Multiple domain names - is there any point at all?

[Mr Bo Jangles]

Hi all,
I'm new to this forum and reading and enjoying all the expertise.
In reading about duplicated content and related matters, I would like to know how (if at all) one can safely make use of more than one good domain name you might have for your product.
If setting up alternate sites and copying across content is a 'no no', what else can be done to take advantage of multiple good domain names - short of going to the enormous effort of creating multiple sites with little or no copied content?

thanks.

[skipfactor]

Seems to do wonders for my competitors on other SEs, but for some reason I never see them hanging around on Google.

[mil2k]

Generally multiple domain names are used to take advantage of Algo limitations.

[Mr Bo Jangles]

so skipfactor, what do you do with these sites, do you have the 'other' domain names up on a server and do a 301 redirect to the main site? or what?

thanks

[skipfactor]

Mr. Bo Jangles, :)

No Sir, in my opinion, the only reason to have multiple domains is to sit on any domain that a present or future competitor could use against you & yours to perhaps tarnish your good name and/or eat into your livelihood.

Stay myopic, focus on one heavy-hitter domain; you'll be glad in the long-run.

[digitalghost]

>>one can safely make use of more than one good domain name you might have for your product.

Yes, you can safely make use of many domain names to sell your product. Generally, you can use the domains to take advantage of different versions of your copy. You can also use those domains to test different site designs.

Additionally, you can make use of those domains to rank 1-10 for the same product while pushing your competitors to page 2. All those folks ranked below you will never know if you do it correctly.

I've seen sites use that tactic effectively for years and the only people complaining are the people below them.

>>Stay myopic

Sorry, don't agree with that. If your myopic site gets canned you lose big bucks. If one of your 30 sites gets canned you can smile and build 30 more.

Cheers. ;)

[skipfactor]

you can smile and build 30 more.

that's disgusting, but hey, whatever works for you, cheers! :)

[hmpphf]

Disgusting? eh?

Picking your nose in public is disgusting. Having a strategy to risk-manage your livelihood is not.

[Orbit_Micro]

If you can do I would, but as a webmaster it is morally wrong. It defeats the purpose of having quality results in search engines. If your website sucks and it shows up as the first 10 results it degrades the quality of search engine results. But thats only speaking as a webmaster. However as a marketing manager I so to hell with morals and do it.

[percentages]

>However as a marketing manager I so to hell with morals and do it.

LOL Orbit_Micro...As a webmaster who has to put up with everyone else doing it...I agree.

As everyone points out on a regular basis here at WW, the quality of SERPS is not for us to decide, it is for the SE's. If they don't like our crummy sites, not that any webmaster has a crummy site;), occupying the first 10 slots then they are always free to change their algos to stop us:)

In the commercial cats I don't believe you will ever stop people trying to occupy all 10 slots...so the sooner you get used to the rules others are playing by the sooner you have a chance of getting one or two (or 10) of your own sites up there!

[daamsie]

If your myopic site gets canned you lose big bucks. If one of your 30 sites gets canned you can smile and build 30 more.

I thought Google was able to wipe out domains by their whois records, or am I mistaken?

Having a strategy to risk-manage your livelihood is not.

I would have thought a strategy like this is just causing more risks rather than managing the current ones!

[percentages]

>I thought Google was able to wipe out domains by their whois records, or am I mistaken?

You are mistaken. Many companies own huge numbers of domains for many normal business reasons. How could Google ever "wipe out" sites from its index just because it is owned by someone who has a similar site?

It would be like telling Walmart to close down because their stores are too close and some of their products are the same as Sam's sells.

I personally don't see how the whois database can be used to stop spam. You can register with privacy turned on so that the owner info is not available, you can register using "alternative" names and addresses. To track the real owner of many domains would be an impossible task.

I believe the comments related to Google using the whois database referred to removing existing PR from people who purchased expired domains for the primary purpose of buying the existing backlinks and PR.

Looking at the example stated a few days ago concerning National Discount Brokers, it appears the PR was removed, the site delisted, but the SERPs algo doesn't seem to be taking any notice!

[Visit Thailand]

Why do some people prefer CNN over BBC, the Sun Newspaper to the Mirror, BA to UA, Starbucks to another coffee shop or a site to b site etc. etc.

Ultimately they all do the same thing to a certain extent.

I think using multiple domains can be beneficial. Of course there is little use if they are both identical but if you can dress the final product differently you will or should be able to reach a different audience.

So in website terms keep them entirely separate and deal with each as if it were your competitor.

Make sure that the entrance, look and feel of the sites are different so that each site you have offers a unique quality that may well appeal to different people.

You may well be selling the same thing at each site but each site should give the user a different experience.

[daamsie]

I believe the comments related to Google using the whois database referred to removing existing PR from people who purchased expired domains for the primary purpose of buying the existing backlinks and PR.

Thanks for clearing that up! I was genuinely confused :) I did wonder how that could possibly be a reliable method.

This thread still seems rather contrary to most of the advice I have received on this forum. I hate it when the serps are filled with duplicate content domains (and I don't mean when they're above me, because I don't have that problem at the moment). I think it is in Google's best interest to find as good as possible ways of getting rid of them and can't see how it is a good idea to employ such dubious tactics. As I keep on reading and have been living by: "If it's in the user's best interest, then you are doing the right thing by google".

How are duplicate domains listing the same content in the user's best interest?

Note: I don't think we're talking about similar content on different sites here, I think we're talking about the same content on different domain names.