Are Boilerplate Sections Bad for SEO?

Table of contents

TLDR: Quick Answer

Boilerplate sections (like "Areas Served," "Our Process," "Popular Services," and "Why Choose Us") repeated across your location and service pages are not treated as spammy duplicate content by Google and will not cause a manual penalty. 100% unique and original content is ideal, but not always practical or possible.

However, here's what you need to know:

✅ Customize when possible - The more you tailor boilerplate sections to each specific page, the better they'll serve your customers and help your rankings

✅ Keep boilerplate to a small minority of each page - Industry best practice suggests aiming for roughly 10-20% boilerplate, with 80-90%+ being unique content specific to that location or service

✅ Intent matters - If your boilerplate sections genuinely help users and improve their experience, they're acceptable even if repeated

✅ No direct penalties, but indirect impacts - Google won't issue a manual penalty for boilerplate, but pages with more unique, local content rank significantly better (studies show up to 107% improvement)

✅ Quality over quantity - Even if you use boilerplate sections, make sure your unique content is genuinely helpful and specific to that location or service

✅ It's an accepted industry practice - Most successful multi-location home service businesses use this approach when done thoughtfully

✅ Focus on E-E-A-T in your unique content - Google's August 2024 core update continues their push to reward "content people find genuinely useful," which aligns with E-E-A-T principles (experience, expertise, authoritativeness, trustworthiness). While the update doesn't specifically mention E-E-A-T, it reinforces Google's broader quality framework.

Bottom line: You're safe using boilerplate sections as long as most of your page content is unique, valuable, and genuinely helpful to customers in that specific area, and the boilerplate genuinely improves the user experience.

Understanding Boilerplate Content

Think of boilerplate content like the standard parts on your service trucks. The same equipment appears in every vehicle, but each truck serves a different area and handles different jobs.

Boilerplate sections are the standardized blocks of text that appear on multiple pages, such as:

Areas Served - Lists of cities or neighborhoods you service
Our Process - Step-by-step explanation of how you work
Popular Services - Your main service offerings
Why Choose Us - Reasons customers should pick your business

Is This Considered Duplicate Content?

Technically yes, but not the problematic kind.

Google defines duplicate content as "substantive blocks of content within or across domains that either completely matches other content or are appreciably similar." Your boilerplate sections fit this definition.

However, Google makes an important distinction between:

Bad duplicate content - Copied from other websites, created to trick search engines, or making up most of your page
Acceptable boilerplate - Standard sections that help users navigate and understand your services, used alongside unique content

The boilerplate sections mentioned above generally fall into the acceptable category.

What Google Actually Says

"Duplicate Content Penalty"?!

According to Susan Moskwa, Google Webmaster Trends Analyst:

"Let's put this to bed once and for all, folks: There's no such thing as a 'duplicate content penalty.' At least, not in the way most people mean when they say that."

Source: Moskwa, S. (2008). Demystifying the "duplicate content penalty". Google Search Central Blog.

Google's John Mueller on Boilerplate and Local Content

John Mueller, Google's Senior Search Advocate, has provided helpful clarifications over the years:

On duplicate content and negative ranking signals:

"With that kind of duplicate content [referring to header/footer boilerplate], it's not so much that there's a negative score associated with it. It's more that if we find exactly the same information on multiple pages on the web and someone searches specifically for that piece of information, then we'll try to find the best matching page."

On boilerplate in common website elements:

"A really common case for example is with ecommerce. If you have a product, and someone else is selling the same product, or within a website maybe you have a footer that you share across all of your pages and sometimes that's a pretty big footer. Technically that's duplicate content but we can kind of deal with that. So that shouldn't be a problem."

Source: Search Engine Journal reporting on Google Search Central office hours

On localized duplicate content (2024):

In the June 2024 Google SEO office hours, when asked "Does Google penalize duplicate content for localized websites?", John Mueller responded:

"No. Localized content is not considered duplicate content in a negative way. However, I would still recommend making sure that you have unique content on those pages, especially for the parts that you really want to have ranking. So things like the title, the headings, and the main content of the page."

Source: Mueller, J. (2024). June 2024 Google SEO Office Hours (Official Transcript). Google Search Central. | Video at 11:04

Key takeaway: Boilerplate text appears in many places on a site, and John Mueller has said repeatedly that Google's systems can handle this type of repeated content without treating it as a spam signal. As he noted in discussing ecommerce sites and footers: "Technically that's duplicate content but we can kind of deal with that. So that shouldn't be a problem."

What Google Says About Content Quality (August 2024 Core Update)

In the official August 2024 core update announcement (authored by John Mueller), Google stated:

"This update is designed to continue our work to improve the quality of our search results by showing more content that people find genuinely useful and less content that feels like it was made just to perform well on Search."

Source: Mueller, J. (2024). What to know about our August 2024 core update. Google Search Central Blog.

This is important for boilerplate strategy: While boilerplate content alone won't trigger a penalty, pages that rely too heavily on boilerplate combined with thin or generic unique content may struggle to rank well. The algorithm now more aggressively rewards content that demonstrates genuine expertise and originality.

Google's Official Guidance on Boilerplate

From Google's duplicate content documentation:

"Minimize boilerplate repetition. For instance, instead of including lengthy copyright text on the bottom of every page, include a very brief summary and then link to a page with more details."

Source: Cutts, M. (2007). Deftly dealing with duplicate content. Google Search Central Blog.

When Does Google Take Action?

Google only penalizes duplicate content when:

It's copied from other websites (scraping)
It's created with intent to manipulate rankings
It's used deceptively to trick users
Pages are created solely to rank for keywords with no real value (called "doorway pages")
It's part of spam patterns targeted in algorithm updates

Your boilerplate sections don't fall into any of these categories.

When Boilerplate Becomes Problematic

However, boilerplate can indirectly hurt your rankings when:

Your unique content is thin, generic, or low-quality. Boilerplate plus weak unique content equals pages that struggle to rank, especially in the current quality-focused algorithm environment
Multiple pages have nearly identical title tags and H1 headings with only boilerplate variations. This can cause keyword cannibalization issues
Your unique content doesn't demonstrate E-E-A-T signals (expertise, experience, authoritativeness, trustworthiness). Google's quality algorithms prioritize these signals

The Real Impact on Your Rankings

While Google won't directly penalize you, there is an opportunity cost to using too much boilerplate content.

What Actually Happens

Instead of penalizing boilerplate, Google:

Recognizes the repeated sections and largely ignores them when determining what makes each page unique
Focuses on your unique content to understand what each page is about
May rank your pages lower than competitors who have more unique, location-specific content
May choose one page over another if it can't clearly tell them apart
May crawl less efficiently if many pages appear too similar

The Research Shows

Multiple studies have found that pages with more unique, location-specific content significantly outperform those relying heavily on boilerplate:

107% better rankings for pages with hyperlocal content vs. boilerplate-heavy pages (Note: This metric represents the ranking gain from adding hyperlocal content to pages, measured against pages with no hyperlocal content, not a penalty for boilerplate itself)
84% ranking advantage for pages with custom location images
50% boost for pages with location-specific social links

Real Example: A florist with multiple Sydney locations restructured their pages to include unique city-specific content (testimonials, team members, community involvement) alongside their boilerplate sections. Result: 69.7% increase in online orders across all locations. (Internal case study from Digital Presence Australia)

How Much Boilerplate Is Acceptable?

Recommended Guidelines

Based on SEO industry experience and competitive analysis (Google does not specify exact percentages):

Boilerplate Amount	Risk Level	What To Do
10-20% or less	✅ Optimal	Best practice for competitive rankings
20-30%	⚠️ Moderate	Acceptable if unique content is high quality and demonstrates E-E-A-T; consider improving
30%+	❌ Higher Risk	May struggle to rank competitively. Add substantial unique, original content

Important note: Google recommends to "minimize boilerplate repetition" but does not provide specific percentage thresholds. These ranges represent industry best practices based on competitive analysis and ranking performance studies. The key is ensuring your unique content is substantial and genuinely helpful.

Why 10-20% Is Optimal

Keeping boilerplate to 10-20% gives you the best chance to:

Rank higher than your competitors
Stand out in search results
Provide real value to potential customers
Show Google that each page serves a unique purpose

The Quality Exception

Important: The quality of your unique content matters more than hitting exact percentages.

Even pages with higher boilerplate can rank well if the unique content is genuinely helpful and location-specific. This means:

Don't just swap city names in the same paragraph
Provide real local value that customers can't get elsewhere
Make it genuinely helpful to someone looking for your service in that area
Demonstrate expertise and authority about that specific market

The Thin Content Warning

While boilerplate sections are acceptable, pages with thin or low-quality unique content (even if it's technically "unique") can be targeted by Google's quality algorithms. Pages that are primarily boilerplate plus minimal, generic unique content face a higher risk of underperforming, particularly after recent core updates which prioritize "genuinely useful" content.

The User Experience Principle

Key question: Does this boilerplate section help the customer, or is it just there to fill space?

Examples of helpful boilerplate:

Navigation links that help users find their specific location quickly
A clear process explanation that sets customer expectations
Consistent service descriptions that help users compare options

Examples of unhelpful boilerplate:

Generic paragraphs that don't add value
Keyword-stuffed text that's hard to read
Repetitive content that could be condensed

If the boilerplate genuinely improves the user experience, it's acceptable. If it's just there to add words to the page, replace it with unique content.

SEO-Safe Boilerplate

While striving for 100% unique and original content is the ideal scenario, it isn't always practical or feasible. Boilerplate sections are generally acceptable and safe when they are helpful and customized when possible to enhance user experience.

✅ Have Substantial Unique Content (80-90%+ per page)

Each page should include unique:

Page titles targeting specific location/service keywords
Headings (H1, H2, H3) specific to that page
Introductory paragraphs explaining how your service applies to that location
Local details like neighborhoods, landmarks, or local regulations
Customer testimonials from that area
FAQs addressing location-specific questions
Photos from that location
Detailed service descriptions tailored to local needs
Content that demonstrates your team's expertise and experience in that specific market

✅ Serve Different Search Intent

Each page targets different keywords:

"Plumber in Austin" vs. "Plumber in Dallas"
"Emergency HVAC repair" vs. "HVAC installation"

Prevention Tip (Avoid Keyword Cannibalization): Make sure each page targets distinctly different keywords or search intents. Don't create multiple pages that target "[Service] in [City]" with identical content. Use your keyword mapping to ensure each location page has unique keyword targets and unique content to support those targets.

✅ Provide Real Value

Your unique content genuinely helps customers in that specific location understand:

How you serve their area
Why you're qualified to help them
What to expect when working with you
Specific local considerations or regulations
Your team's specific expertise, credentials, or local experience

✅ Use Boilerplate Thoughtfully

Your standardized sections help with:

Navigation - Areas served links help users find their location
Consistency - Process steps show your reliable approach
Trust - "Why choose us" reinforces your credibility
Efficiency - You can scale without rewriting everything

Ensure they are:

Concise and to the point
Genuinely useful to visitors
Not dominating the page content

Practical Tips to Improve Your Pages

Easy Wins (Do These Now)

Add 3-5 local customer reviews to each location page with specific details about the service
Include multiple photos from each location (your truck, your team, completed jobs in that area, local landmarks)
Mention specific neighborhoods or landmarks ("Serving the historic downtown district and surrounding areas including [list 5-10 specific neighborhoods]")
Write substantial unique introductions (create 3-4 unique paragraphs for each location explaining your history in that area, local challenges, and why you're the best choice)
Shorten boilerplate sections (trim down repeated content to only the essentials)
Add team member names and qualifications serving that area (builds authority and demonstrates local expertise)

Medium Effort (Next 3-6 Months)

Add detailed local case studies ("How we helped a [City] homeowner with [specific problem]" with before/after details)
Create comprehensive location-specific FAQs (5-10 questions like "Do I need a permit for HVAC work in [City]?" or "What are common plumbing issues in [older neighborhood]?")
Lightly customize boilerplate (add brief location mentions to "Why Choose Us" like "Serving [City] since 2010" or "Local team based in [City]")
Get location-specific backlinks (local chamber of commerce, community pages, local directories)
Add local statistics or context ("In [City], we respond to emergency calls within 45 minutes on average")
Audit your unique content for E-E-A-T signals (does it clearly demonstrate expertise, experience, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness specific to that market?)

Advanced (Long-Term)

Create blog content for each location ("[City] HVAC maintenance tips for summer" or "Common plumbing issues in [City] homes")
Add video content (team introductions from each location, service area tours, customer testimonials)
Implement customer submission forms (collect local success stories regularly)
Build community engagement (sponsor local events, partner with local businesses, showcase involvement)
Develop location-specific resources (local permit guides, seasonal maintenance tips, area-specific service recommendations)
Build thought leadership content (publish original research, local market insights, or expert commentary that positions your business as a local authority)

Common Concerns Answered

"Will my pages compete with each other?"

No, not if they target different keywords. Each location page should target "[Service] in [Specific City]". These are different search queries with different intent.

Boilerplate sections alone rarely cause this problem. Competition happens when:

Multiple pages have nearly identical title tags
Multiple pages target the exact same keywords
Multiple pages have the same H1 headings
Pages lack sufficient unique content to differentiate them

Important Addition: Your unique content is also what prevents keyword cannibalization. If your boilerplate is 20% of the page but your unique content on multiple pages is too similar (generic descriptions with location swaps), you risk having Google choose which page to rank, potentially ranking none of them well. To prevent this, ensure your unique content genuinely differs across pages. Use different angles, different testimonials, different case studies, and different expertise highlighted.

Your solution: Make sure each page has unique titles, H1s, substantial unique content, and targets different location/service combinations.

"Will Google crawl my site less efficiently?"

Minimal impact if you follow best practices. Google has stated that duplicate content can lead to less efficient crawling, but this is easily managed:

Use an XML sitemap to guide Google to your important pages
Ensure fast page load times
Implement proper internal linking
Use canonical tags when appropriate
Keep boilerplate sections concise

"Which page will Google rank?"

The one that best matches the search query. When your unique content clearly differentiates each page, Google can easily determine which page to rank for each search.

Example:

Search: "plumber in Austin" → Your Austin location page ranks
Search: "plumber in Dallas" → Your Dallas location page ranks

This works because your unique content (title, H1, local details, testimonials, case studies) clearly signals what each page is about.

"How do I know if my boilerplate is helpful or just filler?"

Ask yourself these questions:

Does this section help users make a decision or take action?
Would users be confused or lost without this section?
Is this information they need on every page, or just some pages?
Could this be condensed or made more concise?
Am I repeating this because it's helpful, or because I need to fill space?

If the boilerplate genuinely improves the user experience, it's acceptable. If it's just there to add words to the page, replace it with unique content.

"What if my unique content is thin or generic?"

This is now a more serious concern than it was in previous years. Google's recent core updates and ongoing quality improvements specifically reward pages that provide "genuine value" and feel helpful to users, not pages that feel "made just to perform well on Search."

Pages that consist of boilerplate plus thin, generic unique content (for example, "We serve Dallas with HVAC repair services. Call us today.") are more likely to underperform. Instead, invest in substantial, original unique content that demonstrates expertise. Even if your boilerplate percentage is at the upper end (20%), strong unique content will help these pages rank.

Technical Best Practices

1. Use Canonical Tags Properly

For location pages, each page should be its own canonical (self-referencing):

html

<link rel="canonical" href="https://yoursite.com/plumbing-austin" />

This tells Google that this is the main version of this page.

2. Implement Local Business Schema

Add structured data to help Google understand each location:

json

{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "LocalBusiness",
  "name": "Your Business - Austin",
  "address": {
    "@type": "PostalAddress",
    "addressLocality": "Austin",
    "addressRegion": "TX"
  },
  "areaServed": "Austin"

...


}

This helps Google show your business in local search results.

3. Implement FAQ Schema (But Use Carefully)

FAQ schema can be helpful for SEO, but avoid creating fake FAQs just to add more content. Only use schema for questions that actually appear on your page:

json

{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "FAQPage",
  "mainEntity": [
    {
      "@type": "Question",
      "name": "Do I need a permit for HVAC work in Austin?",
      "acceptedAnswer": {
        "@type": "Answer",
        "text": "Yes, [specific local information]..."
      }

    ....

    }
  ]
}

Google warns against bulk, unhelpful structured data updates that feel like they're made just for SEO.

4. Optimize Title Tags and Meta Descriptions

Make these 100% unique for every page:

Title: "[Service] in [City] | Your Business Name"
Meta Description: Unique description mentioning the specific location and what makes you different there

5. Minimize Boilerplate Length

Keep repeated sections brief:

Areas Served: Simple list with links, not paragraphs
Our Process: 3-5 bullet points or short steps, not long explanations
Why Choose Us: 3-5 concise points, not lengthy paragraphs

6. Prevent Keyword Cannibalization with Internal Linking

Use your internal linking structure to signal to Google which page should rank for which keywords:

Link to your primary location page using anchor text with that location: "Austin plumbing services"
Link from secondary pages to the primary page
Use descriptive anchor text that varies across pages
Don't link multiple location pages to each other using the exact same anchor text

Monitoring Your Success

Track These Metrics

Individual page rankings - Is each location/service page ranking for its target keywords?
Organic traffic per page - Are people finding and visiting each page?
User engagement - Are visitors staying on the page and taking action?
Google Search Console warnings - Any duplicate title or description warnings?
Content uniqueness ratio - Use tools to verify you're maintaining 80-90%+ unique content
E-E-A-T signals - Are your pages clearly demonstrating expertise, experience, authoritativeness, and trustworthiness?

Tools to Use

Google Search Console - Monitor indexing, rankings, and issues (free)
Siteliner - Check internal duplicate content percentage (free)
Google Analytics - Track traffic and engagement per page (free)
Copyscape - Verify content uniqueness (paid)
Google Search Labs (in GSC) - Test how your pages are perceived for relevance and quality (beta features)

What Success Looks Like

Each location page ranks for "[service] in [city]" searches
Organic traffic grows to individual location pages
Low bounce rates (users find what they need)
Conversions (calls, form submissions) from local searches
Content uniqueness ratio of 80-90%+ per page
Positive correlation between pages with strong E-E-A-T signals and higher rankings
Content adds value and enhances the user experience

Final Note: The Modern SEO Landscape

The SEO landscape continues to evolve toward rewarding quality content. Google's August 2024 core update raised the bar for content quality overall. The update doesn't target boilerplate specifically, but it does reward "genuinely useful" content over pages that feel "made just to perform well on Search."

This means your boilerplate strategy should focus on two things:

Keep boilerplate minimal (aim for that 10-20% range as a practical target)
Make your unique content exceptional - The 80-90% of unique content should be genuinely valuable, original, and demonstrate real expertise

Pages that combine boilerplate with thin or generic unique content are more likely to struggle, while pages with strong, original, helpful content are more likely to rank well. Boilerplate is fine when it's truly helpful, but it cannot carry a page. Your unique content is what wins rankings and conversions.

The practical takeaway: Boilerplate sections are acceptable and standard practice for multi-location home service businesses. Just keep them as a small part of each page, and invest most of your effort in making the rest of the content truly useful for people in that specific area.

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Updated on December 02, 2025

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