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Microsites: Targetted websites for niche products
A Microsite website is a small website that branches off and supports the main website. Microsites are often used for niche marketing of specific products or services. Microsite sites do have their place, however there are arguments for and against their use.
The obvious problem with Microsites is the additional cost of the domain, the cost of hosting, development and ongoing maintenance of the website. Fortunately there are a couple of solutions: Shared Hosting Blogs provide a free solution that can be set up in minimal time or if you want your own domain name then a Wordpress blog may be better. With a Wordpress blog you do still have the domain and hosting cost; however the Wordpress blog is free to download, simple to set up, and has an easy to use format to add content and links.
Pros of Microsite Sites
Microsite websites are great for promoting a niche product. If a Microsite website is kept very tight an on topic, a Microsite can get high up in Google search results. Microsite work best if they are seen to be News or information sites as apposed to shopping portals. Microsites should direct traffic to the main site and not try to function as a website alone. Microsites can be used as another platform to get your message across and to knock your competitors off the prime search result positions.
Cons of Microsite Sites
If you have a Microsite Site you have an additional website to promote. To do this successfully you need lots of niche content on the selected topic. Not only that, but you also need to be looking to add additional content every month. All this of course is more work.
Sometimes having a Microsite Site is a bit of a distraction and you might find yourself working hard on the Microsite and taking your eye off the main website. Having a Microsite Site doesn't mean that you can take your foot off the gas of the main website; you still need to promote and add content to the primary site.
Oh the other hand, you might tire of the Microsite Site and allow lots of time to lapse between adding new content. For a Microsite to work you do need to be dedicated to adding some content every couple of weeks. A stagnant Microsite will drop from Google search results. Remember a Microsite Site isn't just for Christmas!
Microsite websites can mean competition for your Primary website. This doesn't sound too bad as long as the customer buys from you in the end. However, if your primary website is seen to be duplicating content from your Microsite website, this will mean that your primary website will loose some of the unique content power that you have built up. It is important that the primary website is found to be displaying content before it is copied across to the Microsite Site.
Microsites Conclusion
Microsite websites do have a role to play in targeting specific product and sweeping the competition off the search results. However, this is not an easy option and you can not simply 'Build it and they will come', this is not how the internet works. Microsite websites need a dedicated person driving and nurturing the site, adding new content every few weeks and tweeting about it. If you are not dedicated to extra work over the long term, maybe you should consider making a Squidoo lens?
If you would like to find out more about how we can help you with niche marketing and microsite websites for safe search engine optimisation (SEO) techniques then get in touch.
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