Wordpress Category Archives - Index - but will this cause duplication?

[Kelly3330]

Okay something I am struggling with

Using YOAST - but have a recipe blog -

However the category archives have /are being optimized and indexed as I am adding custom content to them , then listing the recipes below.

My question is if I am indexing the Category Archives and using these to add custom content above - then allows the recipe excerpts from the category to be listed underneath - will these recipe excerpts be picked up as duplicate content?

[evolvingSEO]

This should be totally fine. It's pretty common blog/wordpress practice to have excerpts on a category page and then the full article/recipe on that individual page.

Also, just to dispel a myth there is no duplicate content "penalty" - so nothing to fear from that standpoint anyway - just try to make each page have a distinct purpose, which they do. The category page allows users to browse all the recipes in that category and choose which to view. The recipe page allows users to view the whole recipe and use it to hopefully cook something tasty

[Linda-Vassily]

Often in a cookbook, there are different sections like breads, cakes, and cookies. Each might start out with a page or two explaining general rules about choosing and preparing that type of food and also contain a listing of recipes specific to the sections, with brief descriptions, so the reader can get an idea of what each recipe is for.

If that is what you are doing with your website, I wouldn't worry about duplicate content. If there is a good amount of original content at the top, and then short excerpts to explain what the links are about, you should be fine. As Andy said, just be sure the pages themselves are good pages and the amount of text you duplicate in your recipe descriptions is fairly short. [You could even write custom descriptions for the links, rather than using excerpts. Something to tempt the readers to read more...]

[Andy.Drinkwater]

Hi Kelly,

will these recipe excerpts be picked up as duplicate content?

Yes, it is likely that crawlers will see it as duplicate content, but that doesn't necessarily equate to an issue for you. How are you finding that they are being indexed? Are they appearing well in the SERPs? Is the additional content on the pages just there to satisfy Google, or is it genuinely useful?

You could also reduce the excerpt size so the levels of duplication aren't as high.

You also need to look at the page and decide how / why you are optimising the pages. Is it just to gain more keywords and then funnel people to other articles? If so, you may fall foul of the Doorway Penalty. I posted this in another question a short while ago:

Here are questions to ask of pages that could be seen as doorway pages:

• Is the purpose to optimize for search engines and funnel visitors into the actual usable or relevant portion of your site, or are they an integral part of your site’s user experience?
• Are the pages intended to rank on generic terms yet the content presented on the page is very specific?
• Do the pages duplicate useful aggregations of items (locations, products, etc.) that already exist on the site for the purpose of capturing more search traffic?
• Are these pages made solely for drawing affiliate traffic and sending users along without creating unique value in content or functionality?
• Do these pages exist as an “island?” Are they difficult or impossible to navigate to from other parts of your site? Are links to such pages from other pages within the site or network of sites created just for search engines?

If you answer yes to any of those, then it might not just be duplicate content that is your issue.

-Andy