We had a sub domain website (very small... four or five pages) that was blocked via the robots.txt file for two or three years.  When we decided to have it indexed I did just what you did; fetch via GWT and clicked the button to add it to the index.  This worked and then the next day... or maybe two days later, it was gone.  I did this a couple of times...

It didn't hit the index and stick for two weeks.  But since then everything has been just fine.

Wouldn't it be logical then that if Google is doing it.... you don't have to?

Hello Tuan,

It is important to remember that the PR you see is just toolbar PR and is not the internal PageRank that Google uses in their ranking formula – no one has access to that.  Their Toolbar PR is high because of their large number of backlinks and content.

In looking at the website you provided the URL for, I see that there are dozens and dozens of completely unrelated, almost random looking, links in the website’s footer.  You do not want to be associated with this website – it will get noticed if it hasn’t already.  It is obvious that they sell links; this is exactly the type of thing Google looks for when hunting for link farms.

Hope this helps,

Vizergy

Hi Michael,

From my experience a sub-domain isn’t going to benefit much from the main site’s authority therefore needing a major link building campaign of its own.  I would say, if this is going to be a one page per franchise project rather than multiple pages of content, you might be better off with the sub-folder. That would allow the page to benefit more from the authority the main site has already gained.

I am not saying you won’t need to build links but I believe the necessary work would be less.

My two cents  Cheers

I completely agree.  I have had very similar projects.  Good luck!

Where I work we provide both template and custom solutions with templates being, obviously, more affordable.  Although we do very well with the customs our templates sell far more and of those there are, of course, templates that sell better than others.

We have never had any issues between websites that decide on the same templates.  Never.

Due to my practical experience with different properties using the same templates I have to say that I disagree with the assertion that the html and css (and jquery and everything else) that goes in to the template construct would be considered duplicate content.  I have always believed, and still do, that "duplicate content" refers only to the subject matter that is published on the website.  Nothing else.