Google’s John Mueller answered whether or not having two websites might negatively have an effect on search rankings. His reply is surprisingly relevant to other ways of deciphering the query.

Can Having Two Websites Have an effect on Rankings?

An individual submitted a query to Google the place they needed to know if having two websites might negatively have an effect on their rankings. The query as reproduced in Google is concise and likewise a bit of imprecise which results in the end result that the query might be answered in approach that’s totally different from the way in which that Mueller answered it.

That is the query:

“My rankings have dropped because of Google discovering out I’ve two web sites. Is that this appropriate?”

Google’s John Mueller answered:

“No. That’s not going. Many individuals have a number of web sites. Separate web sites usually are not an issue.

The problem is commonly extra oblique: in the event you work on a number of web sites, you’re not going to have a number of time to make really superior web sites in all places. And, in the event you’re making web sites that aren’t superior, then that may be one thing which our algorithms choose up on in terms of recommending your web site to others.”

A Totally different Approach To Reply The Query

John Mueller answered the query beneath the idea that the 2 websites within the query are on totally different matters. He prefaced his reply by saying that many “individuals have a number of web sites” which is true.

However many individuals don’t have a number of web sites on the identical matter. The individual asking the query was imprecise about whether or not the websites have been about totally different matters, too.

It’s very doable that the websites are on the identical matter, through which case it is sensible why they could be involved that Google discovered in regards to the two websites as a result of it might be seen as attempting to sport Google. In any case, who worries about having a number of websites on totally different matters?

If the websites have been on the identical matter then the reply to the query is considerably totally different.

One of many necessary concerns when one individual controls a number of websites on the identical matter is that they’re doing it for rating functions which isn’t a very good place to begin for any website.

I’m not saying there’s one thing corrupt in regards to the observe however I’m saying that it’s probably not the perfect place to begin for creating indicators of high quality. It’s not a matter of somebody considering that they’re going to create a number of high high quality websites for customers, proper?

One more reason why individuals create a number of websites for rating (and never high quality) is as a result of individuals really feel in the event that they break up up a subject into subsidiary subtopics they will create stronger websites about these associated subtopics versus one web site with a number of associated subtopics.

However what virtually inevitably occurs is that they wind up working a number of associated websites that might be stronger collectively as one authoritative website.

I requested Invoice Hartzer of Hartzer Consulting (Fb profile) if he thought a number of websites on the identical matter might have an effect on rankings.

Invoice agreed with me and shared:

“Lots of people, after constructing a website that ranks properly, will assume that they will merely create one other website on the identical matter and “make double the cash” or get “double the site visitors” and it’s merely not true.

Corporations may even have one principal website, however they’ll create a separate website on a separate area identify for every of their services or products. Over the previous 10 years or so, that hasn’t been a very good technique. Whereas it’s good to register the domains of your services or products, it’s higher to mix all these web sites into one principal, extra authoritative website.

Sometimes in the event that they’re on the identical matter, one website, the unique web site, will proceed to rank properly. However the second website doesn’t rank as properly. Generally, it’s all the time higher to mix the web sites into one website.”

A number of Websites And Rankings

John Mueller is correct that publishing a number of websites (on totally different matters) might compromise an individual’s skill to deal with one web site to make it excellent, remarking that there’s an oblique detrimental impact on rankings. He’s additionally appropriate in saying that it’s unlikely to have a direct detrimental impact on rankings.

Altering the query as to if there’s an impact on rating if the a number of websites are on the identical matter, then the reply turns into extra nuanced however observe the same trajectory as Mueller’s authentic reply that it detracts from with the ability to create one excellent web site and might result in an individual creating a number of middling websites.

However that’s not essentially a foregone conclusion when an individual is creating  a number of websites on totally different matters. It’s completely doable to create a number of websites on totally different matters and to achieve success at it. It is likely to be laborious for one individual alone to tug it off however it’s not troublesome to do when a number of persons are engaged on the web sites creating content material and specializing in promotion.

Watch/hearken to the Google search engine marketing Workplace hours on the 33 second mark:

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