With Valentine’s Day fast approaching, many are looking to surprise that special someone with the perfect gift or display of affection. If you happen to be in love with your web-based business, but are just not feeling the love from search engines in return, we have the perfect gift for you. Forget the flowers and chocolates this year. Just remember what your mother always told you: good things come in small packages!
We are talking about Microsites, of course!
Sometimes the best things do come in small packages. Microsites can get your site a lot of love.
A microsite is a streamlined website based around a singular topic. While your website may cover an entire industry, a microsite is designed to build authority, rebrand a product or service, and make you a “thought leader” around a specific concept. The goal of a microsite is to build authoritative backlinks on a new domain, increasing your page authority and, eventually, your organic search rankings.
Like the perfect Valentine’s gift, you have to know your audience. As a general rule, it is more effective to build out quality content in subfolders on your main site to utilize your current domain authority. Build a microsite for the wrong business and the results could be a colossal waste of time. If you have been published on blogs, are getting shares on social media and are receiving other organic backlinks from your main site, building a microsite is not for you.
But in certain instances, Microsites can be an effective strategy.
Here are a few ways Microsites are showing businesses love:
1. Targeting A Niche: Microsites can be a great way to maximize return from one segment of your business. For example, many finance companies have released microsites designed to increase lead generation and backlinks. While websites may be purely functional for existing customers (branch locators, personal banking), these sites do not build new customers. By targeting a niche, you target a subset of customers, draw them in and entice them to contact for more information, like a more prolific landing page. TDBank generated leads by presenting online savings tools with TDGetSaving.com.
2. Exact Match Keyword Domains: If your business has a list of 10 keywords, but can’t seem to rank for the one that is most important, try buying an exact-match domain name. While Google has attempted to crack down on low-quality and “spammy” exact-match microsites, a commitment to building out quality content on exact-match domains can produce results, especially if you are creating quality backlinks, a good user experience and a well-branded, shareable design.
3. Product Launch: If you are launching a new product, a new ad campaign or looking to highlight specific features that may be a departure from your main-site branding, a microsite can be the perfect way to target a new client base. Mercedes Benz targeted British techies and gearheads with an inside look at all the various features offered on new models with A-to-S.co.uk, while Hyundai created EpicPlayDate.com to draw social media engagement and lead generation from its Super Bowl commercial.
Try some of these concepts today by building a microsite of your own. Remember that this content strategy takes time. A single-page interactive one-sheet is not going to cut it.
Need further inspiration? Try checking out how mobile designers have created promotional apps, games and video viewers. Building a site with multiple pages, videos and interactive features will draw social shares, encourage lead generation and bring you the unrequited “link love” you crave this Valentine’s Day!
Do you have any questions about this article? Or do you simply wish to show the author some love?
Please feel free to post your question and feedback in the comment box below this post.
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