When you run a local service business, you quickly realize that one website isn't enough. Different services attract different customers, and each service has its own set of keywords, competitors, and search intent. That's why a multi-brand web strategy — running multiple niche websites under one umbrella — can be incredibly powerful for SEO and lead generation.
In this post, I'll walk through how we built and manage 7 different websites for a construction and home services company based in Nynäshamn, Sweden, and share the lessons we've learned along the way.
Why Multiple Websites?
The traditional approach is to put everything on one domain. But here's the problem: when someone searches for "hemstädning Nynäshamn" (house cleaning in Nynäshamn), they want a cleaning service — not a general contractor's website with a cleaning page buried three levels deep.
By creating dedicated websites for each service vertical, you can:
- Rank for specific keywords more effectively
- Build topical authority in each niche
- Create focused user experiences that convert better
- Test different designs and approaches independently
The Portfolio: 7 Sites, 7 Verticals
Here's what our multi-brand portfolio looks like:
1. Totalbyggarna — General Construction
The flagship site. Handles renovations, extensions, and general byggverksamhet (construction work). This is the umbrella brand that ties everything together. Built with a custom Express.js setup deployed on Railway with Cloudflare in front.
2. Hemstädning Nynäshamn — Cleaning Services
A dedicated cleaning service website targeting the local market. Hyper-focused on hemstädning (house cleaning), kontorsstädning (office cleaning), and flyttstädning (move-out cleaning). The domain itself contains the primary keyword — a huge SEO advantage.
3. Staketmästaren — Fencing & Outdoor Structures
Fences, pergolas, carports, and outdoor living spaces. This niche has surprisingly low competition in Swedish search, which means even a simple well-optimized site can rank on page one.
4. Snabbgrund — Foundation & Groundwork
Specializing in ground preparation, markskruv (ground screws), and foundation work. The name literally means "fast foundation" — perfect keyword targeting. Ground screws are a growing market in Sweden as an alternative to traditional concrete foundations.
5. Son & Far Måleri — Painting & Kitchen Renovation
A father-and-son painting and kitchen renovation business. Covers both interior/exterior måleri (painting) and kök (kitchen) renovations. The personal branding angle ("Son & Father") adds authenticity and trust.
6. Bygglog — Construction Blog & Portfolio
A content-focused site that serves as a project diary and knowledge base. Documents ongoing construction projects with photos and updates. Great for building backlinks and establishing expertise.
7. Apex Studio — Web Design Agency
The web agency that builds and maintains all the other sites. This creates a nice circular ecosystem — Apex Studio showcases the other sites as portfolio pieces, while the other sites link back to Apex Studio as the developer.
Technical Architecture
Running 7 sites doesn't mean 7x the infrastructure headaches. Here's how we keep it manageable:
Shared Stack
- Framework: Mix of Gatsby (static sites) and Express.js
- Hosting: Railway for dynamic sites, Netlify for static builds
- CDN/DNS: Cloudflare for all domains
- Domain registrar: Svenskadomäner.se for .se domains
- Source control: GitHub organization (Kerlin-Bygg)
Content Strategy
Each site has its own content calendar, but they cross-reference each other naturally:
- Totalbyggarna might reference Snabbgrund when talking about foundation work
- Son & Far links to Totalbyggarna for larger renovation projects
- Bygglog documents projects from all the brands
- Apex Studio presents all sites in its portfolio
This creates a natural internal link network that search engines love, because the links are contextually relevant — not just random footer links.
SEO Results
After running this multi-brand strategy for several months, here are the key takeaways:
- Niche domains rank faster — hemstadning-nynashamn.se ranked for its primary keyword within weeks
- Local SEO is a goldmine — Less competition than generic national keywords
- Cross-linking boosts all sites — When done naturally, internal network links improve authority across the portfolio
- Content diversity matters — Having Bygglog for content and the service sites for conversions creates a balanced link profile
Lessons Learned
Do:
- Keep each site genuinely useful and unique
- Create real content, not thin doorway pages
- Use different designs to match each brand's personality
- Monitor all sites from a single dashboard
Don't:
- Don't make them look identical (Google notices)
- Don't stuff keywords — write for humans first
- Don't neglect any site — even small sites need updates
- Don't forget about mobile — 70%+ of local searches are on phones
The Developer's Perspective
As a developer, running multiple sites is actually a great way to experiment with different technologies and approaches. Staketmästaren might use a different CSS approach than Snabbgrund, and that's fine — it helps you learn and grow.
If you're a freelance web developer or run a small agency like Apex Studio, building a multi-brand portfolio for a single client is also a great business model. More sites = more monthly maintenance contracts, more SEO work, and more ongoing value.
Wrapping Up
A multi-brand web strategy isn't for everyone, but for local service businesses with multiple distinct service lines, it can be a game-changer. The key is to keep each site genuine, useful, and well-maintained.
If you've built something similar or have questions about managing multiple sites, I'd love to hear about it in the comments!
All sites mentioned in this article are real, live projects managed by our team. Check out Apex Studio to see how we approach web design for service businesses.
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