Google ranking question...

by 13 replies
15
I have a site that is ranking well on Google for my main keyword, plus it ranks high for additional long tail keyphrases. Let's say it is about Ford cars. The site ranks well for the keywords Ford Cars, and pages rank well for the names of models of Ford cars.

I want to start listing Mercedes cars as well and provide similar information. My question is.will I drop out of favour with Google about my Ford cars because they might start to think my site is now more about Mercedes rather of Ford.

My point is, is it just safer to start a seperate site? I'd prefer to provide the information about Ford and Mercedes on the same site because of customer crossover. But I wouldn't risk it if there is any chance of loosing hard won ranking on Google for Ford Cars.

The keyword examples I've given are hypothetical, but my need for reliable information in this scenario is real.

Thanks. Brian.
#search engine optimization #google #question #ranking
  • Hey stinggb,

    I would recommend having them on separate sites with different keywords and then on both sites give recommendations or comparisons and linking the two together that way.

    This allows you to remain the authoritative voice on "Ford Cars" and "Mercedes Cars" but offering additional information to your subscribers.

    This is my opinion only but also seems a better way to do it and not lose what you have worked hard to obtain.

    Hope this helps.

    John
    • [ 1 ] Thanks
  • I agree with John. Do another site and keep them focused on that particular product/niche.
    Better short term & long term. Good Luck
    • [ 1 ] Thanks
  • stingGB,

    I have to disagree with the others. Search engines rank pages and not websites. To follow along with your example, as long as you have each individual page focused on its own make and model of vehicle, they will rank well for what they are optimized for. The only time where you would run into trouble is if you mixed Mercedes and Ford on the same page.

    I did a quick experiment to prove this. Search for “buy headphones” and then “buy cameras” on Google. For me, Best Buy was one of the top results. Headphones and cameras are two completely different things yet both rank well for their respective terms on the same www[dot]bestbuy[dot]com domain.

    Here is also info pertaining to Google’s patent on ranking documents in a range,

    Patent US7747642 - Matching engine for querying relevant documents - Google Patents

    Hope that helps,

    Shawn
  • Building another site is completely unnecessary.

    Use categories.

    eg....

    yoursite.com/mercedes/page1.php
    yoursite.com/mercedes/page2.php
    yoursite.com/mercedes/page3.php

    yoursite.com/ford/page1.php
    yoursite.com/ford/page2.php
    yoursite.com/ford/page3.php
    • [ 1 ] Thanks
  • I think you should prioritize your authority site, which is the ford cars models. The only way to keep the Google rank is by making another site and the link it above the same company or author. Some people try to make it into one website but their page rank is down by one, I know a guy who get this trouble a month ago and he just make a separate website but link it together and use the same company profile.
    • [1] reply
    • Cmon man, are you even serious?

      You do know that people read websites too. Not just Google bots.
  • It will not be any problem if you structure your content properly . I recommend you read bruceclay's article on content siloing

    BruceClay - SEO Silos - how to build a website silo architecture
  • Even you can rank those two keywords on one page, just put the keywords, in title, heading and maintain keyword density.

    Google reads only words on your site..
    • [1] reply
    • I would keep only one site and just create different categories, because over time you will accumulate lots of unique content, backlinks... and you gain authority. Now, whenever you add new content pages, it will be much easier for you to rank them because of your site's authority.

      If you create 2, 3, 4... separate sites for different car models (which all belong to the same theme: cars) you will need to build up the authority of each site (instead of only for one), which is a lot of work.
  • different sites can mean diversity to your income but then you will find it difficult to increase traffic on all sites at once. Also please make website for people and not google.
  • I suggest you to built another website, in this way you will not lost nothing from the site you have
  • So I will come on here and say that I stand corrected by both TheContentAuthority and John Romaine.

    I did not think through my response clearly otherwise I would have said something similar. I have done what they are suggesting. It adds more to your main site for content.

    But if you get busted for the keywords you are trying to rank for on the Mercedes, would it not end up punishing the whole site in regards to the other keywords for Ford as well???

    That would be the only reason I would separate them.

    John
    • [1] reply
    • I would keep them separate because while they are cars, they are two powerful brands. You could keep them together as well but the problem is what if people ( not from your seo team )start linking to homepage and general domain as Ford, and others as Mercedes, this is a mixed up signal. I think there would eventually be some drop off in your current rankings.
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    Google ranking question...

    I have a site that is ranking well on Google for my main keyword, plus it ranks high for additional long tail keyphrases. Let's say it is about Ford cars. The site ranks well for the keywords Ford Cars, and pages rank well for the names of models of Ford cars. I want to start listing Mercedes cars as well and provide similar information. My question is.will I drop out of favour with Google about my Ford cars because they might start to think my site is now more about Mercedes rather of Ford.