John Mueller from Google addressed whether owning two websites could harm search engine rankings. His response was versatile enough to cover various interpretations of the query.
Can Having Two Sites Affect Rankings?
Someone asked Google whether having two websites could negatively affect their search engine rankings. The question was straightforward yet ambiguous, suggesting it could be understood and answered in various ways. This was the original query as recorded by Google:
“My rankings have dropped due to Google discovering I have two websites. Is this correct?”
Google’s John Mueller responded:
“No, that’s not likely. Many people have multiple websites. Simply having more than one website is fine.
The problem often lies in an indirect consequence: if you manage several websites, you might need more time to make all of them exceptional. If you create low-quality websites, our algorithms could detect that, affecting how we rank and recommend your sites.
A Different Way To Answer The Question
When John Mueller answered whether having two sites could hurt search engine rankings, he assumed the sites in question were on different topics. He mentioned that many people operate multiple websites, which is true—but in most cases, those sites are not about the same subject. The questioner didn’t specify whether their two sites were related or separate, which could impact how the question is understood.
The concern about Google detecting this might make sense if the two sites share the same topic. It could indicate an attempt to manipulate search rankings, as it’s less common for someone to be concerned about having multiple sites on different topics.
If the sites are on the same topic, the answer to whether this affects rankings would be different. Owning multiple sites about the same subject could suggest focusing on ranking tactics rather than creating quality content. This isn’t necessarily unethical, but it’s not the best approach to signal quality to Google. After all, someone aiming to develop top-notch content wouldn’t typically split it across multiple sites covering the same ground, right?
Another reason people create multiple sites on a similar topic is the belief that separating them into subtopics can create more robust, more focused content. However, this approach often leads to more robust, more cohesive sites that could be more authoritative if combined.
Bill Hartzer from Hartzer Consulting shared insights on this issue, agreeing that owning multiple sites on the same topic can affect rankings. He explained:
“Many people, after building a successful website, think they can just create another one on the same topic to ‘double the money’ or ‘double the traffic,’ but it doesn’t work that way.
Companies sometimes create separate websites for each product or service, thinking this strategy will increase visibility. However, in the past decade, this has yet to prove effective. Combining these into one authoritative site is better, even if it’s good to register domain names for various products.
Typically, if you run two sites on the same topic, one—the original—tends to rank well, while the second doesn’t perform as strongly. It’s almost always better to combine such sites into one.”
Therefore, if you manage multiple sites on the same topic, you might consider consolidating them into one authoritative source to improve your chances of ranking well in search engines.
Multiple Sites And Rankings
John Mueller from Google mentioned that managing multiple websites on different topics might indirectly affect rankings due to a diminished ability to focus on making one site exceptional. He noted that while owning several sites isn’t likely to impact rankings, spreading resources across multiple projects negatively could lead to average or mediocre outcomes.
However, if we shift the question to consider the impact of owning multiple sites on the same topic, the answer becomes more complex. The effect might resemble what Mueller described: spreading resources too thin and creating several mediocre sites instead of one outstanding one. This situation can arise when someone splits a topic into separate sites to cover more ground or capture more search traffic.
However, this is only sometimes the case when managing multiple sites on different topics. Maintaining several successful sites is possible if there’s enough support, whether through a team or dedicated resources. Although it might be challenging for one person to excel at this, it becomes feasible when multiple people work together, focusing on content creation and promotion for each site.
In summary, while running multiple sites can pose challenges, particularly with maintaining quality, it’s manageable for SEO. Success largely depends on the focus, strategy, and resources applied to each site, with a greater risk of negative impact when these resources are spread too thin across similarly themed websites.
Consider exploring our monthly SEO packages if you still need clarification and guidance. Let our team of experts help you through the process.
