How to build a microsite

If you’re going to build microsites you should treat them with the same full respect in attention to detail that you would pay to your flagship Website. If there is a classic microsite mistake, it is the mistake of treating the microsite as a means to an end rather than as a site worthy of being created in the first place.

As I have said before, the microsite should be able to stand on its own. It needs to create its own brand value. Let’s suppose that I run an online business called Honest Mike’s Used Shoe Warehouse. Let’s further suppose that I have geo-targeted multiple regions with sub-domains (such as wa.honest-mikes-shoes.example.com). I’ve done all I think I can do to get the most bang for my on-site buck.

Is there another brand value I can create off-site that doesn’t compete with or conflict with my main brand? For example, what if I create a blog off-site? How can I build substantial unique value there in such a way that it makes sense to the visitor that the brand exists in the first place.

Notice that it’s the visitor’s sense of value I am appealing to, not my own. In other words, I’m not going to create the microsite out of vanity but rather out of a desire to address a need or want that I have identified in my target audience. Sub-brand marketing requires nearly as much commitment and almost as many resources as primary brand marketing, so the sub-brand has to reach out to an audience or market that the primary brand is not engaging with.

Example 1: A blog-centric microsite
Let’s say there are a lot of home shoe repair enthusiasts out there. They know about Honest Mike’s Used Shoe Warehouse, my keyword research even shows that people mention it on other Web sites, but I also know I’m not reaching a huge segment of the market. People say things like, “I don’t buy used shoes — they aren’t worth the money,” or “I wish I could fix my shoes myself”.

I have already embedded my value proposition into my content and my marketing strategy — I am telling people why my used shoes are worth the money they spend on them. So the problem is not that I haven’t stated my case — it’s just that my case is being made as a vendor and not as an expert in the field.

I can create a sub-brand for my expertise that reaches out and engages with people who would not otherwise engage with my primary brand. The purpose of the microsite is not to drive more sales, more link value, or more traffic to my main Web site. The purpose of the microsite is to raise a new brand flag and claim some new territory and say, “I am HERE! I am ready to engage with you on THIS ground as opposed to THAT ground!”

If I build the microsite around a blog, the blog cannot focus on how great my used shoe warehouse is. The blog cannot focus on this week’s special deals. I can use ad space in the margins for that if I want to be self-promotional (but too much self-promotion, or too much of any kind of promotion, dilutes the value of the brand). The sub-brand itself has to build value before it can transfer value through promotion.

Don’t do everything at once
So you need to think about multi-phase sub-brand marketing plans. Phase I calls for little to no promotion of the parent brand. You can and should (in most cases) acknowledge the parent brand through simple links. You should not, in my opinion, open the flood gates of parent brand advertising on a new sub-brand microsite.

Emphasize creating the microsite’s brand value
So having taken the decision to make the microsite brand its top priority on the new site, we have to think about how to establish our credibility as an expert. The blog could be the only content on the site but I would not do that. I would supplement the site with some additional content. For example, here at SEO Theory you’ll find an SEO glossary and SEO white papers.

Example 2: A community microsite
There is a different approach you can take with a blog site, however. For example, at Best SEO Blog and VisInsights we use multiple authors to contribute articles, so we have in effect used the blogs to create small expert communities. You can still supplement that kind of resource with special feature articles, tools, polls, whatever (in fact, can you think of any sites that do this already?)

Is it really a microsite?
If a flagship brand Web site can add forums, blogs, feature articles, etc. then a sub-brand microsite can do the same — in which case, is it really a microsite? Well, actually, opinions vary.

The name “microsite” implies the site is smaller than the parent brand site. In media-focused marketing this is almost always the case. One way the film industry handles microsites is to integrate off-site resources into the microsite navigation. You might get a flash intro page, a page with some image downloads, a page with the film trailers, and maybe a cast info page on the microsite. Everything else that is linked to (usually forums, newsletters, and merchandise) is hosted on other sites (quite often the parent brand sites, but not always).

Add diverse resources to the microsite
So let’s go back to my Shoe Expertise site. I can create a blog where I share my knowledge and experience in repairing shoes. I can also add a few FAQ documents and “How To” articles to help home shoe repair enthusiasts get started on extending the lifespans of their footware. And maybe I’ll add a few affiliate links to shoe repair tools and products (or if I sell them on the main site maybe I’ll just add a few promotional links after all).

Typical blogs build success gradually
My consistent daily blogging and pinging of the search engines will bring me traffic. My obvious experience and open sharing will ensure that at least some people will bookmark my site and come back to it. As I build up my archive of blog articles people begin linking to the site. Visitors start checking me out. Oh, they see I sell used shoes on the Web. I occasionally link to the parent site.

After a year I’ve created a microsite with brand value. By this time I should have an online reputation as an expert shoe repair enthusiast.

Example 3: A static content microsite
I could have done this differently. I could have created a small, static site and loaded it with informative articles. I could also have linked to those informative articles from my main site. Why not include those articles on the main site, however? Because ultimately I want the articles to be weighed and judged on the basis of their own merit, not on the basis of where they are located. Commercial Web sites can certainly publish good information but people are normally skeptical about such information — they tend to see it as self-serving marketing and promotional muck.

Create distance between your brands
You can leverage microsites to establish your expertise by creating some distance between the expert brand and the commercial brand. This is not about pretending to be something you’re not. It’s a way of showing people that you’re willing to dedicate some resources for the common good. On a psychological level, you’re making an extra effort, going the extra mile, doing pro bono work. You’re putting other people at least on a par with yourself if not actually ahead of yourself.

So a small static microsite can build a brand message around a very specific issue. In fact, a small static site SHOULD be focusing on a very specific issue. The parent site can wander all over the topic map by adding new sections, dropping special features into the navigation, etc. The microsite needs to stay focused on its brand’s issue (or issues — some microbrands can deal with complicated topics).

Illustration: Building a sub-brand microsite to address a specific need
Suppose there is an epidemic of shoe fungus sweeping the nation. People cannot afford to keep buying new shoes. I can leverage my shoe repair expertise to help people fight shoe fungus. I could create a second microsite that just deals with shoe fungus. Again, this site would acknowledge its relationship with the parent brand through clear, honest, easy-to-find links but its focus — its primary concern would be with identifying and treating shoe fungus. Shoe fungus prevention and shoe fungus cure would be the most important topics on the microsite.

Conclusion
Microsites have more than one purpose. In the purely mechanical sense you certainly have the option of creating microsites for the sake of building links to a parent site. In fact, a lot of people do build microsites for the sake of linking. But if all the microsite exists for is the sole purpose of providing links, how much value do you think the site will pass on.

If your objective is to create a site to pass value to another site, build the value beyond link anchor text and PageRank. Think in terms of the value of public visibility, perception, and credibility. Use microsites to show people you have something worth saying, that you feel a specific topic or area is worth specialized attention, and that you’re willing to set aside or reduce your commercial aspirations for the greater good.

Regardless of whether you’re just trying to build links or build value it takes time and effort to build microsites. You might as well get as much microsite bang for your buck as you possibly can. You cannot do everything with a microsite but you can certainly do more than one thing with it, and in my opinion it’s worth the effort to go the extra mile.

You won’t find a single formula for success. I’ve built a lot of microsites. Some of them work better than others. Remember what I said at the beginning of this article: you have to give the microsite as much attention to detail as you would a flagship site. You need to do the keyword research, you need to create a good design, you need functional/practical on-site navigation, you need on-site optimization, and ultimately you’ll need a few links to help validate the site in search indexes.

If you do it right, the microsite will earn its own links.

If you do it right, the microsite will help the parent brand in more ways than just passing some anchor text and PageRank.