Multi-regional Site Design - Help Please

majinjeff

New Member
Hi everybody!

I am new to this forum, but it looks like a great knowledgable community. I am not new to coding for websites, I know html, CSS, PHP, and MySQL. I am however new to professional SEO, I've been learning Google Analytics, Google Webmaster Tools, geo targeting scripts, proper keyword choice and where to insert, robots.txt, XML site maps, and importance of linking.

I have a website idea that I wanted to start up as a side project, but has evolved into a rather complex business idea. I would like to get information on how I should go about structuring it, because I've seen a million differing opinions and ways to do it online, but all of them seem to have cons in SEO.

Here's what I want to achieve:
- multi regional website that will localize affiliate links and advertisements.
- as SEO friendly as possible

Here's what I've read:
- multiple domains will help rankings
- ccTLDs will be better ranked in their respective areas
- web content duplication = very bad ranking results for all sites with duplications

Here's what I've deduced (let me know if I'm wrong)
- since the vast bulk of my content will be pulled from the same database for all regions, it would be best to have multiple domains 301 redirect to the same site, but use geotargeting to dynamically modify site's content. This will lead to higher traffic overall, good multi-regional ranking, SEO-friendly content, and proper ads and affiliate links to appropriate location.

So am I understanding correctly?
 
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chrishirst

Well-Known Member
Staff member
and importance of linking.
Forget that one it's not as important as you think.

Here's what I've read:
- multiple domains will help rankings
- ccTLDs will be better ranked in their respective areas
- web content duplication = very bad ranking results for all sites with duplications

Wrong, wrong and wrong

So am I understanding correctly?
No.


First of all read this >> http://searchengineland.com/5-reasons-why-rankings-are-a-poor-measure-of-success-13258
 

majinjeff

New Member
Thanks for the reply, I appreciate the feedback. I've read that article and it doesn't really tell me anything I didn't know before. I know that success is not equal to rankings, but if I have a review website how are people even know it exists if it never appears on a search engine? So where my sure tanks in a search is important, isn't it?

Also, the stuff you told me was wrong was taking directly from Google's developer site. https://support.google.com/webmasters/answer/182192?hl=en#2

So assuming everything I've said is wrong, can you tell me why it's wrong and what I should do instead for what I want to achieve?
 

chrishirst

Well-Known Member
Staff member
. I know that success is not equal to rankings
So why is your post all about 'ranking' then.

but if I have a review website how are people even know it exists if it never appears on a search engine?
Wrong!!! Search engines are NOT where results come from. Your first task for learning SEO is to STOP thinking about search engines.

There are ONLY two things you need to know about for 'optimising' your documents (NOT site) to get value from them.

First, is create your documents for USERS not search engines.

Second is to promote your site to USERS not search engines.

The secret life of links your 'link building' should be to get qualified traffic to your URLs not 'site'


If you ignore search engines in everything you do for SEO (Site Experience Optimising) search engines WILL 'love' you for it.
 

chrishirst

Well-Known Member
Staff member
Oh and,


"multiple domains" is last century thinking, it didn't work that well then, unless you had several thousand of them all interlinked and were prepared to start again every few months when they all got dumped.

Importance of linking. Spending a lot of time and effort "building links" is more likely to damage your efforts in the long term, it might get pointless rankins for a couple of less than useful key phrases in the short term, but you will ALWAYS be having to "disavow" large parts of your "SEO link building" because it appeared to be exactly what it is. That is "unnatural" linking.


So where my sure tanks in a search is important, isn't it?
Yes it is BUT you should read the article again properly, as the 'rankings' that YOU see are NOT the same as anyone else sees. Because when you search like a "rank checker" you skew your results.

Ranking checking was an okay pastime ten - fifteen years, but when Google moved to continuous updates, it became a completely pointless waste of time.

http://webmaster-talk.eu/articles/1...earch-engines/4-rankings-and-the-google-dance
 
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majinjeff

New Member
Building a site for users is what I'm trying to do . . . I don't care about how well I rank on search engines, I care about getting the proper traffic to my site, people who are interested in my content. That's why I'm trying to figure out the best way to structure it. I thought the best way to get quality traffic was SEO but you're telling me not to worry about that. If that's the case then what SHOULD I be doing? . . .

I might not know how to properly structure it, but I do know that I'm not just going to build it whatever way is easiest and forget about trying to optimize it, and that's why I'm here asking for help. Telling me I'm wrong doesn't do anything except tell me I don't understand - which I already know. I'm here to learn because of all the differing opinions online.

So if someone could kindly give me some pointers about structuring my site for my outlined purposes, and/or tips on applicable SEO strategies, it would be much appreciated.

Thanks you
 

chrishirst

Well-Known Member
Staff member
I thought the best way to get quality traffic was SEO but you're telling me not to worry about that. If that's the case then what SHOULD I be doing? . . .
Again, that WAS the case back in 1993-1996 when there were (relatively) very few websites in total, Search was "the new kid on the block", people were just discovering what the "World Wide Web" was and how it could be [ab]used for financial gain. The only way to find the way around it were directories and the "new fangled" search engines. Then as the Internet 'blossommed', bulletin boards gave way to forums, 'personal' websites started to appear and the Internet communications evolved into "social" networking, search engines became just another tool. It is no longer the only way of discovering "stuff", when you look at it from the end user perspective the whole Internet has become "Search" because as people pass things along via blogs, social "profiles", forums and all manner of other instant communications it is 'discovered' by others without ever needing a "search engine". Where search engines NOW come into the picture, is that they can and will 'tap in' to this stream of information and make it visible to other people. Traffic from Search is no longer 'essential' or even 'vital', it is a bonus, the provider of the 'gravy' on your "meat and two veg'" NOT the whole meal.
 

RDB

New Member
Good solid advice as always Chris. People should focus on the user. And building a brand. Links are important but think quality links not quantity.
 

majinjeff

New Member
I see, thank you for explaining it to me. So search engines are only a piece of what's important, not all that's important. That makes sense, I guess social media and advertising are what drive most traffic today. I'll take a look into the possibilities.

I still need advice on correct structuring. So how would you recommend I structure my site then? I have several options that would be seamless for the user:
- I can use only one ccTLD and use PHP and geo targeting to change necessary content for certain regions
- I can have several ccTLDs and 301 redirect them to the same site with geo targeting to change necessary content for certain regions
- I can have several ccTLDs and 3 separate sites directed at different regions
 

RDB

New Member
I see, thank you for explaining it to me. So search engines are only a piece of what's important, not all that's important. That makes sense, I guess social media and advertising are what drive most traffic today. I'll take a look into the possibilities.

I still need advice on correct structuring. So how would you recommend I structure my site then? I have several options that would be seamless for the user:
- I can use only one ccTLD and use PHP and geo targeting to change necessary content for certain regions
- I can have several ccTLDs and 301 redirect them to the same site with geo targeting to change necessary content for certain regions
- I can have several ccTLDs and 3 separate sites directed at different regions

Social Media plays a great part in SEO now. Google said this week that they are focussing more on the user ie authorship and brands.
 

chrishirst

Well-Known Member
Staff member
I see, thank you for explaining it to me. So search engines are only a piece of what's important, not all that's important. That makes sense, I guess social media and advertising are what drive most traffic today.
It always did.


I still need advice on correct structuring. So how would you recommend I structure my site then? I have several options that would be seamless for the user:
- I can use only one ccTLD and use PHP and geo targeting to change necessary content for certain regions
- I can have several ccTLDs and 301 redirect them to the same site with geo targeting to change necessary content for certain regions
- I can have several ccTLDs and 3 separate sites directed at different regions

One site, ccTLDs mapped to 'localised' content URLs, AND because you want Google to treat it as a single site that spans multiple domain names use a common navigation structure.
 
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