Can a “Mini” or “Micro” Site Loom Large for You?

Can a “Mini” or “Micro” Site Loom Large for You? - Part II

Friday, January 12th, 2007 at 4:53 pm by Matt Van Atta

In Part I, we looked at the characteristics of a “micro-site.” For Part II, we examine the related concept of a mini-site.

Neither the term nor the fact “mini-site” went away when micro-sites became popular. Rather, it evolved into something more extensive. (Dare I say, “bigger and better”?)

A mini-site today generally contains the same characteristics as a micro-site, but with the following additional features that distinguish it from a micro-site:

A topic that is tightly focused, such as a single product within a product line or other subset of your main topic.

At least 10 pages (some mini-sites contain hundreds of pages, making them not quite so “mini”) of targeted content related to that topic.

A variety of targeted content – not only sales and transaction pages, but also information-rich content such as product reviews, specs, reports, articles, FAQs, and the like.

If a lower-cost approach and/or enhanced placement in Google search results appeals to you, building out a mini-site can serve your purposes.

Regardless of the differences, both the micro-site and the mini-site can be useful tools to find out more about your niche market. They may even serve to carve a niche within your niche, and the end result could be another topic, another site, and thus another revenue stream for you.

Which approach you take, however, depends on your needs and abilities. The question of whether you use a micro-site or a mini-site approach is similar to the question of fat affiliates versus thin affiliates (see my post on November 13 for more on this topic). Which you choose will depend on who your target audience is and what you can expertly do with the tools at hand.

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