SEO consultants often suggest creating a second website for their clients , but is this really a good idea? When I worked in an agency, we always considered creating a second website unnecessary.
This week, I came across an article by Sean O'Keefe, a data scientist at Google. He shared how Google thinks about and manages their SEO for their 7,000 internal sites. [1]
I admit I was pleasantly surprised when I read this post. My team and I have been advising our clients for years to strengthen their online presence, and Google has finally confirmed the validity of our strategy.
“ Duplicate content isn’t just confusing for users, it’s also confusing for search engines ,” Google said, adding , “ Building a single, high-quality site instead of multiple microsites is the best way to encourage organic growth over time. ”
Of course, we take Google's official advice with a grain of salt. Google's intentions aren't always selfless, but in this case, Google has no vested interest.
So, if you're thinking about creating a second website for a new business or a microsite for an upcoming event, let me share some advice we've been giving our clients for years that was recently endorsed by Google.
Quick read: summary of what you will learn in this articleIn this post, we weigh the pros and cons of creating a second business website.
Why would you want to switch to multisite? Four reasons why businesses usually want to create a second website.
The two main SEO disadvantages of multisite : starting from scratch and a significant long-term budget.
The 3 SEO benefits of maintaining a single site : company awareness, brand image, and resource optimization.
When should you launch a second website under a different domain name? 3 specific needs to consider.
To understand all the details of this analysis, simply continue reading.
SEO Strategy: Should I Create a Second Site?Typically, SEO consultants or agencies consider creating secondary sites or microsites to:
Promote an upcoming event .
Introduce a new product line .
Improve SEO in multiple areas .
Create links to the company's main website.
The reasoning usually goes something like this: the element is so important or so distinct that it doesn't fit into the brand's current marketing strategy. Experts believe that the brand's customers aren't interested in this new element, or that new consumers don't want to visit the main site.
At first glance, this may seem like a good idea… However, in most cases, a second site drains resources and doesn’t provide the SEO boost you expected. And here’s why!
Reasons NOT to create multisites.Let's explore some misconceptions and see what really happens when marketers decide to create a second website .
1. Creating a new site means starting from scratch
Whether it's rankings or backlinks, it's important to realize that a new site is starting from scratch .
Building trust and establishing yourself as an authority takes a lot of time (see our article on topical relevance ). Building enough SEO value for backlinks to be effective takes even longer.
Google ranks links based on the authority of the site they point to. Using a lot of backlinks on a new website can make Google's algorithm suspicious.
2. A second site requires more resources
Creating a website requires a lot of thought and planning . Before web developers and content creators can get to work, there are several decisions to make, including target audience and user experience.
Furthermore, maintaining a quality website is an ongoing process. Planning and creating content that builds the site's authority, improves its search engine visibility and click-through rate, generates traffic, and converts visitors into customers requires ongoing SEO efforts, competitive research, and A/B testing.
A second website therefore requires twice as much effort and resources . There's no secret, two websites mean an SEO and marketing budget at least twice as large. Not to mention the installation and cost of various essential tools and the technical maintenance price of the CMS ( WordPress , Joomla, Drupal, etc.)!
The advantages of a unique websiteOn the other hand, the benefits of strengthening your online presence are significant. [2]
1. More effective awareness
Backlinks are an important metric. However, Google is increasingly neglecting them due to the fight against spam. To be effective, they must be authentic and come from reliable sources .
Rather than spending part of your SEO budget on your new site, invest in building partnerships, sharing content, and creating genuine, relevant relationships with other websites.
To learn more about this, check out this comprehensive file on netlinking .
2. Capitalizing on a brand image
In addition to being beneficial for your business, branding has an indirect benefit for SEO . A better brand image increases user engagement (visit time, bounce rate, etc.). If you end up with multiple sites, then you will have to work harder.
3. Efficient use of resources
When time and attention are focused on a single site, your content marketing ROI is greater. Allow your team to focus on a single website , a single SEO roadmap, and a single content strategy. This will allow you to achieve a highly successful web presence. Your product lines and events will benefit.
When to create multiple websites?Sometimes, although rare, it is beneficial to have multiple locations. Here are several examples :
VERY different customers — even if cross-media is very effective, sometimes a product line is completely at odds with the values of the original customer .
VERYbolivia phone number datadifferentbolivia phone number dataofferings — if your client sells both electric scooters and blenders, a second site is essential.
The boss has decided. In that case, feel free to share this article with the management team!
As for the SEO advantages of multisites , I see a few:
Rank benin phone number data multiple URLs on the first page of search results (SERP) for target keywords, with multiple domain names: SERP cannibalization technique.
Build high-quality links to the main website through your multisite network. This technique is known as PBN (Private Blog Network). [3]
Do you need multiple websites?Creating and managing multiple sites requires significant resources, money, and a lot of time . Here are my recommendations and explanations. They are the same as Google's!
And you? Do you need multiple sites? Do you generally recommend setting up a second site to your clients?
Sources used to write this article[1] https://www.thinkwithgoogle.com/marketi ... bsite-seo/
[2] https://www.webfx.com/seo/learn/seo-multiple-websites/
[3] https://www.410-gone.fr/seo/netlinking/pbn.html
