Library hygiene
Find and Remove Duplicate Testimonials
A visitor scrolling your testimonial wall sees the same face twice, saying nearly the same thing. They do not think “a loyal customer”. They think “padding”. Duplicates creep in from a spreadsheet imported on top of collected reviews, a customer who answered two requests, or a quote retyped by hand into a second tool. Work through the checklist to clear them and keep them out.
- Spot the four kinds of duplicate
- Keep the stronger version, retire the other
- Close the gaps that let them in
The problem, solved
How the same testimonial ends up there twice
We imported a spreadsheet we had already collected
An old export of reviews goes in on top of the ones customers already submitted through the form.
With StoryProof: A CSV upload maps reviewer name, text and date columns. Sort your sheet by name against the library before uploading and drop the rows you already hold.
A customer answered the request twice
They replied to the first email, then a manual reminder from a colleague, and wrote two slightly different versions.
With StoryProof: From Pro, follow-ups stop as soon as the customer leaves a testimonial, so nobody is reminded after they have answered.
The same face shows twice on our wall
Two versions both got approved months apart and both sit in the same widget.
With StoryProof: You choose which approved testimonials appear in each widget, so take the weaker version out of every selection and keep the stronger one.
We are not sure which copy is the original
One was edited for length, one carries the company name, one has the job title. Deleting the wrong one loses information.
With StoryProof: Tags are on every plan. Tag the version you keep and mark the other “duplicate”, so the decision is visible to the whole team.
Re-imports eat into our allowance
Every duplicate imported is a slot that could have held a new testimonial.
With StoryProof: Imported reviews count toward the same monthly allowance as collected ones: Free 25, Starter 100, Pro unlimited.
Flip the switch to see how StoryProof handles each one.
Cleanup checklist
Clear duplicates from your library
Set aside an hour. Work from the library, not the website, so you catch copies that are not published yet.
Ticks are kept in this browser tab only and are not sent anywhere.
Is it really a duplicate?
Not everything that looks repeated should go.
In StoryProof
Keep the library clean in StoryProof
- You will need
- Editing access to the library and every widget
- Any spreadsheets you plan to import
- 1
Check at approval
Nothing goes public until approved. Make “is this customer already here?” part of that review.
- 2
Tag kept and retired copies
A “duplicate” tag records the decision so nobody re-adds the retired version to a widget.
- 3
Pull retired copies from widgets and the wall
Update each widget’s selection and look over the Wall of Love afterwards.
- 4
Clean spreadsheets before importing
Match the name column against the library and remove rows you already hold. Imported reviews count toward your monthly allowance.
What happens next: Run the full checklist once a year, and the first group after every import or migration.
Before you start
What this routine relies on you for
Spotting duplicates is manual
This page does not describe automatic duplicate detection. Sorting by name and reading is the method.
Copies outside StoryProof
A quote pasted into a deck or a page builder stays there until someone removes it by hand.
A retired copy is not erased from history
Imported duplicates already counted toward that month’s allowance.
Some repeats are legitimate
A customer who gives a second testimonial after a new result is not a duplicate. Do not retire proof of a long relationship.
FAQ
Questions people ask
Short answers to what usually comes up next.
Is it misleading to show the same customer twice?
Showing two genuinely different testimonials from one customer on different pages is fine. Showing near-identical words twice on one page makes the volume look inflated, so avoid it.
Should we delete duplicates or keep them?
Keep them out of every widget and tag them. A retired copy can still be useful if the kept one is ever withdrawn.
Do duplicates hurt search rankings?
The same short quote on two of your own pages is a minor matter for search. The bigger cost is a visitor noticing the repeat.
What about two people from the same company?
Keep both if they speak to different things, such as a manager on results and a user on daily work. If they say the same, show one.
Still have a question? Ask the StoryProof team or book a demo.
One customer, one strong testimonial
Check at approval, tag what you retire, and keep every widget free of repeats.
Last updated 2026-11-06.