Opinion on stripping down homepage to two navigational links for SEO

[Jenn_E]

I am in the process of restructuring a clients site who offers two niches. One is an event venue and the other is private dining. We have struggled in the past with ranking for either one since google sees restaurant and event venue as two distinct businesses. So on the homepage I would like to essentially 'divide' the site into two sections - Weddings and events, and Dining. From there people can choose which part of the website they would be directed to. (There are other things we will do as well, like up content etc. but this is the start)

So my question is this - from an SEO standpoint should I do away with a menu on the home page and only have two links there and have the site hierarchy go down from there, does this give more 'juice' to the two categories? or will it hurt the site since there is no about, contact, etc page link on the home page?

thanks for any opinions on this!

[MiriamEllis]

Hi There!

I can see how you're thinking about this. I have a question: do the event and restaurant components of the business share an address and phone number, or do they have unique addresses and phone numbers?

[EGOL]

I have a question:  Do these two businesses have an overlap of customers or are their new services that can be created to merge these two businesses?  I do not view them as two distinctly different businesses.  I see small family and company gatherings as a middle ground, where expertise from both businesses can merge.

[Jenn_E]

same everything - hi Miriam you helped me on a previous post about this same company

[Jenn_E]

I know that from our human standpoint we don't view them as two clearly separate categories, but the issue has been that Google and search engines view restaurants and event venues as two categories, so it has been difficult to rank high in both areas (especially for wedding venues which is an area of rising competition here locally). So my thoughts are that by separating the site's hierarchy into two distinct paths that google may more clearly discern that we offer both. Does that make sense?

[MiriamEllis]

Hi Jenn!

Ah, I thought this sounded a little familiar

So, no, I would not remove main navigation from the homepage. But, I would do this:

1. Have universal navigation for the website including all the major links.

2. For the sake of users, yes, divide the contents of the homepage into two side-by-side sections in whatever way offers the best user experience (one side for the club, one for the wedding service).

3. Have each side link to its respective set of content, but with all normal navigation intact in both sections.

You honestly do not want Google to view this as two separate businesses. You don't want them to be confused about whether (222) 111-2222 is the number of a restaurant or a wedding venue. You want to promote the whole thing as a single brand, with a single GMB listing and supporting citation set, for a business that offers a varied menu of services (dining, events, etc.). But, for the sake of users, you simultaneously want them to be able to quickly access the content describing the services in which they have the most interest. So, if they happen to enter to website on the hompage (instead of on the main page for weddings) you can certainly give them a big, visual cue about how to navigate to that section of content.

Ranking for these different types of searches is just going to come down to good old SEO, both local and traditional, and all of the marketing you can do to promote the variety of services offered. Authoritative local links to the main page for the weddings (for example) will help in your pursuit of visibility for wedding-related searches in your city, while getting great restaurant reviews on Yelp should bring in diners.

I'd seriously urge the owner to view their brand as a brand - one that offers a variety of services, just like a general contractor who does roofing, remodels, fence building and deck design. Each is a different experience, for a consumer with a different need, but all needs are being met by the single, unified brand.

Hope this helps!