Universal URL versus Specific URL addresses

[RaynChris]

This post is deleted!

[Devanur-Rafi]

Dear Chris,

Here are my two cents in a sentence: "One wide and stable website that caters to multiple niches"

I am assuming that you wanted to book individual domain names and then redirect/forward them to the corresponding vertical sub-directories on the main domain.

For me, it would be a single domain any day and corresponding sub-folders/sub-directories for each of the verticals. IMHO, there is no need for you to book individual domain names that point/forwarded to the respective locations on the main domain.Even the URL like, www.abc.com/vertical-name serves the purpose and there is no need to search for the exact sounding root domain name like www.vertical-name.com and then point it to www.abc.com/vertical-name.

Getting exact match keyword domain names can be very difficult these days but even if you can manage to get your hands on one, due to the 301 redirection in place from it to the corresponding sub-directory on the main domain, the vanity URL won't make it to the search engines' indices and won't appear in organic search.

With single domain approach, all your SEO efforts can be consolidated and highly beneficial for the main domain from an SEO standpoint. Going forward it can become an authority. Single domains are far easy to maintain and operate from both promotional as well as technical standpoints. Each sub-directory's homepage can serve as the homepage of the vertical/niche. Each of these sub-directories and their internal pages can then have some good quality content optimized to rank for different keywords/phrases with healthy search volumes.

High quality content that covers the topic in a comprehensive way can have dramatic results in organic search ranking. Good quality content coupled with good promotional strategies with an aim to get domain mentions, citations, one-way backlinks is the key to good organic search ranking. These will result in healthy domain and page authority numbers.

All the very best to you my friend.

Best regards,

Devanur Rafi

[RaynChris]

Dear Devanur,

Thank you kindly for taking the time to respond to me here, with such and thorough and logical reply.

I was naturally swayed over to your way of thinking, and your answer has helped cement my thoughts. The idea of running multiple sites all independently trying to climb the SEO ladder, versus one big site with all pages working in unison, looks to be a chicken and egg conundrum at face value.

The trip wire was the hygiene of the URL, and the clarity for users who might happen to notice a generic URL which isn’t immediately or easily relatable to the brand vertical. With this comes the need to stamp authority on that generic name, which in fact is the same issue for the vertical brand which would have little to no brand recognition anyway if both were starting from scratch.

So your answer here really is build a sustainable generic universal domain name, infuse it with authority to the end user, and reap the rewards of SEO, page rank, back links all drawing back to verticals that are optimised for their niche at the same time. This makes perfect sense, and is a smart answer

So agin, you’re thought process was most helpful here, and has certainly helped me to feel greater confidence in this strategy.

Thank you for your help again, and for the time to give me such great advice which is very greatly appreciated here.

Warm Regards,
Chris