Do i need different IP addresses for mini sites?

[SEOwins]

Hi everyone

We are currently building some non-advertorial based mini sites the link to a main "money site", these mini sites are all run off wordpress or similar and have different designs, however all the WHOIS data remains under one company. So therefore I dont know if really you need different Class C IP's anymore as google et al will just look at the whois records and link the websites up that way?

Is this tactic still worth doing?

Thanks for any input!

[wissamdandan]

This Tactic is expensive and take much time to implement.

because you need to have each mini site, hosted on different class C ip, Different TLDs, Different Whois, different GA / Adsense codes (if implemented).

mainly this tactic is kinda popular in the gambling industry

[Tompt]

I agree with Wissam Dandan, you definitely need different IP addresses and the other things he listed (not 100% sure on the whois data, but it's likely, better to be safe than sorry). It's an expensive and desperate move, but if you have no other source for links it can be a viable option.

I've used it in very tight niches before and it has helped, but it's a lot of work and a reasonable amount of money you might be better off spending elsewhere.

In addition, if for some reason it's picked up, you lose all that benefit and effort.

[SEOwins]

Thanks for the reply! What would you suggest currently looking into more than "link wheel" ideas? Away from twitter et al... contextual link systems seem to be dead, link buying is a no no... its just a mind field at the moment!

[wissamdandan]

Lawrence,

how about leveraging free blog platforms for the link wheel?

WordPress.com — Get a Free Blog Here
http://blogger.com
LiveJournal: Discover global communities of friends who share your unique passions and interests.
Blogsome
Bravenet - Web Hosting, Free Web Hosting and Web Tools 
Friendster - Home
Knol - a unit of knowledge: share what you know, publish your expertise.
Welcome to Windows Live (MSN Spaces http://msnspaces.com )
Squidoo : Welcome to Squidoo
Sign up | Tumblr
Weebly - Create a free website and a free blog
Webs - Make a free website, get free hosting
Hubpages.com

[SEOwins]

yeah we do that as well Some have been hit by panda update though, squidoo seems to be pulling through ok, others have died of death! There are some in there I dont use tho, so thanks for the heads up!

Of course the magic is to create some amazing content / viral thats get hit on a lot, but as we all know thats difficult when budgets are low and you are dealing with a sales based site instead of something free / personal.

[alhallinan]

Actually, I disacree with Wissam and Tompt.  Google expressly lets people know that they don't look at IP addresses in their rankings.  So, if you own a dedicated or virtual private server, you can create all of your sites on that server.  That's what I've done for years with no problems.

Here is Matt Cutts on IP addresses.

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[SEOwins]

So do you have many false WHOIS data records then? Or are you just upfront? I think honesty is the best policy maybe?

[Tompt]

There is no problem with hosting things on the same server that's true no argument there.

But if you're planning on setting up microsites to boost one main site, and you set them all up on the IP address don't expect them to pass along the same link juice as sites on different IP addresses.

[alhallinan]

No, no, I only block the Whois data on one website, which is just a fun blog I do to make people laugh in my small community in Florida.  Being anonymous is half the fun

What I try to do when I create mini-sites is somehow provide value to the users - that's the best policy.  If you create a mini-site ONLY for SEO, you're not going to add much value.  But if you create a mini site that gives your users something different than they can find on your main site, you'll be adding value and SEO value as well.

Here's a for-instance.  Let's say you are a mortgage broker and your primary website has tons of content on mortgages and the call to action is to submit an application.

Then, you create a mini site that has a ton of generic info and calculators for mortgages, and has listings of data in whatever location you're focusing on ranking your primary site.

This mini site could be a simple Wordpress install and wouldn't take too much work, but it's adding real value for your users.

Does that make sense?

[jmueller]

I would  very well say that SE's look at the IP address when measuring link-diversity. So the IP address does matter. No matter what is spoken (cutts). Just think how you would do it. Do you think they tell you the truth on every single detail? Don't be so naive..