Single Keyword Target (new or current domain)

[nashville]

I am ranked really well for all my keywords except 1 and I am #7 for that word.

Would it be easier to get to #1 with a domain that is only 6 months old that I own that is FOCUSED on the keyword OR would it be easier to get to #1 with my current domain where I am #7 for that keyword.

In addition to getting to #1 of course one advantage is that I could create a single site focused on the subject matter that would also increase conversions? With my current site I have two purchase goals and it might be better to have one clear goal?

[cw1865]

I think you're better off trying to focus the new domain. After a while websites seem to plateau. At least for me; no matter what I do they just seem to hit a ceiling that they cannot get beyond.

If you make a change to your existing site it could theoretically jeopardize what the site is already ranking for.

[incrediblehelp]

Just focus getting to number one with your current website. It will be a lot easier. Focusing on attracting links with that one keyword to the page you want to move from #7 to #1.

[scotthai]

I would agree with incrediblehelp. Don't try and buy up the new domain and get it to #1, cause you'll waste that much more time trying to get the other domain to gain authority in Google. Just focus on getting the word into targeted links back to your site.

Cheers,
Scott Haines
Newfront Creative
San Francisco Website Design

[advancedmerchant]

First, if all your other keywords are #1, Congrats!

Second, getting to #7 is tough enough, don't throw that away! Add content relevant to that keyword, and look at what the other keywords have that this one lacks- IBL's, density (lack or too much), etc.

[craigmn3]

Is it worth fouling up the other number one's to improve the number 7?

I would focus on the new domain

[nashville]

I think that is the concen I have. PLUS ... by creating a single FOCUS site I am thinking that the conversion would be better.

The other item I am thinking about is that this site would be much easuer to get IBL's because it would not contain "competitor" advertising like my other site does. The #1 in this keyword phrase is #1 really because of IBL's.

[rob_greenbucks]

Originally Posted by craigmn3

Is it worth fouling up the other number one's to improve the number 7?

I would focus on the new domain

There is normally very little risk of fouling up the other keyword rankings, (have made sites with +250 Top1 rankings on Google). Just think about Wikipedia - one site might rank high for a vast amount of keywords. It's just a question about work and effort.

View the content of the site, do you give more weight to a more specific phrase (two keyword phrase) on pages you believe you actually target the "one keyword" search? Stay focused.

Why not make your new site specific to the one keyword like a mini site with a some real quality content, that you may develop over time. Then add a link to your main site, once the new site is indexed and got a bit of age.

Sorry guys, this was a long post again...

Rob Greenbuck
Organic/Natural SEO

[deepsand]

What relationship does the #7 keyword have with those at #1?

What relationship do those at #1 have with each other that the one at #7 does not?

[Tony_V]

One option might be to set up a blog for the new domain and use it more as info rather then a marketing tool at first. Once it gains popularity, popularity being inbound links from social sites, yahoo, and others. after you have many posts, and other inbounds then link it to your site as an inbound link. might even consider putting the new domain on a different IP for more optimum results. In fact the more link bait the better. So why not 2 blogs 3,4,5 as long as they are all different, informative and not spammy.
Google loves blogs, put social bookmarks on em, rss's will get picked up and away you go.

[arunseo]

Before taking a single keyword to optimize, keep in mind sandbox theory

[Webnauts]

Originally Posted by arunseo

Before taking a single keyword to optimize, keep in mind sandbox theory

Sandbox theory? What is that? A fact or a theory?

[edhan]

As what others have suggested, you should concentrate on your current site to move your #7 to #1. See if you can get quality articles to boost it up. Do some sorts of links related articles to help but don't overdo it. The articles are meant for internal linking from the same site. With proper internal linking, you can ended up with better ranking with additional keywords.

[cbosleeds]

Agreed, building on what you already have is a much better way to go than starting from scratch. I'd also suggest adding a new page focussing on subject matter surrounding this keyword. Firstly, this won't interfere with any of your other SEO, and 2nd, if you do a good job of it, you could end up with 2 pages ranking on the first page of the SERPs for this keyword.

Articles are a great idea, but personally I prefer to have the articles on my own website - they are viable landing pages in their own right, perform well, and hopefully attract a few links to me. I do give up content to article sites now and again, but for me the benefit of the content to my own site outweighs the couple of links I might get from submitting to an article site.

[sofomor]

Concentrate on link building for that "one" keyword. Optimized landing page is a better option than creating a site from scratch.

You didn't mention the site and the keyword. Is that signature website is your targeted one?

Use this tool to check out sites which use "nofollow" on their links. They won't pass anything except visitors and hopes

[zephyrireland]

Its usually easier to move up the rankings for a less competitive keyword so you could try increasing traffic on the site via other variations which are less competitive.

Creating inbound links for that anchor text (keyword at #7) will help.

I usually keep a copy of the changed files - so if I make a change and rankings drop I revert back to good SERP version and try again.

[kapur]

You should focus on existing site to get number 1 ranking and then you can also work on your new domain so that you can get maximum benefit of out it.

[janeth]

Originally Posted by nashville

In addition to getting to #1 of course one advantage is that I could create a single site focused on the subject matter that would also increase conversions

It's all about conversion. By creating the one site you will also find more keywords to rank for getting more traffic and the conversion will be better.

Sounds like a win, win to me.

[erik147]

My theory is that Google nowdays gives much more weight to relevance then to inbound links. I am relatively new to SEO but I have been very sucessful lately with setting up a new subdomain for every keyword. Im working with online gambling and have lots of good top 10:s in Google with relatively few inlinks. Why not try to make a subdomain, keyword.olddomain.com, write some pages relevant to the keyword, with high keyword density, and see what happens. The subdomain gets some of the trust from the old domain and will probably not have any problem with the sandbox.

[incrediblehelp]

Originally Posted by erik147

My theory is that Google nowdays gives much more weight to relevance then to inbound links. I am relatively new to SEO but I have been very sucessful lately with setting up a new subdomain for every keyword.

Actually they have been giving less weight is anything lately to inbound links. Sounds like your spamming with that subdomain crap.

[janeth]

Originally Posted by incrediblehelp

Actually they have been giving less weight is anything lately to inbound links.

Can you show were your getting this from?

Originally Posted by incrediblehelp

Sounds like your spamming with that subdomain crap.

And why is that?

If I want to set up a subdomain name for each of my keywords on my site it hardly makes me a spammer.

[Webnauts]

Originally Posted by incrediblehelp

Actually they have been giving less weight is anything lately to inbound links. Sounds like your spamming with that subdomain crap.

I wouldn't say that he is spamming either. What he is doing, he will use subdomains instead of directories, and add one page about each keyword/keyphrase. I just think that the OP cannot make a difference between subdomains and directories.

It is clear that if the pages are setup on a subdomain or directory, and they are not linked from the homepage they will be less weighted.

Before you ask me where I know that from, I run a lot of tests on this since September last year.

[cw1865]

What is the keyword?

[janeth]

Originally Posted by Webnauts

I wouldn't say that he is spamming either. What he is doing, he will use subdomains instead of directories, and add one page about each keyword/keyphrase. I just think that the OP cannot make a difference between subdomains and directories.

It can go further than that.

If I discover that my blue widgets sell better with a blue background and my red widgets sell better with a red background and I also discover that neither sale very well if the site template is not carried out throughout the site then by creating mini sites on sub domain names I increase my conversion and give my customers a better experience.

Originally Posted by Webnauts

It is clear that if the pages are setup on a subdomain or directory, and they are not linked from the homepage they will be less weighted.

Before you ask me where I know that from, I run a lot of tests on this since September last year.

Thats not true.

If I have a page on my site and do no link to it from anywhere on my site but submit it to a couple directories and then Wikipedia finds it and says this is really good and links to it from their home page and do not use a nofollow tag.

That page will then carry more weight then any other page on the site.

[kgun]

Originally Posted by sofomor

Use this tool to check out sites which use "nofollow" on their links. They won't pass anything except visitors and hopes

Thank you. Seems that WPW and my other favorite forums don't use the rel="nofollow" attribute on OBL's.

[kgun]

Originally Posted by erik147

My theory is that Google nowdays gives much more weight to relevance then to inbound links.

Google TBPR Updating

Originally Posted by kgun

"In my opinion, toolbar pagerank is a measuere of stable semantic IBL's, in other words, Google's relatively stable measure of the importance of a page, a reflection or mirror of what I call Google's adaptive inverted link matrix model of the web, real meaningful citations or votes if you prefer a non mathematical language. I personally do not know of a better software (BOT) model in 2008.

It is the outcome of a complex system like temperature is the outcome of a partly known high dimensional system. In a sense, a projection from that system to the thermometer or the temperature metric represented by a single number.

Toolbar pagerank should not be confused with SERP position that so many webmasters do. Neither should it be confused with directory or internal PageRank that may fluctuate from day to day".

I bolded the most important words for you.

Ideally, all irrelevant citations or votes (IBL's) are zeroed out, that is, the link carries no weigt.

[incrediblehelp]

So setting up 2000 subdomains for each keyword is not SPAM??? All I cant say is WOW.

[janeth]

Originally Posted by incrediblehelp

So setting up 2000 subdomains for each keyword is not SPAM??? All I cant say is WOW.

I would say it would depend but where did the 2,000 come from?

And how many subdomain names does Yahoo, eBay and Google have. Just to name a few.

[janeth]

Originally Posted by kgun

Google TBPR Updating



I bolded the most important words for you.

Ideally, all irrelevant citations or votes (IBL's) are zeroed out, that is, the link carries no weigt.

You used your own opinion as a quote in your own opinion.

Both together would still only be an opinion.

[kgun]

Yes, it is an opinion based on mathematical / statistical intuition.

[incrediblehelp]

OK what if it was only 50 does that make it right? I dont care how you twist it Janeth creating subdomains for each of your keywords will more than likely be construed as spam by any Google engineer. In fact please go ahead and show me an example of a website doing this now that doesnt appear as SPAM and actually is benefiting its end visitor base by doing so.

[janeth]

Originally Posted by incrediblehelp

OK what if it was only 50 does that make it right? I dont care how you twist it Janeth creating subdomains for each of your keywords will more than likely be construed as spam by any Google engineer. In fact please go ahead and show me an example of a website doing this now that doesnt appear as SPAM and actually is benefiting its end visitor base by doing so.

Check out eBay.

Wonder when Google will get around to banning those bad, bad spammers?

[incrediblehelp]

I guess your missing the point completely Janeth. If you think Google like those subdomains in the SERPs you sadly mistaken.

[janeth]

Originally Posted by incrediblehelp

I guess your missing the point completely Janeth. If you think Google like those subdomains in the SERPs you sadly mistaken.

A direct track to how Google thinks, must be nice.

Wonder why so many sub domain names rank so well.

[erik147]

Ok, if you dont like the subdomain stratey just dont use it. Im making lots of money whith this strategy in the online gambling market, so im gonna continue whith it. I have never thought of it like spam. If this is spam all SEO is spam.

[sofomor]

by erik147:.........If this is spam all SEO is spam.

relax buddy don't blame poor old SEO for this. Trust me it ain't

[edhan]

Personally I like to build quality content on keyword for targetted product or service. It can be from sub-domains or new domains. That is depending on individual preference. For me, I normally do both but limited to not more than 10 sites or sub-domains.