E-Quipped: Case for microsites: When Web success no longer is enough

You finally have a Web site that makes you proud.

A lot of thought, time and money went into getting you to this point. You've spent hours developing an information architecture that delivers the highest level of usability. Your content fully tells your brand story and addresses the needs of each visitor. You have a search engine optimization (SEO) plan in place, and your rankings have soared.

It's been worth every hour and every dollar you've spent to get to this point. You're already seeing return on your investment.

So why would you need a microsite?

You may not, right now. But because a microsite is a small, highly focused Web site -- anywhere from three to 10 pages -- and is relatively inexpensive to produce, the time might come when one that complements your main Web site makes real business sense.

Here are some of those situations:

You need to deliver a specific value proposition to a very specific audience, and you don't want those people to get lost in the content of your main Web site looking for that message. A microsite helps make the exchange of information a highly personalized experience, one that builds brand loyalty.

You want to conduct online testing of new products, Web-based functions or advertising campaigns with a select test group. A microsite offers a pure test environment that doesn't distract the user and offers you anonymity when you want it.

You want to promote a short-term event or campaign. Microsites work alongside a specific advertising campaign, event or promotion. You're able to feature different themes, visuals and messages without confusing customers with the branding of your main Web site.

You want to make full use of Deep Web media technologies, such as Flash technology, for your product or service demonstrations without affecting the success of your main Web site SEO program. Flash is not SEO-friendly.

So, even if your main Web site is really doing its job, it's not easy or cheap to add pages that fully satisfy these more-targeted or short-lived initiatives. This is when a microsite strategy can be a great addition to your overall Internet marketing strategy -- complementing, not competing with your main Web site.

Next Sunday's E-Quipped: How white papers can help keep you in the black.

Pam Ouimette is director of strategic services at TMA+Peritus: A Strategic Interaction Agency. Find them online at www.tmaperitus.com or offline in their offices in Wausau and Madison.