When you try to create a digital asset such as websites/blogs/etc; you have to first decide on the type. before getting deeper into landing page vs microsite, you can create a landing page, a coming soon page, or a microsite, though Unfortunately, most new Webmasters have no idea about the differences between them.
Creating digital assets is no longer difficult these days. Whether you want to promote a product or service or build a coming soon page, numerous plug-ins can help you.
Now, we will compare Landing pages vs microsites to help you understand what exactly they are and which one you should create.
What is Landing Page?
A landing page is usually a single page on the main website which promotes a particular product or service. Landing pages are also created as the destination page for various marketing campaigns like:
- Email marketing campaigns
- Social media marketing campaign
- SMS message camping
- And so on
The landing page aims to persuade the visitor to take a certain action which can be to buy a product, submit their email (lead generation) or sign up for promotional materials.
A landing page often does not link to any other page on the website because the sole focus is to drive the visitor to complete the required action.
A landing page is created when a business wants to independently promote a product or service or monitor the results of a marketing campaign.
That’s why landing page is important when focusing on one action to be made by the visitor.
Pros & Cons of Landing Page:
Pros:
- The primary advantage of a landing page is that it allows you to focus on a particular product or service and gauge how well it is converting.
- Using the right plug-ins, you can create a landing page in under two hours. Even if your main site isn’t ready, you can create a landing page and drive traffic.
- You can easily conduct A/B testing using multiple landing pages to improve your marketing campaigns.
- A landing page requires very few resources, so you won’t have to spend extra on hosting or different domains.
Cons:
- A landing page usually promotes a single product or service. To promote another product or service, you must create a separate landing page.
- Every aspect of the landing page needs to be carefully designed to optimize the conversion rate. This involves a lot of trial and error.
What is a microsite?
A microsite is a small website with just 5 to 7 pages. It can be on a separate domain or the subdomain of the main website. This microsite aims to drive traffic to the main site and to promote a set theme or a set number of products. Many businesses use them only to promote certain segments of products rather than the whole array of offerings they have.
Many companies create a blogging microsite to function as an independent digital asset which can then help them promote their products and services. Not only that, it isn’t uncommon for businesses to create multiple such microsites to promote different themes of products and services.
Pros & Cons of microsite:
Pros:
- The main advantage of a microsite is that it can rank for the same keywords as your main website. That way, you will get more exposure for those particular keywords.
- Additionally, microsites allow you to focus more on a product category or a particular theme.
- Using microsites, it is easy to use content marketing to promote your products and services.
- You can easily create a sub-brand using the microsite.
Cons:
- Microsites require much more resources than a landing page. You would need additional domain and hosting.
- The amount of content needed for a microsite is also higher.
Landing Page vs microsite:
It is time to compare both of these to better understand which one you should choose.
1. Purpose:
The purposes of creating a landing page and a microsite are entirely different.
Landing pages are created to promote a very specific product or service. There is only a single end goal of creating a landing page. It can be purchase or lead generation.
A microsite usually aims to promote a theme or a range of products and services using content. Many times, increased visibility is also the goal of creating a microsite. A sub-brand can also be created using the microsite.
In deciding between a microsite and a landing page, you have to look at the goal you’re trying to achieve and then take a call.
2. Number of pages:
A landing page is a single-page digital asset. It doesn’t even link to other pages on your website. That is because you do not want the visitor to click on any link and navigate to any other page.
However, the number of pages on a microsite can be 5 to 7. In certain cases, you can convert a microsite into a medium-sized = site by adding more content and pages.
3. Resources needed:
The number of resources needed to create a landing page is minimal. You either need to hire a designer to create one or use a plug-in that allows you to create a landing page through the drag-and-drop interface. The content you will need will be for a single page as well. Also, since it will be hosted on your main domain, there is no need to buy an additional hosting domain name.
On the flip side, the microsite requires more resources. For example, if you aren’t building it on a subdomain, you will need a separate domain and hosting. Also, the content it needs is certainly higher than just a single page.
If you’re short on resources or do not have the capital to invest, try using a landing page.
4. Domain name:
There is no need to buy a separate domain name when creating a landing page. In most cases, microsites require a separate domain name.
5. Scalability:
The problem with the landing page is that every landing page can promote only a single action. It means that the more products/services/excellence you want to promote, the more landing pages you will have to create. Things can quickly add up, so the amount of resources that you will need and the effort needed to create hundreds of Landing pages is certainly much higher.
A microsite, on the other hand, can be easily expanded into a medium-sized site to promote more products/services and rank for more keywords. You will not need a separate domain for the same.
If you’re looking for a scalable solution, look no further than a microsite.
Which one should you choose between Landing Page vs microsite?
Still, confused between the two?
Worry not!
We will share with you three factors that you should consider while choosing between them. Once you do so, choosing between a landing page and a microsite will be easy.
1. Take customer experience into account:
When driving a visitor to your digital asset, the visitor’s expectation also matters a lot. A landing page is more than enough if you promise them a solution.
In case you’re promising them more information on the topic, the microsite might be a good idea. Thus, the customer experience you offer to the visitor will help you decide between these two types of digital assets.
2. Determine the end goal:
What do you want the visitor to do after browsing your digital asset?
Do you want them to buy/take any action?
In that case, a landing page is a perfect solution. Every element of the landing page is designed so that the user is persuaded to complete a certain action which can be to submit his/her information or to buy something.
Want to inform the user?
If the goal of the digital asset is to just increase awareness, visibility, and branding, the microsite is a good idea. The visitor might not be prompted to take a certain action, but since you are now educating the visitor, you can eventually involve the visitor in a sales cycle. However, the sales cycle resulting from a microsite has a longer gestation period.
When the goal is to only inform the visitor, a microsite is a good idea.
3. Take into account the resources:
Of course, the resources you can devote to the task also will determine whether you go with the landing page or a microsite.
A landing page merely requires a landing page creation plug-in. If you have coding or programming knowledge, you won’t need access to that plug-in.
If you do not mind spending a bit for gaining visibility and branding, then a microsite is a good idea. The cost of hosting and the domain is pretty low in the grand scheme of things.
Only when you start creating multiple microsites the need for resources will increase.
Thus, it all depends on whether you’re looking for a low-cost solution or you do not mind spending a bit.
Conclusion:
Using the Landing Page vs microsite comparison above, you can easily understand what each of those digital assets is used for. In case of any confusion, simply go through the tips above, and you can choose the right digital asset for your needs.
Both of them can benefit your business significantly. It is for you to decide what purpose you’re trying to achieve and then choose between a landing page and a microsite accordingly.