Most people and even you might think microsites are just high-priced mini websites with cool Flash animations, visually stunning presentations but low or zero SEO value. Well, think again! It’s actually just a very common misconception. Over the years, microsites have grown from their low down image of questionable usability into powerful tools for great marketing opportunities. The new generation of microsites features not only artistic and creative presentations of your products or services but also useful information and interesting contents that are easier to absorb than those in other websites. For those who are not quite familiar with microsites, basically these are smaller websites usually have just a page or two. Microsites are generally used for a specific task like promoting a particular brand, product or service. Highly optimized for a few but exact phrases and keywords, microsites are usually for a specific target or demographic to help achieve its purpose. Here’s a compilation of the top ten benefits of having a microsite.
1. The SEO Advantage
Every microsite is actually its own website, therefore it has its own one of a kind URL. With a unique address that one can easily remember, people can find your product and service faster and easier. This definitely is an advantage in search engine optimization. Your microsite can also feature an assortment of keyword-rich domain names that are highly valued by Google, Yahoo, and other top search engines. Other regular websites can never have more than one to two keywords in their domain name. This facet increases your contents’ ranking importance, thus also helps in SEO.
2. A Focused Path
Compared to a larger website, a microsite provides a more focused and clearer presentation of your specific brand of product. Since it highlights and features only a specific product or service, your microsite gives potential customers a clearer and faster shopping experience. No distraction from other products equals higher and faster buyer ratings.
3. Effective Branding
If you want to launch a new product or service, you’d want it to stand out from its mother brand. This is to ensure that your product or service would be able to stand on its own especially if your mother brand is not that reputable. This is also important if you’re launching it for a new target market. Microsites can help in this aspect. It’s an effective branding tool or strategy to give your new product or service its very own website, even if it’s just a page or two. A big brand like Unilever utilizes microsites for some if not all of its smaller brands like Axe for example, which has its very own mini site that’s visually appealing for its target market.
4. Efficient Email Campaign
Emailing is fast becoming the world’s leading means of communication. Almost everybody everywhere has an email address or two. Microsites take advantage of this fact to connect with majority of online users. A well-placed microsite can drive hundreds, even thousands of online users and potential customers to look and search for your featured product or service.
5. Detailed Information
It can definitely help your products and services to have their more significant and relevant details posted on its own page. Having a microsite to put all these pertinent details helps viewers to easily clarify and understand your proposals.
6. Increased Public Interest
A sure plus for any business or online announcements, having increased public interest means your site is effectively fulfilling its purpose. It is no doubt that microsites are natural audience grabbers. As it acts like several little homepages, microsites give you more opportunities to attract audiences.
7. Faster Development and Placement
A Microsite is especially useful if you apply it to a seasonal promotion or announcement that has a short lifespan. Creating a full website for something that has an expiry date is impractical as it is a waste of both time and money. Microsites are easier to developed and faster to place. An example would be this page from this deal site or online promo sites. It’s attractive, direct to the point, yet the promotion is for until a certain date only. No need for a whole website just for that.
8. Perfect Experimental Tool
Sending out various campaign messages through different and assorted microsites can help you test your market. This can better gauge the effectiveness of the messages and help you choose which is better and more attractive to your target market. Since microsites can stand alone, this strategy will not confuse your market of your intention.
9. Less Overcrowded Homepages
Because of microsites, your homepage is safe from overcrowding and online congestion. Many online users may visit and view your website but do you really connect with them? Offering too many choices and details on a single website can turn off online users and prompt them to just leave your website.
10. Cost Efficient
Contrary to what most people think, building and maintaining microsites may be more affordable than actually creating bigger websites. Aside from the limited number of pages, the contents are also lesser. It takes a shorter time to create one and easier to manage given that it is usually run by a single program like Flash player or just a few videos and animations, sometimes images are all you need.