Visit Part 2 of this blog for points on choosing multiple websites.
Why Choose a Single Website?
If you have a single location and/or the same products/services to promote locally, a single website is likely to be best for you. It’s not just duplicate content, although that’s a major concern. Every situation is different, so here’s a checklist with explanations to help you choose what’s right for you.
- A single website makes it easier to gain authority and highlight expertise for your products/services. Less time and money is required to optimize SEO. For example:
- Blogs are ideal to promote specials, comment on trends and provide tips. But, you can’t post the same blog on multiple websites. Thus, your primary website has most if not all of your blogs. You may link to it from secondary websites, but they are getting the SEO advantage.
- Google local business listing is set up to optimize a single website. You can’t verify a different listing at the same address for a different website URL. One location equals one verified listing that appears in Google maps.
- Facebook now maps your address. While you can add a different URL in the description, your promoting a single website URL for an individual location.
- It’s easier to cross-sell your products/services. Whether you are creating a special, posting a blog or before & after photos, a single website keeps visitors on your website. The longer visits on different pages make it easier to cross-sell products because it’s one-stop shopping or researching. Sending visitors to a different website increases the chance of them going elsewhere.
- It’s easier to obtain third-party links that give you an SEO boost. Almost all business listings (associations, organizations, exhibits, etc.) link to a single website. There don’t list multiple websites, so again, your primary website is credited with a third-party link.
- Ok, so you do have the time and money to create multiple websites. If the websites promote the same products/services, keywords are the same or similar. In SEO, you are competing with yourself and your competitors. Chances are that you are diluting your search results.
- When a website doesn’t have a lot of traffic and asks for personal information, anti-virus websites such as Norton may flag it as spam. Verifying on Google where it appears in Google maps, etc. establishes credibility so that potential visitors aren’t warned that the website may be spam.
- Although we spend a lot of time on logo development, patients are more likely to remember the website look. Switch up the home page, and most previous visitors will wonder if they are on the right website. Consistent branding and navigation helps improve patient recognition.
- Multiple websites promoting the same products/services (no duplicate content) may be okay with Google. Are you ranking 1-2-3 in Google search position? If Google’s algorithm detects that, all your websites are downgraded. Does it frustrate users if three similar websites appear? You may be willing to take the risk, but we don’t recommend it.