Should I build & try to rank several pages for similar keywords?

[Branden_S]

I have a client who's domain already ranks #1 on Google for  'automotive advertising agency'.  However we want several listing on the first page.  Should I create a few more pages like

www.domain.com/automotive-advertising-agency

www.domain.com/advertising-agency

www.domain.com/automotive-advertising

I'm assuming I can get these pages to rank well, but I'm wondering if Google will penalize us for this.

Is this a good or bad idea?

[BeardoCo]

I would consider this spam.  If you are ranking number one for a keyword and someone visits and leaves your site without a conversion, there was a reason for it.   Dominating multiple spots might sound like a great idea, but it is going to be hard to formulate unique content when you are targeting such similars keywords.  I would rebuild my original content to reflect multiple variances of the keyword and make sure that page is super authoritative and try to rank naturally.

[sbaylor]

This is similar to the Demand Studios model, wherein they tried to get as many pages as possible with very similar content (but not completely duplicated) based on minor keyword modifications. For instance, how to grill a panini, how to cook a panini, how to make a panini, etc.

Google smacked them for it, and rightly so.

[EGOL]

I actually think that the keywords in your file names could each be developed into substantive kickass articles that are absolutely unique.

Advertising agency is a general topic about the wide variety of business that help their clients with advertising.  How the business works, where ads are placed, how effective ads are developed and tested.  (People write lots and lots of articles about SEO.... the same could be done here).

Automobile advertising agency  is a specific type of advertising agency and a person with great expertise could tell most people more than they ever wanted to know about that topic and be distinct from the generic "advertising agency".

Automotive advertising is very different from an agency and articles on that could trace the history of this business, feature many different types of advertising for new and used cars, luxury and economy cars.   This article would include web ads, print ads, metal signs, swag, premiums, road maps, road signs.  This would be a fun article to write (if you are the right person who really knows this stuff) and the topic could actually be broken down into numerous sub articles with galleries of vintage signs, road signs, print, etc.  Amazing content if you have the right person writing and that person knows where to get the info.  I bet you could get the guys from that History Channel pickers program and they could do five articles on signs alone.

You see, a person with expertise could develop enormous unique content about these topics.  Is this the type of content you are interested in?  Maybe, maybe not, but if done well it will be the absolute opposite of spam.

[Branden_S]

EGOL - Your enthusiasm is contagious!!     I was about to give up on this approach based on the first 2 responses.  However after reading your answer, I'm going to build the pages.

[EGOL]

One of my sites sells a retail product line where big brands hold the top positions.  My site ranks at about #5 for the primary keyword; however, I have bombed ALL of the secondary keywords with substantive articles, each featuring a product group that they can purchase from my site.  I have video, photos, how to select it, how to fix it, how to use it.....   I am still putting up content for every other keyword that I think might pull traffic and some that will not pull much traffic but are interesting to the visitor.

Each of these articles takes a while to develop and I don't get fast pay-back on them, but I know that they will be up there producing for years.... one of these days Google will realize that the big brands don't have shit for content and that I should be number one simply by brute force authorship.

[Branden_S]

so as long as the content is complete different for each page, Google wont penalize me?

[EGOL]

You need completely different AND substantive AND engaging.

Most of my content attacking similar keywords has 500 to 2000 words and 2 to 8 images.  Some have a short video.

These pages hold visitors.

Google has become very stingy about giving two positions on the first page of the SERPs.  Two years ago I had three and four positions on the first page of the SERPs for lots of my good keywords.  Now, it is hard to get more than three unless you are after keywords with very little competition or keywords that are very similar to your brand name.  However, I have a product page and an article page at the top of the SERPs for lots of keywords.

I view the three keyword examples that you gave as being very distinct.  I would not expect those three articles to be in competition with one another.  Maybe "automotive advertising agency" sneaking in the the SERPs for "advertising agency".  However, if you are going after this in the USA market the competition for "advertising agency" is not especially easy.  I think it would be hard to get two listings on the first page of that SERP.