John Mueller, a Google web expert, explained content strategies and how each one of them can help fulfill distinct goals. The question inquired about the creation of keyword-targeted content. Should we build fewer but stronger pages or create lots of pages?
Also, he asked if it is ideal for building fewer pages with stronger content or for creating more pages with different keywords having their pages. The question is hence all about the strategy of content and keywords.
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Build Fewer But Stronger Pages Or Create Lots Of Pages?
The user was concerned about the question, considering the eCommerce website content. “I have a question about the eCommerce website… We create content based on the keyword suggestions, autocompleted by Google to include more content around the one main topic.”
Explaining the inquiry with an example, the user followed:
“For example, the main topic or transactional intent is smartphones, and we’re going to create tech-related content around the smartphone, like blog posts.”
The user said, “Should we really need to create separate content or separate keywords around one topic, or is it just combining all different keywords in one intent and optimizing all our content around this intent?”
The Answer By The Google Expert
John Mueller explained that the options could go either way, and it is a strategic choice of the person at best. He said, “You can do it, either way; it’s more of a strategic decision, I think.
In general, you are balancing making pages specific for particular topics and making more general pages, but where you have fewer pages. So you’re kind of balancing many pages versus fewer pages.
And if you have fewer pages, generally, those few pages tend to be a little bit stronger. Whereas if you have a lot of pages, then it’s like the value is spread out a little bit more.”
Explaining how this works when translated to web content and in relation to keyword competition, he said, “So if there are specific topics where the competition is stronger, then you want to have very strong pages, so maybe fewer pages.
If you target areas where the competition is not so strong, then maybe having more pages is fine. So that’s kind of the balance that you would try to take there.
If you’re starting, probably having fewer pages is a good idea. So that you can be as strong as possible in that area. And then over time, as you see like we’re very good here. You can split off individual pages for more niche topics.”
How To Make Google Prioritize The Important Content?
Again keeping his ‘transactional intent’ in hindsight. The user asked how he could bring his strong content in the limelight if he followed the strategic advice of John Mueller.
John Mueller replied:
“You can’t give any priority for them, but you can help with internal linking. So within your website, you can highlight the pages you want to have highlighted more. And make sure that they’re well-linked internally.
And maybe the pages you don’t find that important, make sure that they’re a little less well-linked internally… Usually, you can think of it as the important pages you would have linked from your home page with internal linking. The less important pages are linked from like a category or subcategory page, something like that.
So when we look at your site, we see, oh, the home page is very important. And the home page points at these five pages. So these five pages are almost as important as the home page and then from there kind of the value is spread out.”
But he also said that though this is the way to bring your important content forward. It isn’t always a given that Google will respond to this. He said, “And that’s kind of the way that you can help us to figure out which pages you think are important. It doesn’t mean we will always follow that. But it’s a good way to give that kind of information.”
See also: Google Doesn’t Rank “Pages” Different From “Posts” – Know Why