Are you in a dilemma whether to create a mini site or a content-based web site for your new product or service? The purpose of creating a web site should be to attract visitors and convert them to paying customers. Is a mini site with a few pages enough to do this or should you spend more time and create a content-based web site which contains many pages?
Let's look at some of the Pros and Cons:
Mini Sites
Pros
1. Easy to set up - you don't have to be a programmer these days to create a mini site. Web site templates or software allow most of the work to be done already.
2. Little time - you could create a mini site within one day if you have your entire content ready to go.
3. Laser focused on selling one product or service - a mini site can simply be one long sales page with an order button at the end.
4. No distractions - customers are distracted by other options on the web site. With no banners or links to other sites, the customer can be directed to purchase immediately.
5. Inexpensive to create - if you use a free hosting account (not recommended), you would just pay for registering a domain name. Paid hosting services for a mini site can be acquired for only $30/year.
Cons
1. Difficult for search engines to spider - a web site containing many relevant pages of content will tend to rank higher in the search engines than a one page mini site.
2. Lacks pages of content - mini sites often lack in-depth information about their product or service.
3. Difficult to increase link popularity - getting links from other web sites increases your link popularity. Webmasters form other sites want to link to a web site which contains valuable information that expands their visitors experience.
4. Less traffic - less pages means fewer chances for people to find your site in the search engines, thereby limiting the amount of traffic your web site receives.
Content-based web sites
Pros
1. Search engine friendly - creating a content-based page for every targeted keyword will enable visitors to enter from numerous points within your site.
2. Easy to acquire links from other sites - webmasters want to link to web sites that will expand their visitors experience by providing more information (ie articles) or simplify their tasks (ie software).
3. Become an authority on your product or service - adding pages of content related to your product, helps people to make an informative decision before purchasing.
4. Lots of traffic - creating lots of keyword focused pages and acquiring incoming and outgoing links to and from other sites generates lots of free traffic.
Cons
1. Too many options - customers can become indecisive if their are too many options to choose from.
2. Too many links to other web sites - this may take visitors away from your site and not return. Ideally you want to keep them at your site.
3. Can be expensive to build - content-based sites can cost thousands of dollars to develop if you take into account the cost of graphics and/or hiring someone to build it for you.
4. Takes a lot of time to develop the web site - building content-based pages takes time. It may take several years to create hundreds of content-based pages.
5. Attracts "tire kickers" - visitors want to look around to glean free information but may never buy.
Conclusion:
Before you decide on what type of web site to develop, first think of the purpose of your site. If you just need a sales page and want to drive targeted traffic to your site using paid advertising (ie paid per click search engines, ezine ads) then a mini site could be sufficient.
If you plan on becoming an authority on your product or service and want to attract lots of free search engine traffic, then a content-based web site will serve you better.
Alternatively, you may create a combination of the two ie begin with a mini site, leaving room to expand it to a larger content-based web site in the future.
Herman Drost is the Certified Internet Webmaster (CIW) owner and author of http://www.isitebuild.com Affordable Web Site Design and Low Cost Web Hosting Subscribe to his "Marketing Tips" newsletter for more original articles at:subscribe@isitebuild.com. You can read more of his in-depth articles at: http://www.isitebuild.com
one time home cleaning Highland Park ..First impressions are extremely important if you hope to do... Read More
If you have a website, you want your visitors to... Read More
If you think it's simply a case of who will... Read More
Conventional Wisdom states you should use Sub-Directories to organize your... Read More
If someone doesn't know you personally, will they trust you... Read More
With so many new websites going up, it is hard... Read More
This may comes as a surprise to you but, if... Read More
Learning how to convert visitors to your web site into... Read More
Do you know why the majority of people use the... Read More
Every action has a beginning phase where you launch your... Read More
In this article, I will attempt to cover the basics... Read More
The "Wow" factor that accompanied the introduction of streaming media... Read More
Read the title of this article over a couple of... Read More
If you were like me and you have just started... Read More
It's been said again and again, when it comes to... Read More
Before doing anything on the technical side, you need some... Read More
There are often many mistakes encountered when creating a webpage... Read More
An application is not ready for use unless you have... Read More
Since I'm a web designer, I have a tendency to... Read More
There are many ways to add fancy bells and whistles... Read More
Thinking about designing your own website? Think again about adding... Read More
Creating your own website is great fun! But how is... Read More
Designing your website means you have to be creative, plan... Read More
You've got a concept for a business, are excited about... Read More
Since I made the switch 6 months ago to a... Read More
licensed cleaning services Park Ridge ..Probably you know someone who has created a web site... Read More
I want to give you a free web page template... Read More
There are more than billions of Web Sites, running Online... Read More
A few years ago a lot of websites utilized frame... Read More
In this era of ultra-sophisticated internet marketing and web design,... Read More
About two years ago, I had a go at commercial... Read More
Have you seen Jesse James on the... Read More
Most people will agree there is nothing more annoying than... Read More
In this article you will find the parallel between two... Read More
Your web site should always adhere to standards!A professional web... Read More
We all want high impact graphics for our Web sites... Read More
The Internet has seen an explosion in so called 'lance'... Read More
Being a writer, when I was asked to do some... Read More
The following list of websites is the best compilation of... Read More
Designing your own successful web page can seem difficult and... Read More
The landing page or entry page of your visitors is... Read More
You're all ready to get started creating your web presence... Read More
Learning how to convert visitors to your web site into... Read More
So you're on the computer, as usual. Your eyes are... Read More
Web usability is perhaps the most important factor in any... Read More
In this article we will be looking at why you... Read More
There is no doubt that reprint articles can serve lots... Read More
Public domain gives you a head start creating ebooks, ecourses,... Read More
Tips to brand your websiteInclude your logo in all pages.... Read More
Building a website can be overwhelming, here are some design... Read More
Web Design |