Welcome back to our SEO Myth-Busting series! Today, we’re debunking a myth that can seriously mislead business owners: the idea that having more than one website for your business will provide an SEO benefit. Let’s dig into why this isn’t just ineffective, but also against Google’s guidelines, and how it can end up hurting your SEO efforts rather than helping them.
The Origins of the Myth
The concept of using multiple websites to boost SEO might sound logical at first glance. More websites mean more chances to rank, right? However, this strategy is outdated and misinformed. Years ago, some businesses tried to game the system by creating multiple sites to dominate search results. But Google’s algorithms have evolved, and they now penalize such practices.
Google’s Stance on Multiple Websites
Google’s guidelines are very clear about this: creating multiple websites for the same business can be harmful to your SEO efforts. According to Google, having duplicate or very similar content across multiple sites can confuse both users and search engines, leading to a poor user experience and diluted SEO value.
In fact, Google strongly advises against this practice. They recommend focusing your efforts on one strong, comprehensive website rather than spreading your resources thin across multiple weaker ones. This ensures that all your SEO efforts contribute to a single, authoritative site that can perform well in search rankings.
Competing with Yourself
When you have multiple websites for the same business, you’re essentially competing with yourself. Each site vies for the same keywords and audience, which can split your traffic and reduce the overall impact of your SEO strategy. Instead of one strong site, you end up with several weak ones that don’t perform as well in search results.
Real-World Example
Even Google itself has faced issues with managing multiple websites. An internal audit revealed that they had developed several near-duplicate sites for different campaigns, which ended up confusing users and search engines alike. By consolidating these sites into one cohesive website, they saw a significant increase in organic traffic and a higher click-through rate on call-to-action buttons. This clearly illustrates the benefits of focusing on a single, strong website (Think with Google).
Protecting Your Brand
The only valid reason to buy multiple domains is to protect your brand. For instance, buying variations of your primary domain (like .com, .net, .org) can prevent competitors from using them to mislead your customers or damage your brand. However, these should not be developed into separate websites but rather redirected to your main site to consolidate your SEO efforts.
Myth Busted!
The myth that having multiple websites for your business will boost your SEO is just that—a myth. Following Google’s guidelines and focusing on building one strong, authoritative website is the best strategy for sustainable SEO success. By doing so, you’ll ensure that all your efforts contribute to improving the visibility and ranking of your main site, rather than diluting your SEO potential across multiple weaker sites.
Stay tuned for more myth-busting insights in our ongoing series!
