Two different Keywords, one and the same Topic

[Bulldozer]

What would you do if you had two profitable keywords, relating to the same subject?

Let's say that your two keywords are: "guide on growing tomatoes" and "tutorial on how to grow tomatoes".

Let's say that both are very profitable and have low competition, high CTRs and so on.
Apprently, if you are about to build sites for these two words, the content on both sites would be 100% identical.

So what do you do?
You just spin your content and that's it?

How about WordPress themes?
Does anybody here know if it is OK SEO-wise to use one and the same WordPress theme, with the same HTML/PHP code, same navigation structure and all, for two web sites that discuss the same topic and have pretty much identical content, just slightly spun around different but related keywords?
Would Google detect this and realize that you are building an empire of Micro Niche sites and then throw your ass down to the trash bin?

[nicoledeal]

Why not build a site and use both keywords? If you build two sites to need to have different content, although it does not have to significantly different, they both need to stand on their own and then you will have twice the work marketing them both, which may wear you down. As to your question about the two identical WP themes, I have very little experience here, but I understand the sites should not be mirrors of each other, but as I said, that is outside of my ballpark of knowledge.

[trishseo]

Originally Posted by Bulldozer

What would you do if you had two profitable keywords, relating to the same subject?

Let's say that your two keywords are: "guide on growing tomatoes" and "tutorial on how to grow tomatoes".

Let's say that both are very profitable and have low competition, high CTRs and so on.
Apprently, if you are about to build sites for these two words, the content on both sites would be 100% identical.

So what do you do?
You just spin your content and that's it?

How about WordPress themes?
Does anybody here know if it is OK SEO-wise to use one and the same WordPress theme, with the same HTML/PHP code, same navigation structure and all, for two web sites that discuss the same topic and have pretty much identical content, just slightly spun around different but related keywords?
Would Google detect this and realize that you are building an empire of Micro Niche sites and then throw your ass down to the trash bin?

If keywords are related enough, you can often use one page to cover both. I would suggest to you that the example given is such a case. I would optimize the same page for both keywords.

[Bulldozer]

Yeah, but when you optimize the same page or site for both keywords you are missing to capitalize on something very important.

The domain name.

With your approach, the domain name will contain only one of the two words.
Not good, since domains play a huge role in rankings.

Why miss the chance to have a separate site with a separate domain name that perfectly targets the second keyword?
This is why you will have to start two sites.
Problem is what do you do with the identical content. Just spin it or else?

[That Guy]

Originally Posted by Bulldozer

So what do you do?
You just spin your content and that's it?

I think that spinning it would be a waste of time. I mean you're just trying to get one more article out of it. Also you run the risk of duplicate content.

Originally Posted by trishseo

If keywords are related enough, you can often use one page to cover both. I would suggest to you that the example given is such a case. I would optimize the same page for both keywords.

Agreed. Even though I'm still a bit of a newbie at internet marketing, this seems like a logical thing to do. But if you want to do two separate pages to get the URL domain.com/keyword-1, domain.com/keyword-2, that's the method I use.

[warrich]

Build one site and then try to optimize for both of them. This is much better than having two sites that target the two keywords separately. Also if you put the same content on
both the sites you are more than likely to get punished by Google. That can definitely be Not Good.

[nicoledeal]

Originally Posted by Bulldozer

Yeah, but when you optimize the same page or site for both keywords you are missing to capitalize on something very important.

The domain name.

With your approach, the domain name will contain only one of the two words.
Not good, since domains play a huge role in rankings.

Bulldozer, I think you are overly worried as to the importance of the domain name containing your keywords, when it comes to search ranking. If you want to test this theory type the following into Google and look at the domain names on page one...try "New York Restaurants"...on page one how many contain those keywords in their domain name?

That said, you could always add a second page and include the second keyword in the title, that may give you some peace of mind.