Multiple domains vs. Single domain

[Partouter]

I've been reading up on this subject, but I still can't clearly decide which is better. Your insights will help me a lot.

I work for a client with 1 powerful corporate website and many small dedicated websites to individual projects. Which strategy would I focus on? The powerful corporate or the small individual websites?

As I see it:

Which is better?

1. One powerful domain with lots of pages dedicated to a single subject
   1. PRO: more inbound links, more pages, sometimes URL exact match
   2. CON: less focused on a single 'theme'
2. Different domains dedicated to different subjects
   1. PRO: more focus per domain to a subject
   2. CON: less inbound links, less pages... less power

Thanks in advance.

[jsturgeon]

Hi Partouter,

I prefer option #1, "a single powerful domain" for a few reasons:

1. It's always easier to pass link juice from an authoritative top level domain than it is to drum it up from scratch. With good site-architecture you can achieve faster indexing results with landing pages organized by topic/category.
2. Consolidating all of your content under one website helps reinforce your brand over time. It's better to be an information hub for your audience than it is to capture traffic from a bunch of fragmented mini-sites.
3. Search Engines crack down on folks who own a lot of interlinked domains that all speak about the same subject matter. It can be difficult to create unique subject matter for each of your microsites, unless your client is a corporate conglomerate like GE or Johnson & Johnson

Now, personally, I have used smaller, niche sites to rank for long-tail searches. But I only took this approach when my client has a legitimate service or product that deserves this level of attention. This is more common with geo-targeted search terms (i.e. a product or service that is specific to Boston, MA; Los Angeles, CA; etc.)

Best of luck!

[Partouter]

Thanks for taking the time to respond Josh.

I think you've summed it up nicely - and therefore helped me made up my mind (at last)

[jsturgeon]

That's great! I'd love to see how your campaign progresses. Keep me in the loop!