Have you heard about the WordPress microsite?
Is it a website or something else? Whether you’re wondering “What is a microsite?” or “What does it do?”, you’re not alone.
In this blog post, you will learn about What is Microsite in WordPress, how it benefits you, and its cool features. And lastly, you will know about the differences between a microsite and a website in brief and about multisite.
So without making you wait, let’s jump into the points.
What is Microsite in WordPress?
Microsites are miniature versions of regular websites. Microsites serve as landing pages for marketing campaigns and information hubs for visitors seeking details on a certain topic or product. Launching new divisions or initiatives with their own, easily managed microsites can be a great way to minimize disruption to the overall site’s functionality.
Microsites using WordPress have the same setup as the main site, including the same files, database, and other things. They can be thought of as advanced permalinks for the pages or posts that are given to them. Unlike the main website for a brand or organization, a microsite often has a separate domain name or subdomain.
You can build a microsite in no time, simply follow How to create a microsite in WordPress.
What are some cool features of Microsite in WordPress?
Ease of mapping posts
The microsite mapping function is robust, adaptable, and usable in a wide variety of situations. The fundamental element that makes microsites so powerful is the ability to map any post type to a specific domain. You can now organize different parts of your WordPress site into their subdomains or subdirectories.
Change URL based on subdomain or domain
Microsites do more than just move information to a different domain or subdomain. They can also change the links to all the internal resources that are under them.
In other words, all the pictures that are stored on your WordPress server will immediately use the microsite domain or subdomain instead of the main domain.
Track the URL of a microsite
You can add query string parameters to the URL of a microsite. These parameters will stay in place even if a user goes to a different page on the microsite.
This will help you keep track of people who visit a certain page and gather analytics data.
Individual Favicon Support
You have a specific favicon support for your WordPress microsites.
With support for microsite-specific favicons, you can change the favicon for each microsite to fit its theme or brand. Visitors will be able to distinguish each microsite, which will increase user engagement and company awareness.
What are the pros and cons of microsites?
Let’s talk about the good and bad things about microsites.
Pros of Microsites
Targeted Content: Microsite lets you create content that is more relevant to a certain campaign or target. This makes it easier for users to find the information that is most important to them.
Less Distractions: Microsites allow users to concentrate on your campaigns and CTAs by removing unnecessary components and the main site navigation.
Customization: A microsite’s design might differ from that of the main site to make it more engaging and distinctive through the use of graphics, animations, and other elements.
Analytical Data: You can learn a lot about user behavior and preferences from the analytical data provided by microsites.
Cons of Microsites
Search Engine Optimization: Microsites can be difficult to optimize for search engines, making targeting specific keywords and phrases harder.
Cost and Time: Microsites can be expensive and time-consuming to make and keep up. They take more time and work to plan and build than the main website.
Potential Confusion: People who are looking at the main site might suddenly get sent to a microsite without meaning to. This can be frustrating and confusing.
Limited Data Collection: Microsites may collect less data at once with more restrictions on what data can be entered, making it more challenging to gather comprehensive insights.
What is a microsite vs website?
Here is a comparison table between microsites and websites in brief.
Microsites | Websites |
Smaller and more targeted | Larger and more comprehensive |
Often temporary and used for specific campaigns or events | Serve as the primary online presence for a company |
Can have their own domain or subdomain, but still link back to the main website | Permanent and visited by all customers |
Allow for more creative freedom and experimentation | Provide information about the company’s products, services, values, and mission |
Can be used to appeal to a specific subset of the audience | Built to drive conversions and encourage visitors to make a purchase |
Can be used to promote an upcoming product or services | Content is usually more accessible and appeals to a broader selection of users |
Can be used for localization using country specific subdomains and subdirectory | Localization of the website is comprehensive, making it harder to target content for specific regions |
Microsite requires its own SEO strategy to be visible to the audience | Websites have organized SEO strategies and have a primary online presence for their audience |
Microsites are smaller, more targeted, and often temporary, while websites are larger, more comprehensive, and serve as the primary online presence for a company.
Are Microsite and Multisite the same?
No, microsite and multisite are not the same thing.
Microsites are usually separate websites, but they can also be made as pages of other websites. Multisite is a group of websites that are all run from the same WordPress server. You can make and update changes to many websites from one location, and you can use the same plugins, themes, and other resources on all of them.
Depending on the context, microsites can be seamlessly included in a multisite environment. This allows you to set up microsites for each site on the network and control them all from the same administrative panel.
The ability to handle multiple sites from a single WordPress installation should usually be sufficient for most users. However, if you require more complex functionality such as domain mapping, URL rewriting, and support for query string parameters, a microsite plugin may be required.
Now you understand the microsite in WordPress. So without wasting time, let’s create a microsite.
Wrapping Up
Great, after reading through this blog you finally got a complete idea about WordPress microsites.
If you understand what is microsite in WordPress? You can explain this to others about its benefits, features, and differences in a clear concept.