Avoid starting consecutive sentences with the same word
Key Takeaways
- Avoiding starting sentences with the same word enhances readability and user engagement, which are crucial for SEO.
- Yoast SEO checks for consecutive sentences with identical starters and provides suggestions to improve sentence variety.
- Using synonyms, varying sentence types, and incorporating transition words helps create more engaging content.
- Anaphora can be effective for stylistic purposes, but generally, it’s best to avoid repetitive sentence structures.
- With Yoast SEO Premium, writers can leverage AI tools to enhance their writing style and maintain readability.
The consecutive sentences check in Yoast SEO for WordPress or Yoast SEO for Shopify warns against using the same word to start consecutive sentences. Writing well-structured, engaging content is more than just choosing the right words; it’s about how those words flow. One common pitfall many writers encounter is starting consecutive sentences with the same word. While it may seem like a small issue, this repetitive pattern can make your content feel robotic and dull, negatively affecting readability, which is a key part of SEO.
Does Yoast SEO have a red bullet for the consecutive sentences check? Here’s what this check does , and here’s how to tackle repetitive sentences.
Why does avoiding consecutive sentence starters matter?
Search engines like Google increasingly prioritize user experience signals when ranking pages. Readability is a core factor. Content that reads smoothly keeps visitors engaged longer and reduces bounce rates. One important readability metric is sentence variety: changing how sentences begin creates rhythm and interest.
Consecutive sentences starting with the same word disrupt that rhythm and can make text harder to follow. For example:
“Yoast SEO helps you optimize your posts. Yoast SEO also analyzes readability. Yoast SEO provides real-time feedback.”
This repetitive pattern feels monotonous and tiresome.
Why it’s important for SEO
Generally, a paragraph that contains many consecutive sentences all starting with the same word, won’t be a nice read. Worst case scenario: readers might get annoyed and leave your website. So, while an occurrence of three identical sentence starters may seem of little importance for SEO to you, keep in mind that serving your audience the best content you possibly can is the essence of a holistic SEO strategy.
Tackling repetitive sentence beginnings is a good start! But it sure isn’t the only thing you could do. Do you want to make your text a better read for both humans and search engines? The content analysis in Yoast SEO will show you where and how you can improve.
What does the consecutive sentences check do?
The consecutive sentences check assesses whether your text contains three or more sentences in a row all starting with the same word. If that’s the case, you’ll get a red bullet and the advice to variate a bit. Keep in mind that headings are also taken into account. If you click the eye icon 
all consecutive sentences that start with the same word are highlighted.
How Yoast SEO helps you write better sentences
Yoast SEO helps you write content that’s easy to read, including varying how your sentences start. With Yoast SEO Premium and the Yoast SEO AI+ package, AI Optimize reviews your text and suggests improvements for sentence structure and variety. These AI-powered suggestions work directly within your WordPress editor, making it easier to enhance your writing and create high-quality content.
The plugin’s readability analysis also flags repetitive sentence starts in its consecutive sentences check, showing why varied phrasing boosts engagement and SEO.
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Deliberately using the same words
Anaphora
Starting consecutive sentences with the same word can be a powerful stylistic device called anaphora. Winston Churchill’s famous 1940 speech demonstrates this: “We shall fight on the beaches. We shall fight on the landing grounds…” The repetition of “we shall” creates power and heroism. If you’re using anaphora for poetic effect, ignore the plugin feedback. Most of the time, though, you’re just trying to write readable web text.
Enumerations
For enumerations or how-to instructions, repeating the same opening words adds clarity and structure. For example:
- If you want Google to crawl and index your page, then you should…
- If you don’t want Google to index your page, you should…
- If you don’t want Google to index your page, you could also…
The bullets and identical beginnings make information easier to process. However, without visual formatting like bullet points and whitespace, repetition can become boring quickly.
Tips to avoid starting consecutive sentences with the same word
1. Use synonyms or pronouns
Replace repeated words with synonyms or pronouns to add variety:
- Instead of “Yoast SEO helps…” followed by “Yoast SEO also guides…,” try “It helps…” or “The plugin also guides….”
2. Vary sentence types
Mix short, punchy sentences with longer, compound ones:
- “Yoast SEO improves readability. It does so by analyzing sentence structures and suggesting improvements.”
3. Rearrange sentence order
Change the sequence of ideas to avoid repetition at the start:
- Instead of: “Yoast SEO is great. Yoast SEO analyzes your content.” Try: “Analyzing your content is one of Yoast SEO’s great features.”
4. Combine sentences
Merge related sentences into one more complex sentence to remove repetitive beginnings:
- “Yoast SEO helps you write better content and analyze readability in real-time.”
5. Use transition words
Start consecutive sentences with different transition phrases (however, therefore, additionally) to connect ideas while varying the flow.
Readability best practices
Yoast SEO Premium takes readability to the next level with advanced language processing that adapts to your writing style and suggests personalized edits.
Additionally, the AI Summarize feature helps create bullet-point summaries that break down content into readable sections, further enhancing engagement and user experience.
Together with Yoast SEO’s core real-time readability analysis, these AI tools empower everyone, from beginners to seasoned SEO writers to create compelling, varied content that resonates with both readers and search engines.
Ready to take your writing a step further?
Mastering sentence variety, including avoiding consecutive sentences starting with the same word, is essential for creating engaging, SEO-friendly content. With Yoast SEO Premium and the AI+ package’s advanced editorial features, you have the tools to achieve this effortlessly.
Start making your content flow naturally today and watch your user engagement. Explore Yoast SEO Premium and the Yoast SEO AI+ package for industry-leading AI-powered writing assistance and SEO optimization.
Read more: The ultimate guide to SEO copywriting.»
