How do I code SEO for a secondary site without impacting the main site?

[gacwebteam]

We have a secondary site for our online magazine, how do I code the SEO so I don't steal links from the main site?

[Keszi]

Hi,

I do not really understand the question. Is the secondary site on a separate domain or are you implementing it on the same domain?

Could you give a little more information? So we can give an easier answer

Gr., Keszi

[MibuKotaro]

In a case where it is two separate sites you have a few options.

1. You could noindex, nofollow the secondary site if you are not actively trying to rank for it.

2. If you are attempting to rank for it you could run a <rel="canonical">tag to the head and refer back to the original domain.</rel="canonical">

This Google Webmasters article may help https://support.google.com/webmasters/answer/139066?hl=en

[Keszi]

This is true.- In case of duplicate content.

But until now we didn't talk about same content on the secondary website. This is why I have asked him to give us a little bit more information.

[gacwebteam]

sure - the secondary site is a separate subdomain. So main site is: http://www.gulfstream.com/ and secondary site is http://nonstopbygulfstream.com/ (there's not much there right now - but potentially there could be.

Thanks!

Sally Braid

[Keszi]

Basically the two websites from content point of view are going to be similar in any way?

[gacwebteam]

Yes and no, both are marketing tools for our products, however the magazine is different content entirely from the main website, it's basically a staging area for more information on the printed publication and the iPad publication, but we could expand it's purpose.

[gacwebteam]

I could do that, but that would hide the intent of the secondary site, which is to promote the content of the printed and the iPad version of the Magazine. So I could just be very careful with the keywords and page descriptions and see where it takes me?

[Linda-Vassily]

Why do you have the magazine on a separate site? You could instead make a subfolder on your current site, like this: http://www.gulfstream.com/nonstop-magazine . That way all of the lovely links you get will help boost both of them.

[gacwebteam]

You are absolutely right, of course we could do that, but it's not my decision.

[Keszi]

Like Linda mentioned it, I would also keep it under one domain. What you could do is to present the cons and pros of each version, maybe you can convince your client

[Linda-Vassily]

Yes, presenting the reasons you should keep it on one domain [duplication of effort between two sites, splitting up potential links, duplicate content on the sites, possibility of Google thinking you are creating a link scheme by linking between the sites] might convince the decision-makers.

If there is no way to convince them, for the magazine site I'd optimize for long-tail search terms relating to "magazine" or "travel" or whatever is unique to the publication's content. [And from reading the media kit, it sounds like luxury lifestyle content is an intended focus, so I'd probably emphasize that.]