{"id":21170,"date":"2020-01-30T15:44:40","date_gmt":"2020-01-30T15:44:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.arimetrics.com\/glosario-digital\/microsite"},"modified":"2026-09-29T13:20:49","modified_gmt":"2026-09-29T13:20:49","slug":"microsite","status":"publish","type":"encyclopedia","link":"https:\/\/www.arimetrics.com\/en\/digital-glossary\/microsite","title":{"rendered":"Microsite"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"boxpad alignright wp-image-14642 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.arimetrics.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/microsite-2.png\" alt=\"Microsite\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.arimetrics.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/microsite-2.png 300w, https:\/\/www.arimetrics.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/microsite-2-150x150.png 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><strong>Definition:<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>A <strong>microsite<\/strong> is a small-scope web property created for a specific campaign, product, event, audience, or topic. It may contain one page or several related pages and usually has its own identity, navigation, and content, while remaining connected to a main brand or website.<\/p>\n<p>A microsite can be published on a separate domain, a subdomain, or a directory of the main domain. Having a different <a href=\"https:\/\/www.arimetrics.com\/en\/digital-glossary\/url\">URL<\/a> is not enough to define it because every web page has its own address. Its defining features are a <strong>limited focus<\/strong> and an experience designed as a unit.<\/p>\n<p>Some microsites are temporary and are retired when an initiative ends, while others remain available as archives, editorial resources, or topic hubs. Their <strong>appropriate lifespan<\/strong> depends on the objective, the continuing value of the content, and the plan established for maintenance or closure.<\/p>\n\n<h2>Main characteristics<\/h2>\n<p>A microsite should serve a <strong>recognisable purpose<\/strong>. There is no mandatory number of pages or specific technology, but its scope should be narrower than that of a complete corporate website.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Defined topic:<\/strong> it concentrates the information required for a particular initiative or subject without reproducing the entire corporate website.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Adapted identity:<\/strong> it can use its own design, tone, or narrative while preserving the trust signals needed to identify the responsible organisation.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Reduced navigation:<\/strong> it prioritises routes that support the objective and avoids secondary options that do not help the journey.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Planned lifespan:<\/strong> it may be temporary or permanent, but it needs owners, maintenance, and a decision about closure or continuity.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>These characteristics make it possible to test a <strong>specific experience<\/strong>, but they do not justify hiding legal information, reducing accessibility, or breaking brand consistency without a reason.<\/p>\n<h2>Common uses<\/h2>\n<p>Organisations use microsites when an initiative needs more context and narrative freedom than a single page can provide. Their <strong>common applications<\/strong> include the following:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Launches:<\/strong> presenting a product, collection, or new line together with related content and resources.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Events:<\/strong> bringing the schedule, speakers, registration, location, materials, and updates into one recognisable space.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Campaigns:<\/strong> developing a story, brand activation, or awareness initiative across several stages.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Reports:<\/strong> turning a study, annual report, or dataset into an interactive and navigable experience.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Topic hubs:<\/strong> organising specialised content for a particular audience without expanding the whole corporate architecture.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The decision should start with a <strong>genuine need<\/strong>. If a section of the main website can meet the objective with less maintenance and an equivalent experience, creating another property may add unnecessary complexity.<\/p>\n<h2>Difference from a landing page<\/h2>\n<p>A <a href=\"https:\/\/www.arimetrics.com\/en\/digital-glossary\/landing-page\">landing page<\/a> usually concentrates the message and action of an offer or campaign on one page. A microsite can provide <strong>wider exploration<\/strong>, include several pages, and combine objectives such as informing, storytelling, registration, or resource distribution.<\/p>\n<p>The difference does not depend on the traffic channel or the domain used. A landing page can live within a microsite, and a microsite can contain a registration page. The useful distinction lies in the <strong>journey depth<\/strong>: a focused action on the landing page and a more developed topic experience on the microsite.<\/p>\n<p>It should not be confused with a corporate section either. That section belongs to the site&#8217;s <strong>permanent architecture<\/strong> and normally shares its navigation. A microsite retains more editorial or visual autonomy, even when it is published under the same domain.<\/p>\n<h2>Project architecture<\/h2>\n<p>The <strong>technical location<\/strong> affects management. A directory uses the main domain&#8217;s infrastructure; a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.arimetrics.com\/en\/digital-glossary\/subdomain\">subdomain<\/a> provides some separation; and an independent domain offers greater autonomy but requires separate management of hosting, security, analytics, authority, and renewals.<\/p>\n<p>Before launch, it is important to define <strong>ownership and governance<\/strong>: who updates the content, how long it will remain current, which legal notices apply, how accessibility and performance will be maintained, and what will happen to the addresses when the initiative ends.<\/p>\n<p>If the project ends, simply deleting it can create errors and lose useful references. The closure plan should decide which content is archived, which pages are integrated into the main website, and which redirects are appropriate. A redirect should only point to a destination that meets an <strong>equivalent intent<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<h2>Microsite performance<\/h2>\n<p>A microsite does not achieve <strong>better rankings<\/strong> because it is independent or because it repeats keywords. In <a href=\"https:\/\/www.arimetrics.com\/en\/digital-glossary\/seo\">SEO<\/a>, separating content can fragment signals, create duplication, or make several URLs compete for the same intent. Indexing, linking, and the relationship with the main website should be decided according to the project&#8217;s public value.<\/p>\n<p>Measurement begins with objectives and events defined before launch. Depending on the case, teams may observe qualified visits, content consumption, plays, downloads, registrations, sales, or any <a href=\"https:\/\/www.arimetrics.com\/en\/digital-glossary\/conversion\">conversion<\/a> tied to the purpose. Each indicator needs a <strong>basis for comparison<\/strong>, and activity should not be mistaken for an outcome.<\/p>\n<p>It is also useful to distinguish traffic sources, test the journey across devices, and review errors, speed, and accessibility. The final assessment should relate the <strong>total cost<\/strong> of design, promotion, and maintenance to attributable results and to the value the microsite continues to provide after the campaign.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A microsite is a focused web property for a campaign, product, event or topic. Learn its uses, architecture and differences from a landing page.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":81091,"template":"","encyclopedia-tag":[1285],"class_list":["post-21170","encyclopedia","type-encyclopedia","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","encyclopedia-tag-prototyping"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.arimetrics.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/encyclopedia\/21170","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.arimetrics.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/encyclopedia"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.arimetrics.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/encyclopedia"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.arimetrics.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.arimetrics.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/81091"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.arimetrics.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=21170"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"encyclopedia-tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.arimetrics.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/encyclopedia-tag?post=21170"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}