Single or Multiple Domains?

This has always been a big issue within the SEO community. Is it better to have a single domain or multiple domains? It’s frustrating because there is no right answer; while some businesses may benefit from having a single domain, others may find that having multiple positions is better for search engines and visitors.  Here’s a look at some pros and cons to help you decide.

Pros of Multiple Domains

• While Google is talking about EMDs, the exact match keywords still contribute to your search ranking. So, if you have multiple domains, you can optimise the URL to try to hit those different keywords.
• Having ccTLDs, or country code top level domains, can help you rank higher in the country-specific version of Google. If you operate in multiple countries, this can help you do two things: improve your position in the SERPs and provide a more targeted user experience for each country or locality.
• Other websites are often more apt to link to niche websites. Say you are an exterminator. If you had one big domain, it is very unlikely that another exterminating company would link to your site. If, however, you have a niche site that discusses ways to prevent pest infestation, you might get links that way as the competitor seeks to provide relevant information to visitors.
• You can get sites to link more deeply into your site so readers can find the information/products/services that they are looking for. Again, this can also help specific pages rank much better in the SERPs.
• You may be able to rank several times in the search engine results.

Pros for Single Domain

• If you need a visitor to complete a transaction or specific CTA, it is often helpful to keep them on one site.
• You only need to create content for one domain! This is an important consideration. With multiple domains, each site’s content needs to be unique.
• If you are writing, say, an English language site but it is to be live in multiple different countries, it is often helpful to have one generic site with a gTLD, or generic top level domain. Again, this prevents you from having to create unique content.
• You can interlink to other pages on a single domain. If you do this across multiple domains, it reduces the value of the links.
• If you put the time in to cultivate quality links, you only have to do it for one site. You can create greater authority, and this does not transfer as well when you are working with multiple domains.

Which will suit your purposes better?