12 replies to this topic

[azs]

I've been studying SEO for several months and feel ready to apply what I know. My first project is to optimize an existing site that sells CD labels. It's all Flash and graphics - so first and foremost I will redesign using mostly text and optimizing techniques.

My question is this..the existing site is very small. Only 3-5 pages. What's the minimum amount of pages I want the site to be? How do I come up with additional content that's relevant? I’ve heard that larges sites in terms of page quantity do better in terms of maximum page rank. Over time the site will grow as their product line grows - but that may not be for some time.

I appreciate any help that comes my way. Thanks

azs

[compar]

My question is this..the existing site is very small. Only 3-5 pages. What's the minimum amount of pages I want the site to be?

There is no minimum as far as I'm concerned. I guess what you are asking for is an optimum number of pages in order to have a chance to rank well. But this will depend on who your competition is to a large degree.

So use as many pages as your content seems to justify. If you can find a legitimate additional source of content, such as newletters or anything else that is relevant then include it.

My suggestion is simply to do the best SEO job you can with the pages you have and if the site is going to grow overtime let that natural growth or progression determine the final number of pages.

[Scottie]

Hi azs-

Welcome to the forum!

As Bob says, there is no optimum size. As the product line grows, the site will grow. In the meantime, is there helpful information you can include on the site? Maybe how-to pages or anything else that relates to the product?

You don't necessarily have to get rid of the flash site- just give users an option to view the flash site or the html version. Of course then you'll have to maintain 2 sites, but sometimes it is worth it.

[Jill]

Welcome, azs!

Something important to remember is that building a great site that ranks highly in the search engines is a long-term proposition. Add content as it is warranted. If you've already got content through offline sources start adding it. But don't worry about having a huge site to start out with.

Write articles, create an email newsletter, start a forum! All these things add content. In fact, I just added over 500 pages to my site this month due to this forum!

Jill

[azs]

Thanks for all the great responses! This forum rocks! Even my dog Daisy is impressed.

Now the serious part. Until my site grows - even with good optimization - is it realistic to achieve to 20 (or better yet to 10) ranking with a site comprised of only 10 pages? I imagine competition plays a large role in the answer.

azs

[azs]

I know...the word "top" has a "p" at the end of it...

[Jill]

Totally depends on what keyword phrases you choose and how well you really know how to optimize.

I have optimized hundreds of sites that are 10 pages or less that rank highly for tons of keyword phrases that are relevant to their business. In most cases, size does not matter. It helps, but not every site needs to be big.

Jill

[Searchaware]

Hi azs

It does depend pretty much on the subject matter of your site and the terms you are optimising for. If there aren't too many optimised sites for the subject you should be able to rank well by following the advice throughout these forums even with just a handful of pages.

I guess your limit might well be the number of different search terms you want to rank well for. It's usually not realistic to be able to create a page which is relevant for more than 3 key phrases - well at least that tends to be the case in my experience.

Simon

[BrianR]

I've been watching this thread for a while and, just before I logoff and go to bed (it's 11:15pm here in the UK!), let me say to azs that even a newbie like me has been able to create a 10 page site for a client in a competitive environment where we were up against much bigger sites and we still achieved a goodly number of top 10 listings on our chosen keyphrases, so it can be done!

Goodnight...

BrianR

[azs]

Thanks to all!

[idrive]

And Jill said...

In most cases, size does not matter.

Good to know. Thanks

[compar]

Thanks for all the great responses! This forum rocks! Even my dog Daisy is impressed.

I had a dog Daisy who died unexpectedly at an early age. She was a wonderful dog. You can see a web site we created in her name at [http://www.daisysdirectory.com]

[azs]

Thanks for the Daisy story. I went to the site...very cute dog. Nice job paying tribute. Thank you everyone for your feedback!