From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Microsite
Microsite
A microsite is an Internet web design term referring to keyword-rich content with the goal of having search en-
an individual web page or a small cluster (around 1 to 7) gines rank them highly when search engine users seek
of pages which are meant to function as a discreet enti- such content topics.
ty within an existing website or to complement an offline An additional benefit of a microsite is that it can low-
activity. The microsite’s main landing page most likely er your PPC cost because the microsite can focus on spe-
has its own domain name or subdomain. cific keywords improving your Quality Score therefore
They are typically used to add a specialized group lowering your cost per click. [1]
of information either editorial or commercial. Such sites
may be linked in to a main site or not or taken completely
off a site’s server when the site is used for a temporary
Criticism
purpose. The main distinction of a microsite versus its Microsites have been criticized by security expert Rich
parent site is its purpose and specific cohesiveness as Baldry who claimed they cause confusion, waste money,
compared to the microsite’s broader overall parent web- and can damage reputation.[2]
site.
Microsites used for editorial purposes may be a page When special-purpose domains for campaign mi-
or group of pages that, for example, might contain infor- crosites appear, it becomes [...] confusing. At best,
mation about a holiday, an event or similar item which people might ignore the microsite domain, keeping
gives more detailed information than a site’s general themselves safe but making the marketing dollars
content area may provide. A community organization a waste. At worst, the protection and reputation of-
may have its main site with all of the organization’s basic fered by use of known domains is lost and people
information, but creates a separate, temporary microsite end up infected the next time they follow an un-
to inform about a particular activity, event or similar. known domain.
Often, microsites will be used for editorial purposes
by a commercial business to add editorial value. For ex- See also
ample, a retailer of party goods may create a microsite
with editorial content about the history of Halloween or • Minisite
some other holiday or event. The commercial purpose of • Landing Page
such editorial microsites, (beyond driving product sales), • Weblet
may include adding value to the site’s visitors for brand-
ing purposes as well as providing editorial content and References
keywords allowing for greater chances of search engine
[1] Google Quality Score Explained
inclusion. Normally, microsites do not contain web appli-
[2] Baldry, Rich. "What’s in a domain name?". Naked
cations.
Security (blog). Sophos.
Microsites may be used for purely commercial pur-
http://nakedsecurity.sophos.com/2011/03/19/
poses to create in-depth information about a particular
whats-in-a-domain-name/. Retrieved 19 April
product, service or as editorial support towards a specific
2011.
product, such as describing a new technology. A car man-
• Brian Quinton Microsites are Becoming a Macro Idea.
ufacturer, for example, may present a new hybrid vehicle
DIRECT Magazine. Posted on 10 October 2007.
and support the sales presentation with a microsite spe-
• Melissa Campanelli Marketing with a Microsite.
cific to explaining hybrid technology.
Entrepreneur Magazine. Posted on 16 April 2009.
With the prevalence of keyword contextual adver-
• Jenna Yim "Microsite User Experience Design", 2010
tising, (more commonly referred to as Pay per click or
PPC), microsites may be created specifically to carry such
contextual advertising. Or along a similar tactic, they’re
created in order to specifically carry topic-specific,
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Microsite&oldid=457786043"
Categories:
• Websites
1
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Microsite
This page was last modified on 28 October 2011 at 08:14. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-
ShareAlike License; additional terms may apply. See Terms of use for details. Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of
the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization.Contact us
Privacy policy About Wikipedia Disclaimers Mobile view
2