How do I optimize a website for SEO for a client that is using a subdirectory as a seperate website?
-
We launched a subdirectory site about two months ago for our client. What's happening is searches for the topic covered by the subdirectory are yielding search results for the old site and not the new site. We'd like to change this.
Are there best practices for the subdirectory site
Specifically we're looking for things we can do using sitemapping and Webmaster tools.
Are there other technical things we can do?
Thanks you.
-
Hi Dov,
You can definitely create separate sitemaps and GWT accounts for your two subdirectories if you prefer, but I don't think that it'll solve your problem. It sounds like the problem is, pages on the original subdirectory probably have a higher Page Authority and are outranking your new pages.
When there are two pages on the same site that are both relevant for a search term, Google tries to only display one. So, your best bet is to make sure that there aren't any pages on the old subdirectory that are relevant to the keywords that you want the new subdirectory to rank for. You have two options here:
- Remove pages from the old subdirectory that are ranking for terms that you want the new subdirectory to rank for. 301 redirect their URLs to the new subdirectory.
- For pages that you would like to stay on the site, change the wording so it doesn't compete with the new subdirectory.
I realize this is really general guidance, but it's tough to give more specific feedback unless I can see the site.
Hope this helps,
Kristina
-
The "new site" is meant to be a trendy informational source that's laid out in a blog format. Where as the "old site" is more so their marketing site.
The content in the "new site" is different from the "old one".
What we're looking for is more so how should we handle the subdirectory with regards to webmaster tools and sitemaps?
And if there are other technical things we should do.
And if we were to move or redirect the content on the "old site" to the "new site" would we need to do anything special?
-
Hi! Thanks for your question. I am curious, why did you launch the "new site" in a subdirectory of the "old site"? Is the content in the subdirectory ("new site") different from the content on the rest of the domain ("old site")? Finally, if you are able to share the domain, that would be very helpful.
Christy
Got a burning SEO question?
Subscribe to Moz Pro to gain full access to Q&A, answer questions, and ask your own.
Browse Questions
Explore more categories
-
Moz Tools
Chat with the community about the Moz tools.
-
SEO Tactics
Discuss the SEO process with fellow marketers
-
Community
Discuss industry events, jobs, and news!
-
Digital Marketing
Chat about tactics outside of SEO
-
Research & Trends
Dive into research and trends in the search industry.
-
Support
Connect on product support and feature requests.
Related Questions
-
Multilingual website
My website is https://www.india-visa-gov.in and we are doing multilingual. There are three options 1. TLD eg india-visa-gov.fr (French) india-visa-gov.de (German) 2. Subdomain eg: fr.india-visa-gov.in (French) de.india-visa-gov.in (German) 3. Folders https://www.india-visa-gov.in/fr/ (French) https://www.india-visa-gov.in/de/ (German) We have tried the 3rd option but need to know whether its better or not for the long term health from SEO. Does the MOZ DA carry better in Subdomain or TLD or Folders? What does MOZ recommend to maintain DA? Thanks
Technical SEO | | amitdipsite150220200 -
How can I get the most out of uploading a print magazine to my client's website?
Hi Mozers, My client is just about to launch a print magazine for her watch business. There is so much valuable content in the magazine and we want to feature it on the website both for SEO purposes and also for those who prefer to read articles online instead of reading a physical magazine. My question is: what is the best method of displaying the magazine to get the most from search rankings and also to capitalise on the beautiful imagery from the magazine. The best option that I can think of is to upload the magazine as a flipbook and create a separate page on the website to display each article so that search engine crawlers can index the content. I do understand that this could be problematic if users are only spending time reading the flipbook and not so much time on the article pages. Do you guys have any suggestions about how to get the most out of this opportunity for my client? THANK YOU IN ADVANCE. Meaghan
Technical SEO | | StoryScout0 -
Which address do I use for citations
Hello, When I created my google places, I entered my address and when I got my google places activated I noticed that the address google places was displaying was a short abbreviation of my address. So my question is when it comes to creating citations for my listing do I grab the address google places generated for me in the listing or the long version of my address? I've just heard when it comes to creating citations, you need to make sure it is identical across the board. I hope this makes sense. Thanks!
Technical SEO | | fbbcseo0 -
Excessive use of KeyWord?
Hey I have an Immigration website in South Africa
Technical SEO | | NikitaG
MigrationLawyers.co.za and the website used to be divided in to two categories:
1st part - South African Immigration
2nd part - United Kingdom Immigration Because of that we made all the pages include the word "South Africa" in the titles. eg.
...ers.co.za/work-permit-south-africa
...ers.co.za/spousal-visa-south-africa
...ers.co.za/retirement-permit-south-africa
...ers.co.za/permanent-residence-south-africa I'm sure you get the idea.
we since, removed the UK part of the website and now are left only with the SA part. Now my question is: Is it bad? will google see this as spammy, as I'm targeting "South Africa" in almost every link of the website. Should I stick to the structure for new pages, or try to avoid any more use of "South Africa". Perhaps I can change something as it currently stands? Kind Regards
Nikita0 -
I noticed all my SEOed sites are getting attacked constantly by viruses. I do wordpress sites. Does anyone have a good recommendation to protect my clients sites? thanks
We have tried all different kinds of security plugins but none seem to work long term.
Technical SEO | | Carla_Dawson0 -
What hosting companies do you use & do you use dedicated servers
I am hoping the community of semoz will help me in deciding what hosting company i should use as there are hundreds of them. I have asked previously about dedicated servers but was shocked to have only received one responce. Recently i have been having nothing but problems with my hosting company so now i am trying to find a UK hosting company that can offer a dedicated server. I would be grateful if people could let me know what companies they use for their sites and if they use managed hosting companies.
Technical SEO | | ClaireH-1848860 -
Is Buying Domains Good For SEO? Can I 301 redirect domains to an Original website?
I have a friend that purchased multiple domains related to their website. Each of these domains have the back ground of the original website and irrelevant content on them. Is is possible to redirect the various domains to certain pages on the original website. For example if the website is www.shoes.com and they purchased domains such as www.leathermensshoes.com and a few others related to the website. Is it SEO friendly to link the domains purchased to the original website?
Technical SEO | | TSpike10