Do we need separate websites, or should everything live on one site?

Short answer

A new website only makes sense if the positioning is fundamentally different. If not - one strong, well-structured site almost always performs better than several smaller ones.

Here's how we usually look at it.

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When a separate site does make sense

Creating a new site is justified when at least one of these is true:

• Different positioning or audience Different ICP, different buying triggers, different language, different value proposition.
• Different business model For example: marketplace vs agency, product vs consulting, B2B vs B2C.
• Different intent universe The site answers fundamentally different questions for users (not just variations of the same one).
• Brand separation is intentional You want Google and users to treat it as a separate entity with its own authority.

In these cases, a new site is not "splitting SEO" - it's creating a new semantic and commercial space.

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When a separate site usually hurts more than it helps

Multiple sites are usually a bad idea when:

• The services are closely related.
• The audience overlaps.
• The keywords and search intent overlap.
• The content would be 70-80% similar.
• One site would inevitably be weaker.

In this scenario, you end up:

• splitting authority,
• duplicating effort,
• competing with yourself in search,
• slowing down trust building.

Google strongly prefers one authoritative source per topic, not several half-strong ones.

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The "one strong site" model (most common for B2B)

For most B2B platforms and services, the winning approach is:

One domain -> clear structure -> strong internal linking

Instead of multiple sites, you separate by structure, not by domain.

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Common structural models (and when to use them)

1. Hub-and-spoke model (recommended in most cases)

• Hub pages Broad, authoritative pages (e.g. "Coworking Platform", "Office Marketplace", "Flexible Workspace Software").
• Spokes Supporting pages:
• locations,
• use cases,
• industries,
• features,
• guides,
• case studies.

This tells Google:

"This is the main topic - everything else supports it."

This model scales extremely well and avoids cannibalization.

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2. Service-led structure

Used when people search primarily by solution type.

• Core services as main pages.
• Supporting content below:
• who it's for,
• how it works,
• examples,
• locations.

Good for agencies, platforms, and consultative products.

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3. Content / authority-led structure

Used when organic growth is driven by education and research.

• Strong knowledge base / library.
• Guides, comparisons, explainers.
• Commercial pages supported by authority content.

This works well when the buying cycle is long and research-heavy.

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4. Geo-led structure (careful)

Works when location truly changes the offering (pricing, availability, regulation).

Must be:

• deeply localized,
• clearly differentiated,
• internally linked to a global hub.

Otherwise it quickly turns into thin or cannibalizing pages.

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Content strategies are more important than site count

What actually matters for growth is how content is organized, not how many sites exist.

Typical strategies we see working:

• Commercial hubs + educational support Services + guides + proof.
• Programmatic pages with intent control Locations / industries that clearly answer different questions.
• Case-driven authority Real examples reinforcing commercial pages.
• Knowledge base explaining "how we think" Builds trust and long-tail visibility.

All of this works better on one strong domain than across many weak ones.

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Our general recommendation

If the question is:

"Should we create another site or another section?"

Our default answer is:

Start with one strong site. Split only when positioning truly diverges.

It's much easier to:

• expand structure,
• add hubs,
• segment content,

than to merge authority later after splitting it.

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Bottom line

• Multiple sites != better SEO.
• Authority compounds best on one domain.
• Structure and intent separation matter more than domains.
• New sites are for new positioning - not for organizational convenience.

If you want, next step could be:

• mapping your current topics into clear hubs,
• or stress-testing whether any part of the business really deserves a separate site.

That's usually where the right answer becomes obvious.