4 SEO Reasons Not to Launch a Microsite

Writing by Nick Stamoulis

A microsite is a smaller website that works separately from your main, larger website and sometimes supports it. An example would be a car sales company that sells two or three different brands and has a separate website for each brand that it sells. While some people see microsites as an opportunity to target more keywords on a different site or create some “link juice” by linking the microsites to the main site, microsites should really only be created in a few select circumstances. Microsites can work well for a limited time offer or to promote a viral campaign. However, in most cases it’s a good idea to just build off of your main website.

Here are 4 SEO Reasons Not to Launch a Microsite:

Your links are spread out
The goal of a link building campaign for search engine optimization purposes is to get a variety of links coming in to your site. If one type of link is going to one site and another type is going to another site it takes away from the overall significance of the links. They are more valuable if they work together and all go to one place.

Creates confusion
If a web user is looking for your company online they will be confused if they see that you have a few different websites. They might not realize which one it is that suites their needs and spend a few extra minutes than is necessary clicking between the sites to find what they want. You don’t want to frustrate your website visitors and potential customers. As the saying goes, “keep it simple”.

The search engines like content
If your site has lots of good, quality content it’s more likely to rank better in the search engines. So, instead of having a fair amount of good content on three sites, have a large amount of good content on one site that will connect with your visitors and help build your conversions and overall online brand.

Missing out on the trust factor
If your main website is aged and trusted by the search engine, new content and pages that are added will be trusted by association. A separate microsite won’t have that trust and will take much longer to rank and generate visitors in the search engines.

In most cases it’s a good idea to avoid microsites, unless there is a new product launch or other business related reason to launch one. They just create more work for you and it’s easier to promote your brand well on one site than on multiple sites.