trying to use.

Think about it this way, you cant control your customer, and you cant control their mind, you cant control what they search for. So your perceived problem is actually an opportunity to have 20 ways to describe your 1 Meta description. If the meta description your going after is "Pet Products" the chance that 100% of you audience is going to be searching for that exact term is pretty slim. One customer may search for "Pet Shampoo" yet you want them a customer or at least the opportunity to sell them "Pet Products" as long as they are a vertical, you might sell them something else.

So in my opinion you actually have 20 opportunities to optimize those pages for different keywords and cast a wider net at capturing a customer for your website.

[danatanseo]

I agree with Allen. I would add that if the content of those 20 pages is so similar that they all should have the same meta description that could be a really bad thing. Pages don't need to be verbatim identical to be considered duplicate content. Google can consider them duplicates for content that is substantially similar, even if every word on the page is different. Check out Eric Enge's interview with Matt Cutts on this subject: http://www.stonetemple.com/matt-cutts-and-eric-talk-about-what-makes-a-quality-site/

I am hoping that these pages are indeed, 20 unique pages. If so, Allen is absolutely right. Go after what's unique about each one of those pages and you'll gather a wider range of potential traffic. If they aren't really unique pages, you're just cannibalizing your content and in the end, not really helping your own cause.

[Cyrus-Shepard]

Without going over what others have said, which I agree with, it seems each page features one product, right?

So instead of "Products related to <this thing="" my="" customers="" care="" about="">from <my incredibly="" impressive="" brand="" name="">"</my></this>

why not... " related to <this thing="" my="" customers="" care="" about="">from</this>

Which would make it unique. Just a thought.