Reasons why you dont want to use microsites for SEO

[DJ]

Just read a good article about the disadvantages of launching microsites if your main goal is SEO results… its interesting.

http://www.searchengineoptimizationjour ... microsite/

[Mahesh]

Its a discussion that people has been having for years now and Nicks take on the same is also very intresting. But I dont think that a Micro site is going to do bring damage to a website or its SEO efforts if effectively understood and leveraged.

Thinking from a customers perspective, I would be really happy to know that a Company has a seperate site for my region or specialization. Having a lot of things in one website or squeezing everyting into the homepage can create a lot of confusion for the users, so a seperate microsite with a personalized design can guarentee more conversions and customer retention.
I do agree that if a person is creating a Microsite he will be needing to invest extra time starting the linkbuilding from the scratch, developing a new design and fresh new contents, but if done effetively it can yeild high returns.

Redirecting the Microsite to a different website or duplicating the main website contents is definetely considerd bad. But if a microsite is developed for creating new business opportunities and promoting the business or keywords in a targetted Niche with a new domain name, fresh contents or keywords it is going to be a really powerful marketing tool. SEO has been evolving over the years and to keep up with the competiton its very important to utilize all the aspects of Internet maketing including Microsite promotion, landing pages & minisites.