Microsites are considered a very cost effective way of creating and pooling bespoke information on a specific subject and/or for a particular audience. The role of the microsite is flexible: it can be used to provide everything from additional online content, to data collection from a target audience. As microsites can cover small areas in depth, they can help online brand-building significantly.

In a technical sense, developing a microsite is identical to a website. It needs to be designed and built, as well as having a domain name and web space to host it and content to fill it. Once up and running it is crucial to keep track of the microsite’s success and make sure it is up-to-date.

When and how to develop a microsite?

A microsite can be an effective communication tool for organisations that want to:

• Reach a specific audience (graduates, practice area, international etc.)
• Support business development (as an aid to the pitching process)
• Focus on a particular issue (CSR, 2012 etc.)
• Test specific service lines, content delivery tools (podcasts etc.), new design elements etc.
• Support marketing/PR campaigns

Design

The design, look and feel of the microsite depends largely on its purpose and target audience. In certain circumstances it can be different from the main site, but in our opinion microsites should be in line with the firm’s general brand positioning so that they work for you, not against.  There is no point developing a microsite if it is going to be bad because it will ruin your main website.

Search engine optimisation

Microsites can improve search engine rankings by providing more in-depth and relevant information to the audience.

The choice of the microsite domain name is crucial. Whenever you wish to create a microsite, ensure that the domain name and URL address is search engine friendly and registered with the companies that run them. It can take up to a couple of months for search engines to rank your microsite if the domain name is not relevant.

How much does a microsite cost?

The average budget for a microsite varies as much as for a website, from £1,000 to £100,000, depending on the scope of the design work and the site itself. If relevant, initial e-marketing (i.e.: SEO) budget should be taken into account as well.