There are many factors that affect the SEO of your website and how well it will rank in search engines. Things like meta tags, valuable/relevant content, bounce rate, inbound/outbound links, page views, website usability, and loading speed all have some sort of role in the SEO playing field. However, it is an old, common belief that purchasing multiple website domains and pointing them towards your main website can improve SEO. Is using multiple domains for SEO still true and effective?
Below, I’ll delve into two different ways people use multiple domain addresses: parking a domain with no redirects and pointing to a domain using a permanent 301 redirect.
Parking a Domain with No Redirects
Let’s say you have a website, www.business.com, and you purchase the domain www.company.org and park it on your existing website.
Google considers different website addresses as different web pages, and different web pages should not contain the same content. So, if you park www.company.org on www.business.com, they are still different website addresses, and Google can penalize you for duplicate content, resulting in a lower website ranking.
The advantage to parking a domain is to use a different address for email, maybe it is shorter or easier to spell. This approach is very common but it is highly recommended that the extra domain be pointed with a 301 redirect so that it does not create duplicate content issues.
Pointing to a Domain Using a Permanent 301 Redirect
The only value that buying domains and pointing them to your current website provides is that it can collect any direct visits, meaning someone would have to type the URL exactly into the address bar (which is very, very rare).
Otherwise, it does not provide organic searches unless a separate website – with original content – is built and hosted independently. Then, marketing is done to increase awareness of the domain, basically doubling your marketing efforts.
Why It’s a Bad Idea to Have Duplicate Content Across Multiple Domains
Duplicate content across different domains not only accounts for additional work, but it becomes counter-productive in terms of your business growth objectives. Here are ways that duplicate content can detract from your authority and rankings:
- It impacts search engine rankings for both websites
- You’d be competing for rankings against yourself
- You would have to create twice the amount of backlinks in the same niche, making it harder to rank faster
- You can confuse consumers and your message may come across as less authentic
- Users will find your search engine results side by side, which would signal many red flags
Having Multiple Domains Does Not Work! Save Your Money.
Nowadays, if you try to use more than one domain for a website, it can actually confuse search engines and hurt your rankings. With this in mind, if you’re trying to think of ways to improve your website’s SEO, you can scratch purchasing multiple domains off your list!
Instead, you should invest in creating original and user-friendly content that will attract visitors to your website organically. There are absolutely no shortcuts to achieving search engine rankings. The Google algorithm precisely rewards originality, valuable information, engagement, user experience, and more. All this takes time, but the benefits to your brand and website’s visibility will be tremendous with time and SEO momentum.
Final Thoughts
In the world of SEO, there are no shortcuts to ranking faster and generating organic domain authority. When it comes to rankings, quality always trumps quantity, and spending extra time to create content that is original, valuable, and helpful is the best use of your time and money. Building trust with your audience starts with thought leadership and the ability to stand out from your competitors. By focusing on long-term wins, you can forgo being tempted by short-term marketing pitfalls that will only cause more damage to your website and reputation.
At Idea Marketing Group, we know the power of SEO and how to leverage it for greater lead generation. If you need more advice on how to improve your content strategy and execution, contact us today for a free consultation!