Advice or tips needed regarding domain vs subdomain

[mbeek]

Hello all,

I know there must be already a few threads on here regarding this topic, but decided to post my question anyway just to make sure.

I am fairly new to SEO (I mean in trying to do it more properly). The issue I currently have is the following:

I have a domain name, let's say www.example.com which also will have a lot of subdomains. On the main domain name I will run a business directory, with listings for companies. As a additional service I will link these listings to small websites for these companies. These websites will run on the same domain, but as a subdomain, e.g. companyA.example.com.

What has happened is that by coincidence two of the small websites were finished before the main and I registered them in the search engines, e.g. as companyA.domain.com and companyB.domain.com. They both have quite high rankings for the search terms they require.

Now I have finished the business directory and have tried twice now to register this main domain (eg www.example.com) in the search engine, but it does not show up. I know it usually takes a while, but the other two showed up after a couple of days. Even if I type the full url in the google search box it will not show up (only one of the other two because for some reason google did not index the subdomain name but the url with the subdirectories).

Any suggestions what might have happened? Or maybe I did something wrong. Or could I have been banned from google? (But in that case the subdomains would be banned to I guess,and they still show up).

Any suggestions welcome...

Thanks in advance,
MB

[Jazajay]

Have you got any links back to the directory?
Ares these, or variations in the url, title or h1?
Links?
Directory?

[mbeek]

I have some links, I posted it in the DMOZ but still waiting to show up. Also at some local related sites. Trying to get more.
The thing I cannot understand is that even if I type the full url in the search box, it is not found (only one of the subdomains which is an independent site).

If you want to have a look: sandanski-online.eu. Content is still being added at the moment.

[Jazajay]

You have 8 pages indexed.
The problem is they are all flash based with no link back to the home directory page.

I cant see any links back to your main directory as of yet.
What I would say is provide a html link for the index page at
example.com/subdomains/websites/html/index.html

to
example.com.

example.com being your site name.

Then get links that are indexed in Google to point to the directory home page.

At the moment you wont get into the DMOZ due to lack of content. Sites with lots of content get in quickly, sites with little don't at all.
Add more content, as you said, but add more to the home page and category pages especially.

The HTML link from the flash sub-directory should help you get indexed in the mean time.

Now lets do some cleaning.
this is madness
<META name="robots" CONTENT="index, follow">
<META name="revisit-after" content="7 days">
<meta name="city" content="Sandanski">
<meta name="country" content="Bulgaria"><meta name="state" content="">
<meta name="zipcode" content="2800">
<meta name="geo.position" content="41567.00000;23450.00000">
<meta name="geo.placename" content="Sandanski"><meta name="geo.region" content="BG"><meta name="icbm" content="41567.00000;23450.00000"><meta name="copyright" content="MBit E-Business Bulgaria"><meta name="author" content="MBit E-Business Bulgaria"><meta name="publisher" content="MBit E-Business Bulgaria">
<meta name="keywords" content="Sandanski OnlineSandanski DirectorySandanski Business DirectorySandanski IndexFind a Company in SandanskiFind a Business in SandanskiFind a Contractor in Sandanskiaccommodationbulgariabulgaria bulgariabulgaria citybulgaria city sandanskibulgaria sandanskibulgaria touristbulgaria tourist informationbulgaria tourist information sandanskibulgaria travelcity
city sandanskibulgaria city sandanskidirectoryguidehotels sandanskiinformation sandanski spa resortsandanskisearchtourist information sandanskiArts & EntertainmentAutos & BoatsBusiness & ProfessionalCommunityComputer & ElectronicsEducation & TrainingFamily GuideHealth & MedicineHome GuideMoney & FinancePersonal & BeautyShopping GuideSports & RecreationTravel"><meta name="description" content="Sandanski Online Directory - Find any company, business, shop, hotel, accountant, contractor in Sandanski Bulgaria. The sandanski directory is the only guide you need."><META http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1"> <link rel="stylesheet" href="http://www.sandanski-online.eu/template/default/css.css"><title>
Home-Sandanski Online Directory - Your online guide to find any business in Sandanski</title>
And can be cut down to this -

<META http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1">
<title>
Home-Sandanski Online Directory - Your online guide to find any business in Sandanski</title>
<meta name="description" content="Sandanski Online Directory - Find any company, business, shop, hotel, accountant, contractor in Sandanski Bulgaria. The sandanski directory is the only guide you need.">
<link rel="stylesheet" href="http://example.com/template/default/css.css">
What I have done is got rid pointless code.
I have re-ordered them to their default positions, this is debatable if it will cause an issue but we might as well while we are at it.

The code in the keyword tag may have caused a spamming issue, again debatable but it has none to very little SEO use so I would get rid of it and it's bloat to your code.

Secondly then remove the 200 hundred lines of JavaScript code an put it in a separate file.
example.com/js/yourJavaScriptFile.js

You can do this to any inline CSS as well but thats upto you. I would.

In that just place your JavaScript code no script tags are needed this will cut your code bloat down. Add good indexable content to your home page and you shouldn't have an issue.

Now on all your sub pages take out the bread crumb style in the title tag. so rather than this




Home

|
Arts &amp; Entertainment

|


Bars
-Sandanski Online Directory - Your online guide to find any business in Sandanski
Change it simply to this

<title>Bars in Sandanski</title>Again the extra code is not needed and will probably hurt you. If you want to provide bread crumbs do it on page with links to the corresponding categories. Not in the title of the page.

You don't need your name in their as people aren't going to be searching for your name but the business you offer. A few titles are the same so make them more unquie and remove -

Your online guide to find any business in Sandanski

from everyone as that is spammy and a waste of time.

That said I personally think your directory is 1 of the best I have ever seen in turns of link equity, I'm talking about the actual business page and how one page is just one business orinated rather than a list of links with minor descriptions. If you decide to do one in the UK please let me know.

Well done for thinking outside the box.
I don't tend to do directory submissions but I would submit to yours. Regardless of the SEO value you provided to me.

Jaza

[mbeek]

Jazajay,

Thank you very much for this extensive reply. I am still going through your advice and recommendations. There is just one initial comment I would like to make.

When you say 8 pages are indexed, I think you are referring to one of the subdomains (the webdesign company) and not the directory. This is basically an independent site and has not much to do with the directory. I think I will move this to its own domain at later stage.

I will go through the rest of your advice now.

[Jazajay]

The webdesign company is a sub-directory
it's located at
example.com/subdomains/websites/html/index.html
if it was a sub domain it would be
websites.example.com/html/index.html.

example being your site name.

A link from this sub-directory to your dir home page will help you get the main directory indexed.

Jaza

[mbeek]

Hi Jaza,

Thanks again for all the advice. I worked through all your recommendations and implemented them.

Do you think I need to resubmit to the search engines or just wait?

The same question for DMOZ. When I have added more content to it, should I resubmit? If they did not add me initially I doubt they will check again later...

[Jazajay]

A re-submit cant hurt.
I would rather get a link back from any web site, prefreably one related to you, in Google. Google will then follow the link back from thier site and index your content. Search for the page, where the link will be, in Google. if it returns a result for that page it's indexed.

For the DMOZ first finish your site.
Secondly place good useable content on your site.
Home,
Category,
and bussniss pages.

DMOZ is easy to get in if the site is finished and has lots of content. Get the directory fuller add more content and then re-submit would be advice.

I would make bussinesses write at least 200-300 words to advertise thier bussiness on your site, this will give you more unquie content, which is the key for you, hopefully driving more traffic to your site.

You will probably only need a few links to rank well if you have good local content in your area.

I would also go back over the sites who have submitted and ask them to do the same as some are a little bit thin and you could use the content.
I cant see them saying no as leads generated from your site will more than likely equal bussniess for them, as you are a local and specific directory.

Jaza

[Jazajay]

One other thing.
I've just noticed you have the same bussniess's under differnet urls.
For example you have one under computer repairs and the same one under computer networking.

These will give you duplicate content when the Search Engines start indexing your site.

I would suggest you choose one main one per bussiness. If you need to pad them out you will have to get creative about the way you handle them. A search to see which category they came from via a session. If they didn't come from the main one block it via meta noindex. Something like that.

I would also say to block all empty directories as again to the search engines you have the same content, be it nav, header and footer under quite a few differnt urls at the moment.

When you start to pad the directory out then un block them.

Jaza

[mbeek]

Jaza,

My hat off to you. I am listed now. Without even resubmitting. I noticed a few pages are in the directory and the rest is following I expect. I just forgot to do one thing you mentioned and that is block empty pages (as they are being indexed now). And I probably need to do a little bit of optimizing to be found under the right keywords. For example, if some types 'sandanski directory' I want to have a high ranking. But I guess I first block the empty pages and see what get's indexed.

Thanks again,
Mb

[Jazajay]

It's all right mbeek.
I will admit I am a god like human being. :D

Glad to help

Jaza

[Jazajay]

Hi Mbeek.
I was working on my site today and I was adding a rewrite rule for my URL's. For some absolutely strange reason I thought of you and your site. Yeah I know creepy.

My friends tell me that a lot. :)

Any way I re-checked your site and noticed you need to redirect the www.version (http://#)of your site to the non www. version and also index.php to your domain name as well.
To do that place this is a .htaccess file, let me know if you need to know how to create one.

RewriteEngine on
Options +FollowSymLinks
RewriteCond %{HTTP_HOST} !^sandanski-online\.eu
RewriteRule ^(.*)$ http://sandanski-online.eu/$1 [R=301,L]
RewriteRule ^(.*)index\.php$ / [R=301,L]
That should sort it out. Once it is done type in -

www dot sandanski-online dot eu/index.php

and it should then change to -

sandanski-online dot eu/

Other wise you will have a duplicate content issue.
Any problems let me know.

Creepy
Jaza :D