Optimizing Your Microsite

If you want to cast a wider digital net with your marketing, you need to employ a variety of channels. They should have niche topics related to your brand. This is how you gain new audiences and increase traffic. It’s called a multiple domain strategy and part of that involves building a microsite.

What is a Microsite?

Just as it sounds, a microsite is a smaller offshoot of your main webpage and branding. You may have heard the term “landing page” before and that’s essentially what a landing page is.

A microsite is an individual web page or a cluster of pages which are meant to serve a specific function. They are either a discreet entity within an existing website or complement an online activity. The microsite’s main landing page can be your own domain or a subdomain. It does not need to respond directly to your homepage.

The purpose of microsites is to divert traffic back to your call to action. It can be a conversion, sale, or even collecting consumer data. The idea is that these channels will funnel more people to the pages where the action takes place.

That means building a microsite is only half the game. You also have to know how to optimize and market these channels accordingly.

Content First

Your first step when building and optimizing a microsite is to ensure that the content is quality. It should present value to the reader and keep their attention. Content that does not spark engagement is pointless. It is simply a wall of text no one will read. That’s also bad news for your call to action (CTA).

If your microsite doesn’t have amazing content, it won’t stand out from everyone else. You don’t want that. Especially if your competition is also utilizing a multiple domain strategy. The content should always be better than theirs. If it’s not, competitors will be stealing your traffic based on shared keywords.

That’s why a business should always take the time to create a backlog of content with various types of media. This is not just about blogs. Consider other forms like:

• Videos
• Whitepapers
• Podcasts
• Interactive tools (like calculators)
• Infographics
• Press releases

The list goes on. Anything you think your audience might be interested in should be included.

Just remember! The deeper into detail you go for your audience, the more valuable the content becomes.

Fundamental SEO

When it comes to search engine optimization, your microsite should never be ignored. You must employ fundamental SEO tactics on every page you publish. This includes all types of SEO including technical, on-page, and off-page.

However, it’s important not to focus on just one. Even if pressed for time, make sure to hit at least one activity in each of these three buckets:

Technical

• Sitemaps
• Site speed
• Mobile optimization
• Error correction (i.e. redirects that do not work)

Off-Page

• Getting backlinks
• Social bookmarking

On-Page

• Keyword optimization
• Title and meta tags
• Fresh content
• Reader-friendly content

Redirecting 301

Prior to using a 301 redirect method, you must ensure the old site’s SEO is good. To do so, access your sites .htaccess file to establish a 301 connection. You can accomplish this task by opening your file manager. This provided by your web host.

Depending on your web hosting provider, the exact process can be different. It’s always best to contact the provider or check into their documentation before setting up a redirect.

Either way, it’s typically a painless process to set up and establish a 301 redirect. It’s also a great alternative to building a bunch of microsites. Consider building just a few and then redirecting them as needed.

The entire concept behind microsites is that you are spreading yourself out there on the internet. It only makes sense, logically, that the more channels you establish, the more people you reach. This can lead to a wider audience, an increase in traffic, and a healthier bottom line.