Can You Get Better Ranking/Conversion by Reducing the Number of Pages?
-
I am seriously considering reducing the number of pages in a section of our website. We currently have 39 webpages. I'm considering reducing it to 6.
The site architecture would make more sense giving recent design changes. And we could focus more attention on improving conversions from these 6 new pages. But I'm considering doing this mainly because I think it'll help us do a better job of communicating to and converting our audience.
The new pages would be longish. The existing 39 pages are by no means stubs, but these new pages would be longer.
Anyway, what I want to put out for discussion is the SEO impact.
- What are the good SEO reasons for reducing the number of pages?
- Can 6 well-done pages out perform 39 pretty-well-done pages?
- How many queries can one page rank for well?
- Is this SEO suicide?
Honestly, there's a part of me that cannot believe I'm saying this, but I think my heart is in the right place.
-
Hi Justin
Ask yourself:
-
Do all of these 39 pages individually provide value?
-
Can you condense these pages into 6?
-
Have you considered a content audit?
-
Have you checked your rankings for these 39 pages? Check Google & Bing Webmaster Tools / SEMRush
-
Your organic traffic? Check analytics
-
Do these pages have good backlinks? Check Majestic / Open Site Explorer
-
Longer content has correlations with better rankings based on some studies
This is a big decision and a big undertaking. You need to assess the value of these pieces - you said so yourself they are pretty well done. But, if they can be condensed into these six pieces and you have a plan in place to do so, then good luck! But, if you find in your assessment that there is user / search value to these pages, then you need to take a comb through everything and really make sure this is the route you want to take. There are definitely risks.
Hope this helps! Good luck!
-
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
-
Are FAQ's Pages Still Useful?
I know there has been a lot of discussion lately about FAQs pages and I'm wondering when and if they are still warranted useful and what if they have positive or negative effects on page rankings. Regards, John Brown
Content Development | | JohnBrown75
Essay Writer0 -
How do I get more traffic for my blog?
Hi there, I would like to know how to work on my blog to get more organic traffic. Thanks!!
Content Development | | lucywrites1 -
How do you rank a site in a very competitive market?
Do you focus on article submission, social media backlinks or what?
Content Development | | shauna70840 -
Community Discussion - What does becoming a 10x brand mean for you/your business/your clients?
This week on The Moz Blog, Eric Enge wrote about Why You Must Become a 10x Brand. In the post, he said: "You need to be in-demand. If some channel does not make it easy to find you, you need people to miss you. That's why you must behave like an authentic, engaged member of the overall community. Having a great product or service will be a requirement, but that's just table stakes—you need to be a 10x brand." I'd love to know what you think about this statement. In particular, I would love to hear your answers to the following questions: What does becoming a 10x brand mean for you, your business, or your clients? What does this look like in small business, medium business, large/huge businesses? Is it an easier process for any one of these categories, and how would you go about it? I can't wait to hear your thoughts on this topic, folks. Don't be shy, let's discuss. 🙂
Content Development | | Christy-Correll5 -
How can i export al my text to 1 file ?
I like to export al my website text to 1 file, to check if the are any errors in it. How is this possible ?
Content Development | | Jorianp0 -
If I write a article for a client and use Social Book Marking software, will this add value (or does the value depend on how ofen it gets shared)?
I'm about to start experimenting with bookmarking software. My first step is trying Ping.com (because it's free), but I am also keen to try Onlywire.com (which comes at a cost- darn). My questions are: when I create an article for a client and post to all these social sites will this make a difference? Or will it only make a difference if people share the article? Has anyone been experimenting with social bookmarking software that can tell me what results they have had and how they got there? Thanks a mil!
Content Development | | 2Stroke0 -
Getting started
I enter in the subdomain as : www.kimberliskuties.com which is my website I enter in the (Name Your Campaign) : Kimberlis Kuties which is my company's name. I hit continue and then it comes up saying " it can't process because of having twin domains" I'm not sure what else to enter ? Thank you Kimberli wwww.kimberliskuties.com
Content Development | | KimberlisKuties0 -
Getting the most out of existing PR
I am currently compiling material for a creative session where I will sit down with our client's PR team and look at ways to maximise SEO value while they do their usual PR work. Apart from obvious link inclusion in the written material (resource box / in-text) what are the other tactics that can be used to help SEO? I am not only thinking about content but also distributiuon and technology / platform as well. My (random) thoughts are around: Talking about specific website locations, features, media Generating curiosity Using existing media contacts and chanels as link opportunities Using interesting and user-friendly yet smantically rich content Use of synonims Referring to related terms and concepts Integrating social media Referring to PR material in blog and social media? (maybe bad idea) Note: I've recently been introduced to platforms such as HARO and MyBlogQuest (by Peter Gregory in this related posthttp://www.seomoz.org/q/are-press-release-sites-useful) and wondering if there is anything else out there that's new and exciting?
Content Development | | Dan-Petrovic1