Article Idea:
Microsites: Bane or Bounty
suggested by Richard Brown on 2007/12/03
I would like to see someone discuss the problems and benefits of microsites. Do they dilute or confuse the brand? Do they improve or dulute SEO strategies? Can a bad visual design of a microsite harm the good visual design of a parent site?
Want to see this idea turned into a story?
11 people said yes. | 0 people said no.
john feeley
0 Reputation points
Posted 2007/12/03 @ 15:32PM with
This would make a great topic. I’ve worked in the SEO field and there’s still debate on some of the strategies….as far as the branding, I personally don’t think it confuses the brand, but I know I’m in the minority of people that really understand how these things are built.
C Archambault
0 Reputation points
Posted 2007/12/27 @ 07:42AM with
This is so relevant right now. We often debate this internally. My gut tells me that “it depends.” The nature of the relationship with the brand as a whole is something to consider. If the product is a something different, it could confuse the brand to tie it too closely with the parent.
Michael Beavers
69 Reputation points
Posted 2008/01/03 @ 13:07PM with
I love this idea. One area to explore might be the frequent disconnect between microsites and how the interactions and next steps are frequently not fed into bigger CRM systems.
The purpose of microsites is very often some kind of marketing campaign, but metrics and business intelligence are left out of the scope. The same factors often make the contextual user experience suffer. With few exceptions, many analytics reports show that the microsite winds up being a one-visit experience for most users.
Chris Baum
390 Reputation points
Posted 2008/01/14 @ 06:40AM with
Hi Richard,
Are you looking to write the story? Or are you looking for someone else to do so? This is a good topic, and I’d like to accept the idea.
Richard Brown
11 Reputation points
Posted 2008/01/14 @ 10:06AM with
Hey Chris,
I would like to see it written.
I have scoured the web for information on this subject and the only things I have found are foundational and critically subjective. I would like to see someone write this with a little more than a philosophically slant. I would like to see good case study style data woven into the prose.
I do not have writing experience beyond a non-related genre. If you have knowledge of this subject and can connect with people to do a little research that will add traction to a comparison, I would love to see you write it.
One interesting appendage to the article, I think, would be ending with a subjective chart of responses from some notables (BoxesandArrows staff, Happy Cog staff, Adaptive Path staff, Goto Media Staff, etc…)
Lastly, these following three questions were of equal importance to me:
Do they dilute or confuse the brand?
Do they improve or dilute SEO strategies?
Can a bad (or disconnected) visual design of a micro-site harm the good (or informed) visual design of a parent site?
Have fun writing it. ;-)
Richard