Let’s start by explaining what exactly a microsite is. A microsite is its own smaller site that lives outside of your direct website URL. They are an extension of your brand but have a separate and specific objective – usually to run a campaign toward certain groups or regions. Microsites have become a powerful online marketing tool as they are meant for very targeted tasks; they are not meant to be.
There are many advantages to having microsites ranging from extensive SEO benefits, to boosting brand awareness, and others in-between. We will be discussing just 5 of those benefits in this article.
- Declutters the home page
Your main website is meant to appeal to the generalized public; keep it simple. Bombarding your visitors with too much content and/or content that is not useful to them can be overwhelming and may result in them leaving your site. Using microsites to alleviate overcrowding allows for cleaner page design and functionality. In addition to decluttering, microsites boost the success of individualized campaigns simply because each one was designed and meant specifically for those who found it. This brings us to our next benefit… - Offers a Focused Path for Individual Endeavors.
Microsites offer distraction-free platform for individual services or products. For example, a microsite that is region specific is a great way to show users what you have available in their area. Rather than exposing them to your entire inventory, they can view what is relevant to them and easy to access. Another example is running a campaign to drive Service appointments only. A microsite to execute that allows you to market a very specific part of your business without having it get lost within your main site pages.
- Great Way To Experiment
See what your audiences respond to best by using microsites to launch various campaigns tailored to different groups. In running these as a test, it becomes easy to assess the effectiveness and overall success of different tactics. Even minute adjustments, like wording a headline differently can alter the outcome of a campaign. Since microsites are their own entities, variations will not confuse your market or blur the intentions. - Reinforces Your Brand and Boosts Brand Awareness
Microsites are great for reaching new audiences, launching new products that stand apart from the initial brand, or reaching those who were originally unenthused; all of which significantly reinforce and boost awareness of a brand.
- Elevates SEO
Perhaps the most attractive benefit of microsites is the inevitable SEO boost. Each microsite has its own URL that is easy to remember so people can find what you have to offer easier. Whereas a website can never have more than one or two keywords in their domain name, microsites can have a wide range of keyword-rich domain names. Additionally, the traffic gained from the microsites themselves as well as the traffic they drive to your main website through links is remarkable. The SEO benefits are undeniable.
There is clearly much to gain from opting for microsites for your diverse marketing strategy. Stuffing your mother site with it all, microsites are a very efficient way of approaching online campaigns, especially when they are geared toward certain demographics.
References: www.forbes.com/sites/brentgleeson/2015/04/06/7-bold-statements-about-the-10-year-forecast-for-seo/#4e8d795e7f06, blog.reputationx.com/what-will-seo-look-like-in-10-years