multiple web sites/content or multiple web domains?
I have an e-commerce website. Well designed and ranks well in the search
engines...usually top 5. I change the content, seo and add links frequently. I've written and posted articles and have a blog..all the things that one is suppose to do to compete.
But, I have a competitor that's beating me up with multiple websites. Each
site sells the same products (as I do) but under different company names,
domain names and website designs. What is especially aggravating is that this company has stolen many of their ideas, text, and graphics from my website. One of their sites actually looks suspisciously like mine in color theme, layout, some text and slogans.
The multiple sites bring them multiple listings on the search engines.
I understand that there's not much I can do about them copying my site. That's part of doing biz. My question is how to compete with the multiple sites.
If I purchase a couple more domain names and use the same content as
my current, lone site, with the same company name etc. will that garner
me more listings with the search engines? Or would the content, company
name, layout etc. have to be different for each domain name in order for
this manuever to pay off with more search engine attention 
?
teammatt3 posted this at 23:09 — 1st February 2006.
He has: 2,101 posts
Joined: Sep 2003
Creating another site with the same content is not what you want. If you do that you are going to get tagged with duplicate content by search engines. That may actually hurt your current rankings.
You will have to have different content on each site, which still probably won't help your rankings, anyway. The best thing to do is focus on link building with press releases, articles, directories, blogs etc, on the one website. It's easier to rank one site well than 5.
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Dux0r posted this at 00:54 — 2nd February 2006.
She has: 31 posts
Joined: Jan 2006
I disagree, having multiple websites on the same subject is OK so long as their not identical. Many websites our their are virtually identical by coincidence, and many more on purpose, I don't think it'd be a smart move for Search Engines to penalize for this. I may be wrong since I haven't done any research into this area.
However, the solution to your problem to me seems easier than that. Simply copyright your content, your designs and your layouts. Supply the copyright information and find out about Intellectual Property Rights. If the problem persists, E-mail your competitor and threaten legal action. Remember to document exactly what you do and have proof in case you ever need to take it further.
walts#1fan posted this at 04:38 — 2nd February 2006.
They have: 4 posts
Joined: Feb 2006
Thanks teammatt3 and DuxOr for your thoughts. Good point about focusing on one site and doing it well vs several. This competitor has just started up in the past
year and their multiple sites have just started appearing in the last few months.
I know they had a very slow start-up, perhaps the multiple sites manuever is in response to that. They obviously have a marketing firm/web design co. handling the
internet chores. I would say there is a good chance they won't be able to keep up
with this pace forever. They, like me, are not a large company. Small, mom & pop with a tight budget. So, maybe the pressure will ease for me sometime this year. And, maybe not.
Don't get me wrong...I'm not against competition. I just want to protect my market
share.
The Webmistress posted this at 13:34 — 2nd February 2006.
She has: 5,586 posts
Joined: Feb 2001
There is nothing wrong with having multiple sites, but as already said they MUST NOT be identical with just the domain being different. The problem you have to watch for is cross linking them and it is possible that Google can/does check for different domains being owned by the same person/company.
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john238 posted this at 06:34 — 15th February 2006.
They have: 29 posts
Joined: Feb 2006
Even if you do change your images, logo and a few other things on one site to make it different from the other, you have to make sure that about 50 or more percentage is different from the other. In other words, it is now point in changing a word here and there in your sites content.
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robfenn posted this at 12:43 — 3rd February 2006.
He has: 471 posts
Joined: Jun 2005
What i'd like to know is how SEs decide which site is the duplicate. Do they do it based on whoever first came up with the content. Wouldn't this just be a race to see what site gets indexed first?
Do they penalise both sites?
If so, how could they possibly penalise a site which doesn't realise someone is ripping them off?
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walts#1fan posted this at 15:46 — 3rd February 2006.
They have: 4 posts
Joined: Feb 2006
robfenn wrote: "If so, how could they possibly penalise a site which doesn't realise someone is ripping them off?"
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I agree that the SEs don't realize they're being ripped off. This same competitor in
a very shrewd move, talks about a product on their site, that they don't even offer. On their site they have a lengthy explanation about what the product is and how it
looks. The last line of the description states that they currently don't offer the product.
I do offer this product. I'm gathering this is specifically designed to fool the SEs and
give the site hits for this product search...and compete with my site in the search engines. I laughed when I read it. But, I think you can understand how that bugs me too. I'm trying to do things right by the SEs and by my customers. But this company
is getting attention on the search engines in a deceitful manner...and I guess there's nothing that can be done about it.
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