Single keyword penalty?

[mc327]

I have two sites, one sells "widgets and gadgets" and the other sells "widgets" only. The "widgets" content of the two sites is almost identical.

Problem: No search containing the word "widgets" returns any result for the "widgets" site.

Example: A search for "ACME Super Widgets" returns a #5 or #6 ranking on the "Widgets and Gadgets" site, but no result for the "Widgets" site. A search for "ACME Super" returns a #1 ranking for the "Widgets" site, and no ranking for the "Widgets and Gadgets" site.

Question: Can Google apply a machine generated penalty this specific or would this be the result of human intervention?

[wigsy_1]

you may get a problem promoting the same keyword on 2 sites if they are on the same ip address. we have had this problem wiht 2 of out sites.
when site 1 ranks well for "keyword" site 2 is way down
the listings. then when g did an update, site 2 all of a sudden went to #2 on g for "keyword" while site 1 dropped out of the first 10 pages of results.
maybe think about putting it on a different ip address
to see if this helps you.

we havn't moved ours yet but it is planned.

hope this helps.

[mc327]

"maybe think about putting it on a different ip address"

I will try that at the earliest opportunity. They are on the same server and only the last octet of the IP differs (by 2).