A microsite is loosely defined as a small cluster of web pages that are differentiated from a parent website through unique design and layout, limited navigation options, and a unique domain URL to set the site apart from the parent domain. Many companies have implemented microsites to promote specialized, short-term offers, product launches, or wholly new segments to their target audiences. We’ve put together some practical guidelines on when to use — or avoid — a microsite strategy for your business.

1.
Microsites:
Effective
Marketing
or
Bad
Idea?
As
Google’s
search
algorithm
has
evolved
to
emphasize
trusted,
well-­‐established
domains
and
unique
content,
the
debate
is
heating
up
on
the
marketing
value
of
microsites.
Some
experts
believe
that
creating
a
microsite
is
never
a
good
idea,
diluting
the
brand
and
hurting
coveted
search
results,
while
others
think
they
still
have
a
place
in
a
targeted,
strategic
marketing
campaign.
A
microsite
is
loosely
defined
as
a
small
cluster
of
web
pages
that
are
differentiated
from
a
parent
website
through
unique
design
and
layout,
limited
navigation
options,
and
a
unique
domain
URL
to
set
the
site
apart
from
the
parent
domain.
Many
companies
have
implemented
microsites
to
promote
specialized,
short-­‐term
offers,
product
launches,
or
wholly
new
segments
to
their
target
audiences.
We’ve
put
together
some
practical
guidelines
on
when
to
use
—
or
avoid
—
a
microsite
strategy
for
your
business.
Don’t
Build
a
Microsite
to
Improve
Search
Rankings
Ever
since
Google
began
cracking
down
on
link
farms
and
giving
more
prominence
to
well-­‐
established
domain
names
with
numerous
backlinks
and
unique
content,
the
argument
that
a
microsite
can
help
you
show
up
higher
on
search
engines
has
fallen
flat.
Google’s
focus
on
unique
content,
domain
age,
and
backlinks
are
an
effort
to
include
metrics
such
as
trust
and
relevancy
in
their
rankings.
A
microsite
can
hurt
your
SEO
for
the
follwing
reasons:
1. Microsites
that
live
on
a
separate
domain
than
your
main
website
will
not
share
any
of
the
“domain
credit”
that
Google
gives
your
primary
website.
Google
sees
the
microsite
URL
as
a
wholly
new
website,
forcing
you
to
build
up
its
search
value
with
new
backlinks
and
content
updates,
which
can
take
time
and
resources
that
are
better
spent
improving
your
main
site.
2. If
microsites
have
identical
content
to
any
pages
on
your
primary
site,
Google
will
not
regard
it
as
unique
content,
resulting
in
low
ranking
.
All
microsite
content
must
be
unique,
fresh
and
updated
often
for
good
rankings.
Simply
put:
there
are
no
shortcuts
for
good
SEO.
3. If
you
are
targeting
the
same
keywords
in
your
microsite
as
you
are
in
your
main
site,
you’re
simply
splitting
your
resources
and
your
sites
are
competing
with
each
other
for
rankings.
You’ll
be
spending
double
the
time
and
resources
required
to
achieve
high
search
rankings,
and
competing
against
yourself.
Don’t
do
it.
If
you
manage
to
climb
the
natural
search
mountain
and
achieve
high
listings
on
Google
for
your
microsite,
ensure
that
you’re
ready
to
maintain
and
update
it
for
the
long
haul.
Short-­‐term
microsites
that
are
scheduled
to
go
dark
after
a
set
period
of
time
don’t
do
you
any
good
in
search,
because
once
they’re
turned
off
they
become
broken
links
on
the
search
listings.
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2. Don’t
Build
a
Digital
Band-­‐Aid
Imagine
that
your
existing
website
is
outdated,
messy
and
hard
to
use.
But
the
idea
of
starting
over
–
rebuilding
the
site’s
architecture,
design
and
content
flow
–
is
just
too
overwhelming,
not
to
mention
the
budget
you’ll
need
to
pull
it
off.
You
may
be
tempted
to
consider
a
microsite
as
a
quick
fix
to
this
challenge.
A
small
number
of
newly-­‐designed
pages,
free
of
the
confines
of
your
existing,
hard-­‐to-­‐navigate
site,
can
be
very
tempting
because
it’s
limited
in
its
scope.
Avoid
the
temptation
to
remedy
an
outdated
site
with
this
digital
band-­‐aid.
Here’s
why:
1. As
mentioned
above,
Google
places
value
on
older
domains
and
existing
backlinks,
so
investing
in
your
main
site
is
paramount
for
good
SEO.
You’re
just
making
more
work
for
yourself
when
you
reinvent
your
existing
site
in
a
microsite’s
new
wrapper.
2. From
a
branding
standpoint,
it’s
never
good
to
look
scattered
to
your
target
audience.
Having
two
separate
sites
to
address
the
same
users
can
be
confusing
and
doesn’t
present
your
brand
as
organized,
strategic
or
focused.
If
you’re
already
too
resource-­‐strapped
to
maintain
a
great
user
experience
on
your
existing
site,
the
same
can
probably
be
said
for
a
microsite.
Though
it
may
be
limited
in
scope,
a
microsite
still
requires
time
and
resources
to
plan,
build,
and
most
important,
to
maintain
and
keep
fresh.
That’s
time
better
spent
improving
your
main
site
if
you
really
want
to
see
a
return
on
your
web
investment.
It’s
also
worth
noting
that
microsites
that
are
linked
to
from
your
main
site
can
cause
what
we
at
TREW
like
to
call
“digital
whiplash”.
Web
visitors
on
your
site
have
the
expectation
that
as
they
navigate
your
content,
they
will
stay
within
the
structure
and
feel
of
your
site.
If
they
click
on
a
link
that
suddenly
delivers
them
to
an
new
site
with
an
entirely
different
navigation,
with
no
easy
way
to
get
back
to
where
they
were,
it
can
be
disorienting.
If
the
visitor
feels
lost,
they’re
less
likely
to
remain
on
your
site
or
come
back.
So,
when
are
microsites
a
good
idea?
As
a
Short-­‐term
Promotional
Vehicle
If
you’re
planning
a
quick
promotional
campaign
that
doesn’t
easily
fit
into
your
existing
site,
and
you
want
to
limit
your
web
visitor’s
experience
to
emphasize
your
campaign
message,
a
microsite
can
offer:
1. A
focused,
clean,
task-­‐based
user
experience
2. No
risk
of
distracting
the
web
visitor
away
from
the
desired
task,
because
the
corporate
site
content
is
not
accessible
3. Specific
metrics
tied
directly
to
your
campaign,
because
your
web
analytics
are
separate
from
your
corporate
site
Quanser
Academics,
a
leader
in
the
development
of
real-­‐time
control
design
systems
for
academic
research
and
teaching,
wanted
to
increase
adoption
of
their
products
among
university
teaching
staff
throughout
North
America.
They
developed
a
short-­‐term
campaign
Created
by:

3. promoting
a
free
inverted
pendulum
to
professors
who
purchased
a
workstation
for
a
limited
time.
With
TREW’s
help,
Quanser
developed
a
specialized
microsite,
as
well
as
a
targeted
direct
marketing
push
to
promote
the
sale
and
the
microsite.
The
focus
was
not
on
SEO
or
long-­‐term
gains,
but
on
specific
sales
goals
within
a
limited
period
of
time.
Quanser's
Microsite
Because
the
Quanser
campaign
had
a
specific
goal
of
compelling
professors
to
purchase
specific
products,
the
microsite
provided
a
more
seamless
experience
than
the
Quanser
parent
site,
because
it
only
offered
links
to
those
product
options,
and
didn’t
distract
web
visitors
with
ancillary
content.
One
additional
note
on
the
short-­‐term
microsite
approach:
Be
sure
to
develop
a
redirect
strategy
when
the
site
is
taken
down.
It
should
address
where
the
links
to
the
microsite
will
go,
and
you
should
ensure
that
your
IT
staff
create
301
redirects
when
the
site
goes
dark.
As
a
Vehicle
to
Establish
a
Wholly
New
Segment
or
Product
Area
If
your
company
is
planning
to
launch
a
new
business
segment
or
product
offering
that
stretches
beyond
your
typical
target
audience,
you
may
discover
that
fitting
it
into
your
existing
website
is
like
the
proverbial
square
peg
in
a
round
hole.
When
your
site
is
clean
and
usable,
performs
well
and
has
a
logical
site
structure,
adding
a
completely
different
segment
to
the
web
mix
can
prove
to
be
a
real
challenge,
especially
if
you
want
to
make
a
big
splash.
A
microsite
can
be
a
good
approach
if:
Created
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4. 1. You’re
marketing
the
new
product/segment
to
a
target
audience
that
your
corporate
site
doesn’t
address
directly.
A
microsite
allows
you
to
speak
directly
to
the
target
audience
with
industry-­‐specific
vocabulary
and
build
credibility
immediately.
2. Your
new
product/segment
is
innovative
and
very
new,
and
the
design
and
navigation
needs
can’t
be
addressed
in
your
corporate
site’s
design
templates.
3. The
new
segment
must
distinguish
itself
from
the
corporate
site
because
it’s
approach,
strategy
or
focus
are
so
different
and
new
for
the
company.
When
Nissan
decided
to
introduce
their
new
electric
car,
the
Leaf,
they
wanted
the
innovation
and
cutting
edge
technology
of
their
product
to
be
evident
in
their
web
promotion
of
the
car.
Taking
a
microsite
approach
afforded
Nissan
that
freedom.
The
navigation
and
design
of
the
Leaf
web
pages
are
like
no
other
product
page
on
the
Nissan
site.
And
since
this
is
a
long-­‐term
microsite,
Nissan
built
it
into
their
existing
site
architecture,
ensuring
that
the
Leaf
web
pages
enjoy
the
SEO
benefits
of
the
Nissan.com
domain.
The
Nissan
Leaf
Microsite
TREW
client
Bloomy
Energy
Systems
recently
launched
as
a
new
division
of
Bloomy
Controls,
who
provides
automated
test,
data
acquisition
and
control
systems
for
product
development
in
industries
such
as
aerospace,
automotive
and
consumer
electronics.
Because
the
new
energy
division
at
Bloomy
targets
the
energy
storage
techonology
audience,
with
very
specific
vocabulary
and
product
needs,
the
company
wanted
to
approach
their
marketing
strategy
with
this
in
mind.
TREW
built
a
microsite
for
Bloomy
Energy
Systems
that
is
completely
focused
on
energy
storage
needs
and
solutions.
The
microsite
approach
gave
Bloomy
the
ability
to
offer
a
clean,
industry-­‐
specific
experience
for
their
energy
storage
audience,
a
segment
that
doesn’t
easily
fit
into
corporate
site’s
structure
and
focus.
In
addition,
the
Bloomy
corporate
site
is
still
able
to
address
the
full
range
of
solutions
and
industries
it
always
has.
Created
by:

5.
The
Bloomy
Microsite
Final
Thoughts
A
microsite
can
be
a
smart
approach
for
specific
campaigns
and
product
introductions.
It
is
not
appropriate
as
a
short-­‐cut
for
SEO
or
to
skirt
poor
performance
on
your
main
website.
It
can
provide
a
truly
seamless,
easy-­‐to-­‐navigate,
task-­‐based
approach
to
your
target
audience.
And
that’s
a
customer
experience
that’s
worth
the
effort.
Ready
to
get
started
on
your
website
project?
Contact
TREW
Marketing
to
get
started
today.
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by: