No, using Yoast and All in One SEO together creates duplicate meta tags—install both if needed, but only activate one plugin at a time.
Running two WordPress SEO plugins side by side sounds like extra power, but it usually triggers duplicate meta tags, mixed schema, and clashing sitemaps. This guide shows what actually happens when both are active, when it’s safe to keep both installed, and the clean setup that avoids hazards while keeping your metadata tidy.
Using Yoast With AIOSEO On One Site: What Happens?
When both plugins write titles, descriptions, canonicals, and schema, the page source fills with duplicates. Search engines pick one at random or ignore both, and your results suffer. You might also see two XML sitemaps, mismatched breadcrumbs, and inconsistent Open Graph output. Even small overlaps, like a second meta description added by a theme or page builder, can derail stable snippets.
Here’s a quick field guide that maps the risk areas and the safer move when both plugins are installed on the same site.
| Area | Risks When Both Active | Recommended Action |
|---|---|---|
| Titles & Descriptions | Two tags compete and search crawlers may ignore both. | Let one plugin print them; disable the other’s meta box output. |
| Canonicals | Mixed canonicals send conflicting signals about the preferred URL. | Select one source; confirm the other plugin’s canonical setting is off. |
| Schema Graph | Multiple JSON-LD blocks fight or break validation. | Keep one generator; test in a rich result checker. |
| XML Sitemaps | Two sitemap indexes waste crawls and cause index churn. | Publish a single index; remove or disable the second. |
| Breadcrumbs | Mixed markup confuses parsers and theme output. | Use one breadcrumb system site-wide. |
| Open Graph & Twitter | Extra og:title or twitter:card fields spoil shares. | Leave social tags to the primary tool and turn off the rest. |
| Image SEO | Competing filename or alt rules clash on output. | Centralize image rules in one place. |
| Redirects | Parallel redirect managers create loops. | Standardize in one manager and audit rules. |
| Readability & Content Scoring | Duplicate panels slow the editor. | Keep one guidance panel for writers. |
| WooCommerce SEO | Two product schema setups collide. | Use the ecommerce module from the primary tool only. |
The pattern is clear: pick one tool to control global SEO fields. The other plugin can stay installed only for features you’ve fully disabled in the primary tool.
Why One Primary SEO Plugin Works Better
Duplicate Meta Tags And Canonicals
Two sources writing the same tag create noise. Yoast documents duplicate-tag cleanup and the root causes, including plugins or themes adding a second tag. Running twin SEO plugins increases the odds of that collision and makes audits harder.
Overlapping Sitemaps And Schema
Both plugins can publish XML sitemaps and generate schema graph data. If both remain active, crawlers may find two sitemap indexes and tangled schema types, which muddies discovery and can break rich-result eligibility for things like articles and breadcrumbs.
Performance And Crawl Budget
Each plugin loads settings, runs content checks, and hooks into page output. Stacking them raises PHP overhead and can slow the editor. It also encourages redundant crawls of conflicting sitemaps, which wastes fetches that could be spent on fresh content.
Safe Ways To Combine Features Without Conflicts
You can keep both plugins installed for a short period while you migrate or compare features. Make one the primary source of truth for titles, descriptions, canonicals, schema, and XML sitemaps. In the secondary plugin, turn off every overlapping output. Leave only the non-overlapping utilities you actually need, such as a redirect manager or a broken-link checker.
After you pick the primary tool, test a few public URLs with View Source or a header checker. Confirm that each page shows one title tag, one meta description, one canonical, one set of Open Graph tags, and one JSON-LD graph. If a theme or page builder also injects metadata, disable that module to prevent a second description or duplicate OG tags.
Switching Between Plugins Without Losing Data
Both vendors provide migration tools that carry titles, descriptions, and some social data across. If you’re moving from AIOSEO to Yoast, import settings using the built-in tool in Yoast. If you’re moving the other way, AIOSEO offers an “Import Settings From Other Plugins” option. Run the import, check a few key templates, then deactivate the old plugin.
Any custom fields or per-post overrides deserve a spot check. Open recent posts, confirm variables resolve correctly, and regenerate sitemaps from the primary tool.
Move From AIOSEO To Yoast In Minutes
Inside Yoast, open Tools and use the import function to pull titles and descriptions from the other plugin. Verify your search appearance templates, breadcrumbs settings, and content types. Once the front-end shows a single set of tags, deactivate the old plugin and clear caches.
Move From Yoast To AIOSEO Without Messy Overlaps
In AIOSEO, go to Tools and open Import/Export. Choose the source plugin and select the settings you want. Confirm that only one sitemap index is live, then turn off any leftover metadata modules in the old plugin before deactivation.
Migration Steps Side By Side
The checklist below lines up the two directions so you can follow the right column for your move. Either way, keep one plugin active at a time after you finish the import.
| Step | What To Do | Why It Matters |
|---|---|---|
| Backup | Export database and plugin settings before changes. | Create a dated archive and store off-site. |
| Inventory | List active outputs: meta, schema, sitemaps, social, breadcrumbs. | Mark which plugin will own each area. |
| Import | Use the built-in importer in the destination plugin. | Pull titles and descriptions; verify counts on samples. |
| Templates | Check global templates and variables. | Match your current patterns; fix any stray placeholders. |
| Sitemaps | Generate a single index from the destination plugin. | Update robots.txt and Search Console. |
| Theme Hooks | Turn off theme metadata or breadcrumb modules. | Keep one source for each tag set. |
| QA Crawl | Scan a subset of pages for duplicate tags. | Resolve before rolling out to the whole site. |
| Deactivation | Turn off the old plugin when checks pass. | Clear caches and monitor logs for errors. |
Practical Setup For Real Sites
Pick your primary tool based on team needs. Content teams often favor Yoast for its readability panel and granular per-post guidance. Either choice works when it owns the global tags and the other plugin stands down.
For multisite or complex stores, keep a short changelog of what you disable in the secondary tool. That list helps later audits and avoids surprises after updates. Recheck key templates after theme updates, since some builders re-enable their own metadata boxes.
Troubleshooting Conflicts Fast
If pages show two descriptions or odd titles, switch to a default theme in a safe mode and disable all plugins except your chosen SEO tool. Reenable plugins in small batches until the duplicate returns, then turn off the module that prints an extra tag. A quick crawl with any site auditor will confirm when duplicates are gone.
Quick Clarifications
Can both plugins stay activated for long? No. Keep only one active for metadata and sitemaps. Can you keep the other installed? Yes, as a short-term helper during migration with overlapping outputs disabled. Do you lose rankings when switching? With clean imports and consistent URLs, rankings usually hold steady once duplicate tags are gone.
A Clean, Conflict-Free Setup Checklist
Choose the primary plugin. Disable overlapping modules in the secondary one. Import titles and descriptions. Regenerate and submit a single sitemap index. Check a sample of templates and important posts. Deactivate the old plugin, clear caches, and recrawl key pages.
That’s the stable path: one source of truth for metadata, one sitemap index, and a tidy schema graph. Do that, and you get predictable snippets, fewer crawl headaches, and a faster editing flow.
When Keeping Both Installed Makes Sense
Short windows during a redesign or a relaunch call for extra tools. You can keep both plugins installed during a content freeze while you copy settings and test templates. Only one should be active at a time for metadata. The inactive plugin can remain available for exports or for a quick compare on a staging site.
Editorial Workflow Tips That Reduce SEO Drift
Set page-level rules inside your primary tool and store them in a shared doc. Editors can follow one outline for titles, descriptions, and schema types across posts and products. Lock down access so only a few users can change search templates. That keeps metadata consistent and avoids surprise overrides from new teammates or extensions.
Common Myths About Running Two SEO Plugins
“Two plugins mean double the ranking power.” No—page quality and links move the needle. “One plugin is only for content and the other for technical work.” Most modern tools handle both layers; split control just adds risk. “Duplicate tags don’t matter.” They do. Crawlers either ignore them or choose the wrong one, and tracking becomes messy.
Schema, Social Cards, And Branding
Your chosen tool should print one JSON-LD graph with the site entity, logo, and content type. It should also set Open Graph and Twitter Cards so shares look clean. Pick a single source for these items so titles, images, and publisher fields match across channels.
Sitemaps And Indexing Hygiene
Keep only one sitemap index live and linked in robots.txt. Turn off the other plugin’s sitemap module so crawlers do not see two competing indexes. After a migration, resubmit the live index in Search Console to speed up the switch. Test again later.
Testing Checklist Before You Ship
Open a batch of templates: the home page, a post, a page, a product, and an archive. View Source and confirm single instances of title, meta description, canonical, Open Graph, and the JSON-LD graph. Run a single-URL test in a rich result tester and in a sharing debugger.