What is the best way to deal with creating a separate brand with it's own website when the main site already ranks well for the target keywords?

[P1WS_Sully]

A client currently has a site that ranks well for a number of queries. They recently created a new site for a spin-off brand/company that they now want to focus on ranking for some of the keywords their original site already ranked for. What would be the best way to go about this without throwing away the existing authority and traffic the original site has for those queries?

[EGOL]

We see a lot of people creating a second website, trying to rank for the same keywords as their main site - when their website isn't ranking well enough to do anything.  That is crazy.

You are in the perfect position to make a second website and use the popularity and power of your first site to drive it.

Promote the second site on your main site, refer traffic there, link to it, advertise it, ask your tribe to help you.