Having the same text in both your <h1> and meta description is a missed opportunity for optimization. If they are the same, you can update either one to make it unique from the other. 

Read on to learn how.

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Meta Descriptions and H1 Tags Work Together

Meta descriptions can be longer and more detailed than the <h1>, therefore, having the two be the same is a wasted opportunity to optimize and convey your message.

Meta descriptions are a summarization of a page's content and are, in times, used to generate the snippet shown by search engines on the result page. This is a great opportunity for using persuasive text that influences a user to click your result. 

Then, H1s are great for organizing the contents of a page and clueing in both users and search engines as to what that page is about. 

How to Update Meta Descriptions and H1s

There are two ways to solve this problem. The first involves updating your meta description to make it different from the H1 tag. The other solution is the reverse: updating your H1 to make it unique from the meta description. 

The meta description should summarize the page and be unique from all other meta descriptions on your site, just like each page should be unique. 

Recommended Reading: How to Write the Perfect SEO Meta Description 

If you choose to update the meta description, you can do so through the site’s code. In the HTML, find the meta description by looking for its applicable tag. It should look something like this:

<meta name="description" content="Example meta description">

Then, replace the text that follows “content=” to make it unique. If you choose to update the H1 tag instead, look for the following in the HTML code:

<h1>Example Title Tag</h1> 

For this update, you would edit the text found between the <h1> and </h1>. 

The dev team should be able to help with these changes if you don’t have access to your pages’ HTML. 

Some content management systems also have specific fields for updating both the meta description and H1 tag. If you have access to the CMS, this could be an easier solution. 

Updating Meta Descriptions and H1 Tags at Scale

Another approach to updating both meta descriptions and H1 tags involves doing so at scale across your site. With an SEO execution platform, you can implement site changes with just a few clicks. 

This is where ClarityAutomate comes in. 

How to Update Meta Descriptions at Scale

Updating your meta descriptions is now a 3-step process. 

  • Select what you'd like to optimize: Meta Description 

Start the optimization by selecting “Meta Description” in ClarityAutomate.

  • Choose how you'd like to optimize it: Replace

This optimization calls for replacing an existing site element. 

  • New Value: Descriptive content for the meta description you want added

Then, enter the new, unique text that will act as the page’s meta description.

How to Update H1 Tags at Scale

If you choose to update your H1 tags instead, the process is just as fast.

  • Select what you'd like to optimize: Code

This optimization starts off by selecting “Code” in ClarityAutomate. 

  • Choose how you'd like to optimize it: Update

As opposed to replacing, select “Update”. 

  • XPath: XPath that points to the <h1> on the page that you want updated 

This step specifies the location of the tag to be updated. 

  • New Value: The new text for your H1 tag

Then, enter the text that will serve as the page’s H1. 

Before and After

In just a few minutes, you can update your meta descriptions and H1 tags with ClarityAutomate, as shown in this example for a meta description that was updated via ClarityAutomate. 

Looking for other meta description issues?