Best SEO practices for 2 websites, same owner

[Pjman]

I have been asked by a very close friend how to best pull off running two websites in the same niche without having big G throttling you or hurting your rankings.

He plans to have two sites that have similar, but completely original content on both sites.

He wants to know if he should use the same adsense / g analytics account or find a way to get multiple accounts.

My advice in 2012 would be to look as much as separate entities as you could. Zero footprint on all fronts.

Pre-2011 my advice would have been to just provide users with unique quality content for users and everything will work out.

What would your advice be?

[Sgt_Kickaxe]

If the two sites don't share any content there shouldn't be a problem, go ahead and use analytics on both of them too if you wish. Ask your friend the following, and remember that it doesn't pay to lie to one's self.

By "completely original" articles for each does he in fact mean one will be original and one will be spun or essentially the same but with words changed etc?

Google will detect this type of thing, otherwise you have no worries. I would create just one site if for no other reason than to get all links pointing to one domain (I hate link building) but that's just me.

[dududoseo]

Hello Pjman,
Can I ask you something? Why are you doing this? I ask you because if you doing for linkbuilding, you need to be very careful. If you going to link from one to another, you must do so with caution.

[netmeg]

My advice would be just do one site, unless you can make each one recognizably unique.

[Pjman]

@Sgt_Kickaxe

Yes, by original I mean 100% from a different writer, perspective, and tone.

@dududoseo

He has a very successful site, but he wants just take a slight different direction with it on a global scale. It really has to do with navigation.

Most of his clients like to look at widgets by weight.

But a whole different group clients wants a widgets by color.

Each category (weight or color) has about 100 varieties. He has tried 3 different usability experts. They all say that there is just way too much going on to make it work.

He feels that if he goes full throttle on each interest, he will do well.

[nomis5]

I have two sites, both similar subjects. But the bigger one is about widgets and the smaller one is about little blue widgets. Google knows I own both but the big site occupies poition 2 in the SERPS for the chosen keyword and the smaller one occupies position 3.

Both have analytics on them. But they are most defintiely different in style.

Good content seems to be the factor that is important. Oh, other than the fact that the BBC occupies the number one position for the keyword with no saving graces other than the fact that it is a bigger brand.

Dave M

[Pjman]

@nomis5

Thanks for the input. It would make sense for goggle to point to all the most useful stuff that is out there.

In this world of goggle throttling and random penalities, I can understand my friend's concerns.