Two sites, different content. Would Google ban by registrar?

[bo0oost]

I currently own an ecommerce website that sells "widgets".

What I want to do is create another ecommerce website to sell the same "widgets", but in a different way, with different descriptions, and overall different look and feel.

What I'm worried about is duplicate content penalty by Google for both sites.

My questions are:

1) If the sites sell the same thing (titles might be similar), but in a different way, with different descriptions and pictures, is it duplicate?

2) The IPs between the two domains will be different.

3) The registrar for the two domains is the same. I read somewhere that google is a domain registrar now. Does this pretty much ruin my chances of having two sites both selling "widgets"?

I'd love to hear your thoughts. If I was too broad, let me know.

Thanks guys!

[g1smd]

I don't think Google would even hint at what the answer to that question might be.

Spammers really want to know about that sort of juicy detail.

[kidder]

Ok - I've seen spammers get away with this over many many sites (even after spam reports have been filed against them) so my guess is that you would have to be unlucky to get suffer a penalty due to this. They seem to have plenty of new filters to punish us with these days.

[Quadrille]

Nothing you have said goes against Google guidelines, so there's no penalty available to you.

Google really has no view on how many sites you own selling the same thing; whether it's sensible from a business angle to be promoting two sites, potemtially competing, with duplicated marketing and SEO and diluted incoming links, is up to you :)

The duplicate content rule is always hanging over your head; but you've implied that you understand that, and it does not apply. So long as that remains true, you have no worries about dropped pages for that.

The duplicate content rule works entirely independently of IP, registration, host, date, girlfriend's name or favored presidential candidate - it works on matching duplicated content ;)

[lfgoal]

"The duplicate content rule works entirely independently of IP, registration, host, date, girlfriend's name or favored presidential candidate - it works on matching duplicated content"

My belief as well. They're talking about duplicated content, not multiple sites.

[kidder]

Bravo

[tedster]

Duplicate content is based on text strings that match to a high percentage. The algo cannot read and comprehend duplicate meaning. AI is nowhere near that level, not even the most advanced semantic indexing methods.

You said you wanted to create a second site "...in a different way, with different descriptions". If the actual words are significantly different, there's no duplicate content issue. Just keep the sites really distinct, not cross-linked etc. If you are concerned about the registrar side of things, now or in the future, there are a lot of registrars in the sea, so just pick another.

[Robert Charlton]

If the sites sell the same thing (titles might be similar), but in a different way, with different descriptions and pictures, is it duplicate?

I've seen various Google tests recently that divide up the serps pages into different types of sites satisfying the same searches. I'm thinking that this kind of division... considerations of the intention of the site... might have a big effect on how well multiple sites will be able to do in the future. It won't be so much a duplication issue as an overlap vs available space-at-the-top issue.

[edited by: Robert_Charlton at 7:55 am (utc) on May 9, 2007]

[Frida]

You said you wanted to create a second site "...in a different way, with different descriptions". If the actual words are significantly different, there's no duplicate content issue. Just keep the sites really distinct, not cross-linked etc. If you are concerned about the registrar side of things, now or in the future, there are a lot of registrars in the sea, so just pick another.

You've spotted it right. If the second site is done in a different way, with different descriptions, then there is no reason why your sites could be treated as duplicates. But keep this rule in mind when creating your second website because just as it was already mentioned - the duplicate rule is lurking you.

Cheers,

Frida

[bo0oost]

So what would stop a company with lots of resources like say Best Buy from creating hundreds of e-commerce websites that are completely unique, and sell products online?

Theoretically then, someone with enough money and resources could dominate e-commerce.

[bo0oost]

"If you are concerned about the registrar side of things, now or in the future, there are a lot of registrars in the sea, so just pick another. "

It's not that, its just that the two sites will have the same owners, and since google is now a registrar they can check this.