Similiar sites, same market,different keyword, different affiliate

Does Google care?

[c1bernaught]

Can I build sites that share a similiar layout, are in the same vertical market (spockets), but use a different keyword and a different affiliate, without Google considering it spam?

[Marketing Guy]

If you use different content then i dont see them caring too much.

Using the same style of site as another you run is pretty much common practice these days, especially if the sites hae a similar theme.

It's really just the content that's the issue.

Scott

[Zapatista]

My answer is no. The company I affililiate for basically allowed another affiliate to copy my content with a slight rewrite and duplicated it onto 5 different sites without much of a difference between their 5 sites. I am highly pissed off to be copied despite my warnings for them not to do that and they are playing with fire for having 5 duplicate sites. They may also get me into trouble if Google comes down on us all.

My answer is a definete no.

[Marketing Guy]

I think that's a much different situation from what C1 was talking about, Zap.

I believe he intends to target a different part of a market that he is already established in, using a different affiliate programme. His query was about any problems with similarities in design.

You case, Zap, appears to involve issues of copyright infringement and spamming - which don't effect C1.

Scott

[ciml]

I agree, as long as you're putting new content up I don't see why it matters if the layout is the same.

[c1bernaught]

Thanks for your input.

As far as content goes, navigation by "sprocket" type is the same. The real difference is in keywords and the affiliate.

Each site would look somewhat different, have similiar navigation, somewhat similiar content (in that it's still about sprockets), different keywords and different affiliates.

[heini]

Two tools that could help you determine if you are crossing the lines:
Brett's simspider. Checking raw content, text on the page.
And Google imode, to see how Google views your link structure.