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
cheapest limo Akin .. Lockport Chicago limo O’HareLet's face it; the line from A Field of Dreams... Read More
Do know your audienceIt's important to know your audience. If... Read More
Well, a logo for your business. Why is it important?... Read More
Squeeze pages are a very hot topic in the internet... Read More
Did you know that many folks make "buying decisions" when... Read More
Studies done by Jakob Nielson the man touted as the,... Read More
7. Create high quality content - make clear points with... Read More
So you want to build a website here I will... Read More
Making a successful online business can be a long and... Read More
If there's one thing that most web site developers can... Read More
Creating your own website is great fun! But how is... Read More
Are you looking for somebody to build you a website,... Read More
STEP 1:Do your homeworkPlan and think about your content. Think... Read More
QUESTION: My business is very small, just me and... Read More
Just what is web copy? Some people think that web... Read More
Most NGOs (Non-Governmental Organizations) don't understand these important aspects of... Read More
If you are going to have a web presence for... Read More
About two years ago, I had a go at commercial... Read More
Not too long ago while looking for businesses that do... Read More
See, works every time. Seriously now, for some reason people... Read More
Getting a customer is not easy.Getting a visitor to decide... Read More
I often wonder how serious people are when it comes... Read More
So you need a website. You are not sure if... Read More
How many of the visitors to your web site take... Read More
So you're on the computer, as usual. Your eyes are... Read More
Aledo wedding limo ..Due to the large number of people offering web design... Read More
1. What's the purpose?The most fundamental thing to do before... Read More
Web advertising has taken many forms, including those that appear... Read More
Are you in a dilemma whether to create a mini... Read More
A highly effective website will always reflect its highly effective... Read More
So you need a website. You are not sure if... Read More
What is the relationship between Marketing and Web designing? How... Read More
Colors have long been known to have psychological affects on... Read More
Novice and professional graphic designers, we are aware that you... Read More
Argh, where's the contact button?! Believe it or not, some... Read More
In my last article entitled, Maximizing The True Value Of... Read More
Nope. You certainly don't need a website.But you don't need... Read More
The internet is filled with sites and they are good... Read More
So you're on the computer, as usual. Your eyes are... Read More
Designing your website can be a difficult task especially if... Read More
If you are one of those who wonder how people... Read More
For many webmasters the title of my article may seem... Read More
Does website design make a difference in how long people... Read More
Ever wonder how HTML color codes are put together? For... Read More
Colors are powerful, and create strong feelings. They can also... Read More
We all want high impact graphics for our Web sites... Read More
"How to turn "slightly interested" customers into "I've got to... Read More
The Internet is a relatively new medium. What works for... Read More
Have you seen Jesse James on the... Read More
The title tags of your web pages are more important... Read More
Web Design |