How We Did It: Mastering Multi-Site SEO Case Study

Multi-site SEO is simply a analyzable but indispensable strategy for businesses managing aggregate domains oregon subdomains.

It’s not conscionable astir optimizing each tract successful isolation – it’s astir creating a unified attack that ensures each domains enactment unneurotic to boost rankings and conversions.

By gathering a cohesive integer presence, multi-site SEO helps businesses people antithetic audiences, conscionable circumstantial idiosyncratic needs, and consolidate SEO authority.

This attack tin importantly heighten visibility and performance, but lone erstwhile executed with elaborate readying and a wide strategy.

What Is Multi-Site SEO?

Multi-site SEO is the signifier of optimizing multiple domains oregon websites nether a azygous organization.

It involves a centralized codebase that operates arsenic the encephalon crossed the network, portion strategically allowing administrators to negociate each site’s content, pages, keywords, and interior links separately to debar interior contention portion boosting visibility.

For endeavor companies with divers brands, locations, oregon assemblage segments, multi-site SEO is captious to creating a cohesive integer presence.

It allows businesses to cater to assorted lawsuit needs portion gathering domain authorization crossed their full portfolio.

Additionally, a multi-site web allows the contented and codebase to beryllium managed centrally portion providing the enactment for unsocial customizations for each of the kid sites.

Image from author, October 2024

The Top 9 Multi-Site SEO Tactics We Used For Orlando.org

When we had the accidental to pb the multi-site SEO and website strategy for Orlando.org, it was a unsocial challenge.

The Orlando Economic Partnership (OEP) was managing 4 antithetic web properties, each targeting chiseled audiences – businesses, talent, investors, and media.

These websites were disconnected, had abstracted management, and faced issues with information tracking, SEO performance, and idiosyncratic experience.

Integrating these sites into 1 cohesive multi-site architecture wasn’t conscionable astir improving SEO; it was astir streamlining and end-to-end experience.

Here’s however we did it.

Screenshot from Orlando Economic Partnership, October 2024

1. Selecting The Right Domain Structure And Centralized Architecture

One of the astir captious decisions successful multi-site SEO is selecting the due domain structure.

Here are 3 superior options, each with its ain interaction connected SEO:

• Separate Domains: Ideal for businesses with chiseled brands, abstracted domains let each tract to people antithetic audiences without overlap. However, this operation requires sizeable effort to physique authorization for each domain, arsenic SEO equity doesn’t transportation betwixt them.
• Subdomains: Subdomains (e.g., blog.example.com) are abstracted from the main domain but stock immoderate of its authority. This operation provides flexibility to people antithetic keywords portion retaining immoderate SEO benefits from the basal domain. Additionally, it allows each of the websites wrong the sub-domain to clasp a centralized codebase but with unsocial layouts and plan templates.
• Subdirectories: Subdirectories (e.g., example.com/blog) are portion of the main domain and straight payment from its existing SEO authority. This operation is easier to negociate but mightiness bounds flexibility erstwhile targeting antithetic assemblage segments oregon geographic locations.

After cautious analysis, we decided that a subdomain operation was the champion choice.

This setup allowed america to make chiseled spaces for businesses, talent, investors, and media portion keeping SEO authorization centralized nether the genitor domain.

Each subdomain could beryllium tailored to its audience’s needs, and the flexibility successful targeting keywords was captious for improving performance.

Screenshot from Orlando Economic Partnership, October 2024

By utilizing a centralized architecture with subdomains, we simplified contented management, optimized idiosyncratic flow, and ensured SEO authorization was distributed efficiently.

This strategy prevented interior contention betwixt subdomains portion allowing each 1 to fertile for its intended audience.

2. Audience Research And User Behavior

The instauration of our strategy was rooted successful heavy assemblage research. We analyzed the behaviors, symptom points, and goals of each people radical to tailor the subdomains accordingly:

• Businesses: Needed insights into Orlando’s infrastructure, taxation benefits, and endowment excavation to find whether relocating oregon expanding successful the metropolis made sense.
• Talent: Focused connected occupation opportunities, outgo of living, and manner factors similar lodging and schools to determine if Orlando was the close spot to unrecorded and work.
• Investors: Required information connected Orlando’s economical growth, marketplace opportunities, and imaginable returns, relying connected elaborate concern lawsuit studies.
• Media: Needed speedy entree to property releases, occurrence stories, and economical statistic to screen developments successful Orlando’s growth.

Through this research, we developed perfect idiosyncratic journeys for each division.

Screenshot from author, October 2024

By processing idiosyncratic personas for each audience, we ensured that each subdomain addressed the circumstantial hunt behaviour and contented preferences of its users, which guided our strategy.

3. Establishing Content Silos For Audience Segmentation

Creating contented silos was indispensable to amended SEO relevance and idiosyncratic engagement. Each subdomain had intelligibly defined contented categories aligned with idiosyncratic intent, ensuring that visitors recovered precisely what they needed.

For OEP, we segmented the tract into 4 contented silos – each targeting a circumstantial assemblage (businesses, talent, investors, and media).

Screenshot from author, October 2024

This helped amended the clarity of messaging portion bolstering topical authorization for hunt engines. Each subdomain’s contented and keywords were optimized to service its circumstantial audience’s needs without overlap, ensuring a streamlined idiosyncratic experience.

Screenshot from Orlando Economic Partnership, October 2024

Important Tip For Avoiding Duplicate Content

Multi-site SEO strategies often hazard duplicate content and keyword cannibalization, particularly erstwhile managing aggregate subdomains.

To debar this, we implemented canonical tags and conducted regular contented audits to guarantee that each subdomain had unique, well-optimized contented tailored to its audience.

This prevented interior contention betwixt subdomains and kept each tract ranking for its targeted keywords.

4. Configuring The Multi-Site Website Architecture

Once we had a coagulated knowing of our audiences, we turned our attraction to gathering a centralized, multi-site architecture.

This allowed each integer properties to beryllium managed nether 1 domain portion inactive serving segmented contented via subdomains.

The cardinal to this architecture was establishing dynamic information relationships crossed contented types. By centralizing the contented database, we could repurpose circumstantial contented crossed subdomains with tailored messaging for each audience.

Through idiosyncratic research, we analyzed idiosyncratic journeys, drop-offs, and conversion paths to usher the benignant of information relationships needed.

For example, businesses needed to spot occurrence stories, but the aforesaid contented could beryllium reframed to pull endowment by emphasizing occupation creation.

Image from author, October 2024

5. Mapping Out Our Content Types And Taxonomies

To marque contented easy accessible and cross-promote it crossed subdomains, we categorized it utilizing flexible content types, specified arsenic Page, Post, Video, Podcast, Event, Success Story, Statistic, Downloadable, Company, etc.

We besides utilized taxonomies to categorize contented to assistance america physique cardinal relationships crossed the assorted contented types like: Industries, Topics, Regions, Team/Unit, Post Type, Department, Theme, etc.

Image from author, October 2024

This strategy allowed america to link the aforesaid contented to antithetic subdomains, depending connected however it was categorized.

For instance, marketplace information applicable to investors could besides look nether businesses oregon regions, ensuring that contented was dynamically linked crossed the site.

Example Use Case: Cross-Promoting Content

In the aviation industry, we tailor existing contented types to the audience:

• Company profiles could item starring tech companies successful Orlando, attracting caller businesses.
• Team subordinate bios would amusement cardinal executives, enticing talent.
• Statistics could amusement cardinal stats for the manufacture comparative to attracting businesses oregon talent.
• Downloadables similar reports connected marketplace maturation could seizure capitalist interest.

Screenshot from author, October 2024

By linking contented similar marketplace data, institution profiles, and squad members done astute taxonomies, we ensured the aforesaid contented was shown to the close assemblage crossed subdomains.

This not lone improved SEO by focusing contented astir related keywords but besides enhanced idiosyncratic experience, providing visitors with a much tailored journey.

6. Establishing Our Domain Transition Phases

Phase 1: Content Audit And Consolidation

The archetypal measurement was a comprehensive content audit to identify which contented needed updating, which could beryllium consolidated, and what could beryllium pruned.

By eliminating duplicate contented and refining the absorption of each subdomain, we ensured we wouldn’t vie with ourselves.

Image from author, October 2024

Phase 2: Prioritized Migration And Data Relationships

Next, we prioritized the migration of the contented into the caller architecture, utilizing 301 redirects to support SEO equity.

Each portion of contented was tagged with circumstantial taxonomies, allowing it to beryllium cross-promoted betwixt subdomains.

For example, an lawsuit video assemblage could beryllium categorized nether some industries and opportunities, ensuring it was seen by businesses and talent.

Image from author, October 2024

Phase 3: Continuous Optimization And Testing

Once the tract was live, we moved into continuous optimization.

This progressive investigating interior links, refining keyword strategies, and ensuring that each subdomain’s contented was afloat optimized.

Regular A/B testing allowed america to recognize however antithetic audiences interacted with the tract and set the idiosyncratic acquisition accordingly.

7. Configuring Technical SEO Best Practices

Cross-Domain Tracking Using GA4 Data Streams

With Google Analytics 4 (GA4), cross-domain tracking is much businesslike acknowledgment to the usage of information streams.

Instead of utilizing UTM parameters, we acceptable up cross-domain tracking straight wrong GA4, linking aggregate domains and subdomains nether 1 property.

By configuring information streams for each subdomain, we were capable to seizure idiosyncratic interactions crossed the full Orlando.org ecosystem successful a unified view.

This setup allowed america to way idiosyncratic journeys crossed subdomains seamlessly, providing elaborate insights into postulation sources, idiosyncratic behavior, and conversion paths.

GA4’s event-based tracking enabled america to measurement engagement metrics much accurately, allowing america to analyse which sections – whether businesses, talent, investors, oregon media – were driving the astir worth and to optimize contented for amended show crossed subdomains.

Screenshot from GA4, October 2024

Internal Link Building Efforts

Internal linking was important for ensuring SEO authorization flowed betwixt subdomains.

Each interior nexus was strategically placed to usher users to applicable contented portion strengthening the SEO show of each subdomain.

For example, a concern blog station astir relocation could nexus to concern opportunities oregon endowment recruitment stories, providing seamless navigation portion distributing nexus equity crossed the site.

Implementing Consistent URL Structures

Maintaining a accordant URL operation crossed subdomains was indispensable for improving tract crawlability and helping hunt engines recognize its architecture.

This besides enhanced idiosyncratic navigation, expanding engagement and reducing bounce rates.

Each subdomain, specified arsenic business.orlando.org, life.orlando.org, oregon news.orlando.org, followed a clear, intuitive structure, making it easier for users and hunt engines to research the tract nether the genitor domain of Orlando.org.

Screenshot from hunt for [Orlando Economic News Keywords], Google, October 2024

Managing Sitemaps And Robots.txt Files Across Multiple Sites

Sitemaps and robots.txt files play a important relation successful multi-site SEO.

Each subdomain had its ain optimized sitemap, helping hunt engines crawl and scale contented efficiently.

Robots.txt files were configured to forestall duplication and negociate the crawl budget, ensuring the astir important pages were prioritized and decently indexed.

8. Ongoing Testing And Optimizations

Even aft launching the caller Orlando.org, continuous optimization was cardinal to semipermanent success.

• A/B Testing and User Behavior: We conducted A/B investigating to find which versions of contented performed champion with antithetic audiences. Business pages often needed much elaborate data, portion talent-focused contented benefited from videos and occurrence stories. This helped fine-tune the idiosyncratic acquisition for each audience.
• SEO Refinement and Surveys: We regularly adjusted SEO strategies, including interior linking, meta descriptions, and hreflang tags, based connected ongoing data. User surveys provided captious feedback, allowing america to refine the tract further and optimize the experience.

  Screenshot by author, October 2024

9. Analyzing Our Results & Performance

The motorboat of the caller website consolidated 4 abstracted properties into a streamlined multi-site platform, importantly improving engagement with the Orlando Economic Partnership’s people audiences and delivering awesome results wrong the archetypal six months:

• 287% summation successful integrated web traffic: Improved assemblage segmentation and keyword optimization fueled important postulation maturation crossed subdomains.
• 10,600 integrated keywords ranked: Ranking for galore long-tail and nationalist keywords.
• 1,105% summation successful pb conversions: Improved idiosyncratic travel and pb seizure funnel.
• 73.6% simplification successful CPA: Through improved pb prime and conversion rates.

Screenshot from Google Search Console, October 2024

Additionally, the centralized architecture reduced operational complexity and contented absorption efforts, giving OEP flexibility to standard the level portion maintaining a unified integer presence.

Common Pitfalls To Avoid In Multi-Site SEO

Over-Fragmenting Domains

Creating excessively galore subdomains oregon domains dilutes nexus equity and spreads SEO efforts excessively thin.

Focus connected a streamlined operation that centralizes authorization portion keeping contented segmented.

By consolidating Orlando.org into subdomains, we maintained beardown SEO authorization and avoided fragmentation.

Keyword Cannibalization

Targeting the aforesaid keywords crossed subdomains tin pb to keyword cannibalization, wherever your sites vie against each other.

To debar this, make chiseled keyword strategies for each subdomain and regularly show keyword positioning.

This ensures each subdomain ranks for its intended presumption without overlap.

Poor Link-Building Coordination

Neglecting to physique backlinks for subdomains tin bounds their SEO growth.

Each subdomain requires its ain link-building strategy, paired with interior cross-domain linking, to administer nexus equity effectively.

For OEP, this attack helped amended rankings and ensured each subdomains benefitted from the authorization of the main domain.

Ignoring Cross-Domain Tracking And Analytics

Failure to instrumentality cross-domain tracking tin marque it hard to way idiosyncratic behaviour crossed subdomains.

Using UTM parameters and enabling cross-domain tracking is captious to knowing however users interact with antithetic sections of the site.

This penetration is indispensable for optimizing each subdomain and its publication to the wide site.

Mismanaging Site Migrations

A poorly executed tract migration tin harm SEO if not done carefully.

Beyond using 301 redirects, guarantee due handling of interior links, sitemaps, canonical tags, and URL structures.

By managing tract migrations correctly, you support SEO authorization and forestall ranking drops during the transition.

Conclusion

A well-executed multi-site SEO strategy is captious for businesses managing aggregate domains oregon subdomains.

By leveraging a strategical attack – arsenic we did – that incorporates assemblage research, website architecture, and phased execution, businesses tin boost rankings, amended idiosyncratic experience, and thrust engagement crossed each assemblage segments.

With due readying and continuous optimization, multi-site SEO tin unlock important worth and present lasting results.

More resources: 

• Simplifying Google Updates And Communications For C-Level Stakeholders
• Creating Value And Content Across Multiple City And Area Service Pages
• State Of SEO 2025

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