Site Wide Keywords

Back in late August I started an experiment in using Public Domain Material and incorporating it into an existing website.

The Public Domain Material increased the amount of pages on the microsite from 6 to 43 pages. It was assumed that the increase in long tail keywords would improve traffic and add value for the existing traffic.

Only what happened was something totally different.

As you can see the traffic drop off started right after the late August incorporation of the public domain material.

The Problem: The Site Wide Keywords were no longer focused.

In effect my microsite went from a very focused few pages concentrating on a single set of keywords. With the addition of the new material the bulk of the website was now a nonfocused jumble of cooking related keywords.

The effect on search engine traffic was devestating over time. Both a 50% drop in page views and income from what was once a decent performer.

The Lesson: If your ENTIRE website isn't focused for a set of keywords then your search engine results will not be as strong.

The Cure: I now have two options,

1. Eliminate the Public Domain Pages that I built and find another more relevant place for them with another website returning my microsites focus back to its original keyword.
2. Create more content focused on my original keyword so that the Public Domain Content does not out weigh the value of my core content.