More than one site on page one of google

[MASSEY]

I have lots of mini sites that feed a main one. Eventually i could fill #1 #2 #3 for a lot of local search's.

Is that bad? Could i get in penalised....

 

[sksservices]

If your main site and mini sites are all hosted on the same server, then you could be identified as owning them all and intentionally linking between them for seo benefits. That could lead to problems as google clamp down on artificial back links.

 

[MASSEY]

If your main site and mini sites are all hosted on the same server, then you could be identified as owning them all and intentionally linking between them for seo benefits. That could lead to problems as google clamp down on artificial back links.

They are on different servers .

I just recall reading somewhere that your not supposed to do it but can't remember why.

 

[Experienced IT guy]

I just recall reading somewhere that your not supposed to do it but can't remember why.

Google spend a lot of time money and effort to try to defeat artificial ways of jacking up page rankings. What they are interest in is:

a) Search terms providing a list of relevant "finds" for the vast majority of searches. A "find" is defined as something the person who entered the search terms deems as relevant and useful.

b) Making money out of this process.

Obviously if you can distort the search, then you are working against Googles interests. (unless your range of sites is actually providing an improved experience for each person searching)

Google can try to prevent this by

a) telling you its wrong
b) devising complex algorythems to uncover such practices
c) putting your site on a banned list if they feel its appropriate. In this respect they are both judge and executioner.

At the end of the day, they are your sites and its your neglageble amount of money against the most agressive recruiter and employer in the world today.

 

[freelancesam]

no, i think it's the opposite, i read an article on the google webmaster blog about duplicate content and they basically said it's ok to have more than one site to reach a wider audience as long as the content is different

 

[terryuk]

I'm in a few markets with more than one site on Google.. having two sites on PPC targeting the same phrases *i think* may cause you some trouble if not covering your tracks.

I'm starting to see no real benefit of it though because at the end of the day you still need top rankings.. two mediocre sites for one keyword isn't always good unless your targeting top end phrases or something which can be spread out. If you can get X sites page 1 and one cannot, I don't see what is be the problem

 

[fisicx]

I've one keyphrase that can have up to four results on the page one (depending on how Google is displaying things that day). All the sites are on the same server and all interlink. Doesn't seems to be causing too many problems. The big difference is that they aren't minisites, they all have unique content, they add value, don't have spammy keyword repetition and there are no dodgy/low value inbound links. In other words they all meet to Google guidlines.

 

[beakus]

You just have to be careful of the minisites being classified as doorway pages.

Basically, if any one of the minisites could function properly and drive business without the main site it is ok. However, if they are just thin sites that you have to click through to the main site from then they are doorway pages which is against google guidelines

 

[Experienced IT guy]

A good example of this being ok is the "ceroc" jive dancing franchise. Each area has its own site (usually based on a common template) e.g. cerocoxford.co.uk, cerocnewbury.co.uk, ceroclondon.co.uk. Each site's content is substantially different: different events at different locations. The sites in general cross link to each other and the main ceroc site. They score posn 1 page 1 on most searches for jive and ceroc. However, they have been around for a while. Still it does not hurt them to have this structure.

 

[dubOnline]

There are two ways of looking at this

The Wrong Way
NO - If its cheap quick mini sites with zero value add that are just onsite optimised and linking back to your site you are filling the web with low quality drivel that is obviously there to trick google and try and boost your sites rankings. Automated blogging sites, scraper sites and link farms may work for the short term but I sure as hell wouldn't want to base my income on them.

The Right Way
Yes - If your still trying to get one ranked page on the top of the serps then you are putting all your eggs in to one basket and making it far easier for competitors to get a look in + leaving a whole load of traffic on the table. I dominate multiple pages in google for some phrases that I optimise for and this has been achieved due to me taking time out to generate 100% pure and unique GOOD quality, helpful and informative content.

I did not set up multiple mini sites to achieve this, I simply took advantage of what's out there. For example various web2 sites and social media profiles rank really really well. If you simply use them properly and actually use on site SEO methods legitimately they will appear all over the place.

Its not unethical nor spammy its just by actually being prepared to join communities and create relevant content for them you can get rewarded.

Some people are very 'anti' focussing on this kind of strategy as most of these sites don't actually pass page rank through so they dismiss and focus on trying to trick google. Personally I prefer going with the grain of google and not against it - they will win eventually and I am glad they do.

if you do the above, prepare good quality content and spread it around in the right places your building assets for your company that will be there for a long long time. Its focussing on white hat seo and actually doing it and not being complacent.

At this point I want to stress that the best benefit I have found by using this strategy for myself and my premium clients is that as google changes their algorithm regularly all I need to do is check a few niche sites and see how my results have moved around. This information to me is gold dust. I can clearly see what's working and what's not and can then use it to update and add to my 'network' of other sites.

How I explain this to people is that 'you don't want a website - you want a suite of sites and profiles, a 'web suite'.

The main thing to realise here is that its almost impossible to effictivly outsource this concept to a marketing firm. the actual business owner needs to do it to make it cost effective and give a good ROI. You just need to be shown how.

 

[GNU]

I have lots of mini sites that feed a main one. Eventually i could fill #1 #2 #3 for a lot of local search's.

Is that bad? Could i get in penalised....

I would not link them all together.
Rank them individually or use them for 3 / 4 way trades.

 

[davek17]

You need to remember 1 thing. Google wants the best experience for its searchers and if there are multiple sites that are clearly trying to just dominate a whole page then in my experience this is risky and gray hat at best. Just because you have found a neat trick or loophole does not mean it will be a risky strategy.

In my opinion, you're better off, overtly hosting these sites as your own and not tyring to hide them and then using genuine techniques to build them up and link them together which will pay off in the long term.

Dub mentioned it here too, why are you not taking advantage of the sites that are already out there like blogs, articles etc that will give you good hnest SEO and the users of google good content?

 

[dubOnline]

You need to remember 1 thing. Google wants the best experience for its searchers

Its not only quicker, easier and cheaper to do it as to how I suggested earlier but also will send quality traffic.

So the sneaky way = un ethical, slower and more risky.

The right way = ethical, faster, cheaper and actually sends quality primed real people that you have engaged with.

A no brainer in my eyes!

 

[UKSBD]

Word of warning if doing it with sites that display prices.
Don't forget to update prices on all sites.

I had to sell something at £30 cheaper the other day because they saw it on a site that I hadn't updated :redface: