Google Webmaster Blog sent out some questions from webmasters (that many of us have been asking) and provided answers. These are summarized in this article.
QUESTION: I have 3 blogs with the same content, is that a problem?
GOOGLE ANSWER: If the content is identical, it’s likely only one of the blogs will rank for it. Also, with this scattered of an effort chances are your incoming links will be distributed across the different blogs, instead of pointing to one source. Therefore you’re running the risk of both users and search engines not knowing which of your blogs is the definitive source.
OUR COMMENT: No, Virginia, you cannot put your identical content on many different sites and expect to get an SEO benefit from it. Please stop asking me this question!
QUESTION: Should I believe SEO agencies that promise to make my site rank first in Google in a few months and with a precise number of links?
GOOGLE ANSWER: No one can make that promise; therefore the short answer is no, you should not. However, we have some great tips on how to find a trustworthy SEO in our Help Center.
OUR COMMENT: Customer’s ask us about this a lot. There are so many “quick fix” guys out there promising the sun, moon and starts. Remember: if it seems too good to be true it probably is. Click here to get our free SEO White Paper and learn the basics of SEO.
QUESTION: Is there any preference between Top Level Domains like .com and .info in ranking?
GOOGLE ANSWER: No, there is none. Our focus is on the content of the site.
OUR COMMENT: YES! Content is king! Content is what separates the winners from the wannabes. It takes some time and thought to write compelling, fresh content for your website. And then do it again next week or next month. Most site owner’s won’t do it. That’s one of the reasons the search engines place such a heavy emphasis on content.
