Content structure - horizontal or vertical - ideas?

[Dragovicz]

I'm running a Q&A platform on one specific domain. The content is (by nature) user generated content - structured through tagging. On the domain we serve all topics. Obviously, we have also sexual and YMYL content.

What would you say - from a SEO visibility and traffic standpoint - were we better off if we had multiple domains where we serve specific content (e.g. health, sports, relationship) from our content pool? Or is it a better way forward to try to hide the unwanted content on the main domain?

Do you know references where big publishers did structure their content? Any hint appreciated.

Thanks!

[keyplyr]

Hello Dragovicz and welcome to WebmasterWorld [webmasterworld.com]

IMO it is better SEO to separate topics distinctly, but that does not need seperate domains... just sections of your site, or even separate pages depending on how you organize it.

With the "sexual and YMYL content" there is the added obligation of protecting young users, so this content may be best put on the other side of an age verification prompt.

[RedBar]

Are you aiming your site at one specific country in one language or several countries with several different languages?

Google's localisation of their various SERPs has changed the game dramatically, we have lost 80% of our USA traffic because of it.

[Dragovicz]

Guys thanks for your answers! Appreciated.

@keyplyr: Good point with the sexual and YMYL-content. Need to rethink this. And you're right on the structure of the site. I'm now more hooked with the idea of subdomains or path-structures. Separate domains doesn't feel right at the moment.

@RedBar: The site is full one language (German) and we don't have plans to go international. We've lost YoY close to 50% of our traffic thanks to Google SERP changes. Lovely :-/