If you need to keep adding content, what is the point of a minisite?

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Like the title says. If we need to continue to write and add fresh/original content in order to stay relevant, what is the point of a minisite? You can't keep adding content to a minisite can you? Then it wouldn't be a minisite anymore. Can a minisite really hold a #1 spot these days?
#adding #content #minisite #point
  • Profile picture of the author dburk
    Hi thebarksmeow,

    People building mini sites are primarily targeting low competition keywords and using the keyword as the domain name. As your mini site ages it earns more trust and higher rankings.

    If your mini site has some competition, you can build more backlinks to keep ahead.

    The reason many folks advocate the constant addition of new content is that it keeps the search engine bots visiting frequently and creates more targeted keywords to potentially rank for. People who prefer mini sites build more sites instead of adding more content to a single site. The goal is the same, more content means more keywords targeted, whether it's a single domain or multiple mini sites.
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  • Profile picture of the author thebarksmeow
    Ahh... Thanks. I think I have a better understanding.
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    • Profile picture of the author Kay King
      Basic misunderstanding.

      "minisite" refers to the subniche you are targeting. It means focusing on one product rather than presenting a variety of options.

      It doesn't mean "building a tiny site"

      It's a basic mistake that many here seem to be making these days.

      kay
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  • Profile picture of the author Morpheo
    NOT a very good business model in my opinion. Kinda like saying, "Let's build a mini-business." Why not just build a REAL freaking site? I swear, people are always looking for excuses not to do the hard work. Make a real site, with good content, market it well, and you will make good money. Everything else is beating around the bush. Don't limit yourself.
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    • Profile picture of the author dburk
      Originally Posted by Morpheo View Post

      NOT a very good business model in my opinion. Kinda like saying, "Let's build a mini-business." Why not just build a REAL freaking site? I swear, people are always looking for excuses not to do the hard work. Make a real site, with good content, market it well, and you will make good money. Everything else is beating around the bush. Don't limit yourself.
      Hi Morpheo,

      While I generally agree with some of your points, the purpose of a mini site is usually to build a landing page that converts better when promoting and selling a product or service. The problem with a large expansive website is that your conversions are typically much lower than a well optimized landing page on a mini site.

      So if your goal is to maximize profits, often the mini site is the best way to go.
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      • Profile picture of the author eibhlin
        Though a good landing page is helpful, a content-rich site -- steadily updated -- can evolve into an authority site quickly. Once reaching that level, I have fewer concerns when Google's algorithms change. My sites are relatively stable, and -- as an authority -- I have repeat traffic, and people who respect my opinions when I recommend something.

        However, for the time it's taken me to build those authority sites, I could probably have about 1000 mini sites. (I have two sites with 500+ original articles, each, and they include a broad range of sub-niches.)

        So, I think it's a matter of personal taste, interest, and the niches involved.

        Either way, you do need to keep working, whether you're creating more mini sites or expanding the sites you already have.

        Originally Posted by dburk View Post

        Hi Morpheo,

        While I generally agree with some of your points, the purpose of a mini site is usually to build a landing page that converts better when promoting and selling a product or service. The problem with a large expansive website is that your conversions are typically much lower than a well optimized landing page on a mini site.

        So if your goal is to maximize profits, often the mini site is the best way to go.
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        Artist, blogger, and author of a bazillion books, more or less. Find me at Eibhlin.com
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        • Profile picture of the author dburk
          Hi eibhlin,

          If what you are doing works well for you then great. I was only pointing out that there are situations where a mini site may be a superior choice. Each website should be designed with your primary goal for the website in mind.

          If your goal is to build an authority website then your method is an excellent choice. However, if your goal is to run a limited promotion on a specific product, or to generate leads for your service business, your approach will typically yield inferior performance as compared to a well designed mini site.

          With that said you can build landing pages that are specifically design to act as a mini site by removing the navigation from that page, and while it is on the same website it is made to appear as a mini site when you arrive at that landing page. There are no hard and fast rules, just build pages that are designed to serve a specific purpose for maximum results.
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  • Profile picture of the author tritrain
    The mini-sites are more for people with little to contribute in time or creativity, or information. They are of the 'build it and forget it' mentality.

    Bigger sites take commitment, but can have a bigger payoff. The downside is that you are "putting all your eggs in one basket", if things don't do well or change for those keywords. Maybe a couple big, fancy sites push your ranking down onto the 2nd or 3rd page of the SERPs for your main keywords.

    At any time Google could change their algorithm in such a way that those mini-sites could die a quick death, whereas there is less of that chance with a bigger site.
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  • Profile picture of the author XFactor
    Originally Posted by thebarksmeow View Post

    Like the title says. If we need to continue to write and add fresh/original content in order to stay relevant, what is the point of a minisite? You can't keep adding content to a minisite can you? Then it wouldn't be a minisite anymore. Can a minisite really hold a #1 spot these days?
    In my opinion a mini-site is anything under 50 pages.

    - John
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  • Each page you add to any site should have a purpose if it doesn't you are just digging a whole to fill it up again.

    This is why successful marketers always work from a blueprint or plan.
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