The decision of whether to operate two related businesses on a single website or separate domains presents both opportunities and challenges for search engine optimization (SEO). The source materials indicate that a unified approach can be beneficial when businesses are closely related and serve the same target audience, potentially improving keyword rankings and streamlining management. However, combining unrelated businesses can lead to confusion for both users and search engines, negatively impacting SEO and user experience. Careful planning and execution are crucial to maximizing SEO benefits when managing multiple businesses under one digital presence.
When Combining Businesses May Be Advantageous
The provided resources suggest several scenarios where consolidating two businesses onto one website can be strategically sound. These include instances where the businesses are closely related, serving the same target audience, or when the goal is to save time and resources. When businesses offer complementary services – such as graphic design and web development – a single website can provide a unified customer experience and facilitate cross-selling opportunities. Similarly, if both businesses appeal to the same customer base, such as a fitness coaching service and health supplement sales, a combined online presence can simplify the user journey and increase conversions.
From an operational standpoint, maintaining a single website reduces costs associated with hosting, updates, and SEO/content strategy management. This can be particularly advantageous for solopreneurs or businesses just starting out. Furthermore, when the businesses are related, combining them can improve rankings for a wider range of keywords, leveraging domain authority across multiple services or product lines. The data suggests that a combined site can achieve a “1+1=3” scenario, where the combined quality surpasses the sum of its parts.
Potential SEO Complications of a Combined Website
Despite the potential benefits, the source materials caution against combining businesses that are unrelated or target distinct audiences. Mixing unrelated topics can confuse search engines, making it harder for them to understand the website’s focus and potentially harming rankings. User experience also suffers when visitors encounter irrelevant offers or content. For example, a visitor seeking career coaching may be dissuaded by advertisements for dog grooming services.
Maintaining a clear brand identity is also critical. If each business has a unique voice and aesthetic, merging them can create a muddled brand image, undermining credibility. The resources emphasize that search engines favor websites that are clear and consistent, and mixing unrelated topics can complicate SEO efforts.
Technical SEO Strategies for Multi-Business Websites
If a business chooses to operate multiple businesses on a single website, specific technical SEO strategies are recommended to mitigate potential issues and maximize search engine visibility. These include:
- Structured Data (Schema): Implementing schema markup helps search engines understand the different sections of the website and the services or products offered by each business.
- Keyword Clarity: Maintaining distinct keyword strategies for each business is essential. Mixing keywords can dilute the website’s focus and hinder rankings.
- Internal Linking: Strategically linking related content across different sections of the website can improve user engagement and help search engines crawl the site more effectively.
- Separate Blog Categories: Organizing content into separate blog categories for each business helps Google categorize the content accurately.
- Navigation Structure: Clear and intuitive navigation is crucial. Utilizing the menu bar to separate businesses – for example, “Services” leading to “Coaching” and “Courses” – allows users to quickly find what they are looking for.
- Subdirectories or Subdomains: Structuring content using subdirectories (e.g., yoursite.com/design) or subdomains (e.g., design.yoursite.com) can further enhance user navigation and SEO clarity.
Website Merging Strategy and Audits
When consolidating existing websites, a comprehensive SEO audit is paramount. The source materials highlight the importance of a thorough backlink audit between both sites, including the creation of a disavow link list for potentially harmful links. Updating internal linking strategies is also a critical component of the audit process. The goal is to leverage the authority of a stronger site to benefit a weaker one, potentially achieving improved rankings and a more authoritative online presence. The data suggests that combining sites can be worthwhile if it leads to higher rankings and a reduction in indexed pages.
Considerations for Google Business Profile
The resources recommend creating separate Google Business Profiles for each business, if possible, and linking them to the appropriate pages on the website. This helps to reinforce the distinct identity of each business and improve local search visibility.
Conclusion
The decision to combine or separate websites for multiple businesses hinges on the relationship between those businesses and their respective target audiences. When businesses are closely related and share a customer base, a single, strategically structured website can offer SEO benefits and operational efficiencies. However, unrelated businesses should generally be maintained on separate websites to avoid confusing users and search engines. Implementing technical SEO best practices, such as structured data, keyword clarity, and strategic internal linking, is crucial for maximizing SEO performance when operating multiple businesses under one digital roof. Clarity, both for users and search engines, is consistently emphasized as the key to success.
Sources
- https://dgazelledigital.com/one-website-for-two-businesses-smart-strategy-or-seomistake/
- https://seo.co/merge-websites-for-seo/