So, you want to run with a microsite marketing strategy. Great! The first question everyone seems to ask is: “How many microsites do I need?”

The answer is my favorite answer: “it depends.”

But it depends on what? Let’s think through some of the variables to take into account.

First, it depends on your budget. Let’s not be around the bush: maybe you have money for 1, maybe 100. Both can be very effective, but in very different ways and are very different strategies.

Second, it depends on your goals. You could be building a microsite for:

  • Credibility purposes
  • SEO purposes
  • Confusion/Disinformation purposes
  • Targeting a specific person (with a specific message you want him/her to see) purposes

Among a few other purposes. But each of those purposes suggests a different number of sites. Trying to get to #1 in Google for SEO for a keyword is very different than wanting one person to see one message when they happen to Google one phrase, for example.

Third, it depends on the scope or breadth of your target: is it narrow like a sniper, or broad like a aerial bomb? The more narrow it is, the fewer sites you’ll need, as a general rule of thumb (but each case is different, of course, of course).

Fourth, it depends on the timescale of your goals. No matter how amazing your microsite marketing team is, it takes time, and 100 sites takes longer to perfect, launch, and market than 1 site. Some clients want to increase their sales starting in 60 days; others have a multi-generational timeline. Yes, you read that right, multi-generational. (Not Your Typical Client Here!)

Fifth, it depends on what you plan on doing with the microsites after launching them. If you want to create your own Google-friendly SEO network of high-quality sites to provide good content to your target, that’s great. But how will you promote them? And how will the sites link to each other? These are complex questions that require planning and sophistication–and we’ll dive into in future articles.

All in all, these are interesting questions. If you want to talk or brainstorm on them, we’re happy to have a call–just ping us any time!