Would the same template landing page (placed on 50+ targeted domains) help or hurt my ranking?

[brianmeert]

Scenario: Company ABC has 50 related domains that are being forwarding to the main company URL.

Q1: Would there be SEO value by creating a template landing page for each domain that includes product info, photos and keyword links to the main URL?

Q2: If all 50+ landing pages were the same, would that penalize the main site due to duplicate content?

[RyanKent]

The process you are describing is doorway pages. Google penalizes doorway pages and you will certainly be discovered.

Doorway pages can easily be discovered simply by the fact you all link to the same site. Using the same template, common IP address, common registration information, etc are all other possibilities as well.

Your issues are not duplicate content nor varying the template, it is a clearly black hat technique which will lead to a penalty on your site.

[SimonCullum]

Hi Brian

As tempting as it may be, this would run a high risk of being classed as Domain Spamming, by creating Doorway Pages that link through to the real website for the purposes of trying to manipulate natural search rankings.

At best there would be some short-term SEO benefits, it's not considered to be ethical SEO though and chances are it would end up back-firing in the medium term, doesn't take that long these days for the main search engines to notice this kind of practice and to apply penalities.

Best bet is to spend the time creating valuable unique content and to distribute it well & obtain high quality natural links that way.

Hope that helps,

Regards

Simon

[SimonCullum]

Exactly, a good answer from Ryan there. Best to avoid doing this type of SEO in any shape or form.

[brianmeert]

Thanks so much for your responses. I was just wondering if there are any acceptable methods for using these URL's to create value. But from the Google article, it looks like they are frowned upon. Good to know.

[EGOL]

I would them expire and spend the money savings on beer.

And, spend the time savings improving my main website.