I just updated to a new theme and noticed that I’m getting critical issues with my products due to a duplicated Brand field. How can I correct this?
Topic summary
Issue: Google Merchant Center flagging products with a critical “duplicate Brand” error after theme updates or when using certain apps.
Root Cause: Multiple sources generating JSON-LD structured data with duplicate "@type": "Brand" fields—typically from both the Shopify theme and third-party SEO/review apps running simultaneously.
Apps Identified as Culprits:
- SEO Manager ($20/month)
- SeoAnt
- Strong SEO (now offers duplicate prevention feature)
- Judge.me (review app)
- Schema Plus
Solutions Found:
Quick Fix: Uninstalling the conflicting SEO or review app immediately resolved the error for most users.
Judge.me Specific: Disable “Add JSON-LD snippets” under Marketing and Social > Google and SEO > SEO Rich Snippets, then revalidate in Google Search Console.
Alternative: Keep one JSON-LD source (preferably the SEO app if it includes priceValidUntil and other rich snippet fields) and remove duplicate code from the theme.
Edge Case: One user found a “featured product” widget on product pages caused duplication.
Status: Multiple confirmed solutions; Strong SEO now provides built-in duplicate prevention. Users should audit which apps/theme elements generate structured data and ensure only one source outputs Brand fields.
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Nevermind, I figured it out. The SEO app was adding the extra brand and once removed the problem was gone.
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Hi Lychee88
I seem to be having the same issue, did you delete the seo app and get a new one or did you ask them to remove the extra brand?
I had to delete the SEO app that I’ve used for over three years and it went away. 
I see, thanks for that! I believe I may have to do the same..
I only suspected it after seeing another poster with the same problem and a Shopify Expert chimed in that it was the SEO app. I tried it and it was the reason all these years I was having an issue.
What is the name of the seo optimization app that caused this problem?? I think I have the same problem
I was using SeoAnt, since removing the app I found it fixed my problems.
Mine was SEO Manager and I’m glad I got rid of it. $20.00 a month for 3 years to basically cause SEO issues.
I’m having the same issue, I’ve uninstalled my seo app but it’s not fixed it, Any ideas?
I faced the same issue. But when I uninstalled the “Strong SEO” app. The “duplicate brand” issue has started to be resolved. It has validated 7 out of 14 items so far. The remaining ones are being processed.
Hi @ahsan_dgins ,
It’s Lee from Strong SEO here. Sorry about the issue you had with this error. You’re right that our app previously may have caused this issue.
Good news! There’s no longer a need to uninstall Strong SEO. We have added a feature to prevent duplicate fields and the details are on our website here: https://strongseo.app/duplicate-field-brand/
All the best with your store
Lee G
Strong SEO
For me, it was Judge.me, the review/rating app. As soon as I uninstalled it, the error was gone in Google Search Console.
Good Info.
Cheers.
I have had this app for a long time too and often wonder if it is causing some of the recent issues we have been having with international feeds and currencies showing on google and pinterest rather than USD. Now we have the duplicate brand critical alert in google… I was searching around and came across this thread. What issues did you find SEO Manager caused? Did you switch to a new seo app? Any issues doing so? Thanks!
Hi,
I’m glad to be part of this discussion on the topic. Currently, Google Search Console detects if a website has the “Duplicate field brand” error.
The reason for the “Duplicate field brand” error is that your website has two sets of JSON LD codes, and both sets include the code “@type”: “Brand,” causing duplication.
The reason your website has two sets of JSON LD codes is typically as follows: one set of JSON LD code comes from the theme you’re using, and the other set comes from an SEO app you’re using.
The codes from the theme and the SEO app themselves don’t cause the “Duplicate field brand” problem. It’s just that when both the theme and the SEO app are used simultaneously, the issue arises. However, this is inevitable because Shopify websites are built on themes, so you must use a theme. Using an SEO app can make your website more visible and rank higher in search engines.
For example, having Rich results like reviews, star ratings, prices, inventory, etc., requires relevant JSON LD codes.
Many themes only have product JSON LD codes, whereas SEO apps have more types of JSON LD functionalities, such as the Google JSON LD that SEOAnt provides.
My suggestion is to only use the JSON LD of the SEO app and hide the JSON LD generated by the theme. Because most SEO apps also have many functions that are beneficial to the SEO of your website. For example, automatically repair 404 on your website.
Of course, if you want to disable the JSON LD generated by SEO, you just need to turn off the product JSON LD; there’s no need to uninstall the SEO app.
SEOAnt can help resolve the “Duplicate field brand” issue. Here’s a reference of how we’ve helped merchants resolve the “Duplicate field brand” error.
If you’d like the SEOAnt team to assist you in solving the “Duplicate field brand” problem, for a better experience, I’ve had our team generate a discount link for you. By clicking on this specific discount link we’ve generated, you can install our SEOAnt-AI SEO, and upon installation, a 30% off banner will pop up, granting you a discount.
Thank you! We installed new theme a few weeks ago. Our previous theme was very old, like 10 years old. We have schema plus app and also seo manager app installed from previous theme. Not sure if both are needed with new theme or if there is anything I can change or improve now that we have updated the theme itself.
Can you tell me your website address? Let me check the webpage for you.
sassyshortcake.com<>
We installed a new theme last month and have some issues since. The duplicate brand issue has gone away but now SchemaPlus says their app is being blocked and seo manager is okay. Not sure if I need both or what and no one gives us a straight answer.
Thanks so much!