Help Me Change My Client's Mind

[94501]

My client wants to build a second site to provide targeted links for SEO to his main site. He's interested in buying a TLD with some near topic authority/links and then build the second site's authority up from there.

He is clear that this could get him in trouble for a link scheme, but thinks it can all be hidden from Google. Off the top of my head I was able to recall a few of the pain-in-the-neck things you'd have to do to not get caught, but he seemed unconvinced. I recall you'd have to have:

• Different registrar

• Different contact/WhoIs

• Different site host

• Different G/A, GWT

• Logging into second's site's G/A, GWT with different IP address not used for main domain

With the exception of the last one, he didn't seem to think it would be too hard. Aren't there more difficult maneuvers required for hiding this from Google? I want to be able to point out to him how ridiculous this low integrity effort will be, without losing the client.

Thanks! Best... Darcy

[94501]

Good answers all. Thanks! Can you guys come to this meeting with me?

He thinks if you buy a domain with some links pointing to it already, that solves problem one of a site passing some authority. Problem two, pulling it off, he thinks would be relatively easy. Gah!

Here's how I feel about this:

https://youtu.be/AwY4pzb0Pjs

[EGOL]

Google has been busting people for manufactured links for ten years at least.   Also, if this new site does not have links into it from other websites then it has no power to pass to the main site.  So, if you can get links into this outhouse site, you would be better pointing them straight to your main site and give it the full power.

This approach is like trying to kill rabbits with a ricochet.  There is nothing good to say about it.   I wish all of my competitors were spending their time, or the money, or their SEO's efforts, on these things that do not work and could get both sites busted by google.

[fiberglass]

I agree with Donna --

Show the boss man some of the guys ranking at the top and the links they've been able to solidify to their own root domain w/out having to resort to creating multiple websites.

However, I'm going to make a stab in the dark here... I'm guessing he thinks this is the way to go because he's seen some competitors doing some sort of seedy link-building, and that maybe someone is (or at some point was) ranking ahead of him.

The best thing to do is to look at the competition ranking at the top, look at the top 2 or 3... analyze their content (how much, how consistent, how niche related is it, how unique, how thorough), their social media presence, if local then their citation/links count and accuracy, their UX/mobile-friendliness/call-to-action/site-navigation, their on-page optimization consistency, and yea, their links.

But look at everything together, then you can confidently tell your client what's up, why the competition is doing well, show examples, and you'll likely be able to steer them in the right direction.

[DonnaDuncan]

.... "and then build the second site's authority up from there".

He'd be far better off putting that effort and expense into building up his main site's authority. Show him an example of a close or direct competitor who has accrued valuable links (and thereby authority) by researching, publishing and promoting some high-value content.

[Jono_M]

I don't know if this would change his mind, but in spinning up that site, you'll likely have to provide additional SEO services to maintain its ranking/authority on those related keywords.