DW Tips

Micro sites: the custom websites that yield the highest Return on Investment

Do you need to promote a specific product or service? A micro site does just that by providing focused, relevant and in-depth information, but for only one product or service. Compared to a standard site, a micro site tends to improve conversion rates, average visit duration as well as bounce rates. In the SEO realm micro sites are particularly effective when matched up with a relevant keyword-rich domain name while in PPC campaigns they excel due to their predictable relevancy with matching ads and keywords.

What are micro sites

A micro site is a custom website, normally no more than 10 pages long, with very specific content regarding one product or service. Some micro sites have their own domain names, usually for SEO reasons, while others are subdomains in order to maintain brand relevancy to the parent site. What they all have in common is they are stand-alone sites, with their own navigation, and they are usually built either for conversions or to develop brand or product awareness.

What makes them so effective

In a word, relevancy. Whatever your plan for traffic acquisition, be it SEO or a PPC campaign, relevancy will play a major factor. In SEO, a tightly focused site with fresh content and a keyword-rich domain name will get you ranked high and fast for the most relevant keyword of the micro site. In PPC, relevancy plays a huge role in visitor expectations, from query to keywords to ads to landing page, it's all about relevancy. The more relevant your structure, the higher your ads will show on the Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs). That means higher click-thru rates, which means more visitors which means…. conversions.

When to use a micro site

It can't be said enough, the first and most important requirement to properly utilize a micro site is to promote only one product or service. This is what makes it so effective in SEO and PPC campaigns and it's what keeps visitors focused. Having said that, below is a sampling of instances when a micro site may be exactly what you need:

• New product introduction - A great way to separate your new product from all the white noise of the rest of your site. Also a great place to show all the new photos, videos and specifications for the product.
• Seasonal catalog - A micro site could be the equivalent of those seasonal catalogs you get in the mail and in your Sunday paper. Your main site stays intact.
• Showcase for best selling product - Every company has a handful of best performers. A micro site may be able to radically improve even those numbers. Imagine that.
• Showcase for worst selling product - Every company has a few worst performers. Sometimes all it takes is a different presentation, separate keywords, new ad text or a new landing page. Don't give up on those low performers, a micro site may be able to turn them around.

The micro site concept has been around for many years. However, the recent search engines emphasis on content and relevance has once again created interest in micro sites as a way to not only improve conversions but ROI as well. Feel free to contact us and we'll be happy to discuss your particular needs and help you determine if a micro site is the perfect fit for you.