Are microsites worthwhile?

[Hardley1]

I was wondering if it is worth while  from a SEO perspective to create and  link to Microsites. If this is worth doing can anyone tell me the best way to go about doing this?

[AndreVanKets]

I think what the OP wants to do is create a few micro sites with the main objective of getting links to his main website.

OP, its not worth the time and effort. If the microsite serves a purpose other than simply linking to your site from within the articles then go for it. If your hoping to see an improvement in rankings by doing this, its not going to be worth your while.

Greg

[TakeshiYoung]

Microsites can be a good strategy in many instances.

The main case if you want to create a small site around a single use like downforeveryoneorjustme.com. People will often link to small microsites like this because of the novelty, and social sites like reddit are more likely to promote the site if it's a standalone rather than a part of your commercial site.

Another use case for microsites is if you want to create a site that is off-brand from your main site. For example, you might be a law firm that wants to create a meme tumblr or a prestigious bank that wants to target an off-brand term like "cheap loans". A microsite in this instance can allow you to target off-brand terms or use off-brand tactics without impacting your main brand.

If you have the resources, building out a bunch of microsites can be a way of targeting microniches or taking up multiple listings in the SERPs.

Note however that building out microsites doubles the work you have to do in terms of web design, content creation, and link building, but the results can be worth it if you have the resources.

[djlaidler]

Hey,

Microsites were typically set up to take advantage of an EMD, Exact Match Domain. Since the softening of EMD relevance in search, microsites have lost their efficacy.

Although there still may be a need for microsites, I don't think they should be considered if it's simply to rank a keyphrase/s.

Dan