Already we have looked at ways to improve a click through, lead capture and a product/service landing page. However, if you will have read about the different types of landing pages out there to be used in pay per click advertising campaigns, you will realise that there are a lot more landing pages PPC advertisers could potentially use instead of the three listed above. In this article, I will be looking at how to improve a microsite. In essence, a microsite says exactly what it means: it is an ‘add on’ to a main site that is a single page with the potential to have it’s own URL. The main reasons advertisers use microsites is to focus the whole page’s attention on just one thing instead of many (which other landing pages commonly do). If done right, the microsite PPC landing page can turn out to be quite a successful landing page to use. Therefore, without further ado, here are two ways you can improve a microsite.
 

#1 Focus on One Thing and One Thing Only

The main reasons microsites fail is because the advertisers that use them fail to recognise that a microsite, to be successful, has to be very focused and specific to one thing. This can mean a microsite does not have to include a navigation menu bar at the top like other landing pages as that introduces different categories to the microsite diversifying the choice of clicks to the web user.
Your conversion for your microsite might not always be a same. For example, it has the potential to be a click, a lead or simply digesting information. What is important, though, is that whatever your conversion is, always make sure that your microsite’s sole purpose is to get that conversion and do not allow the web user to wonder off to other areas of your main website – a microsite can be seen separated from your main website so why would you link to it?
 
 

#2 Increase Engagement with Videos, Flash and Images

The best way to help web users engage with your microsite is not always to simply display content for them to read – for web users, this is boring and increases the liklihood of the web user clicking away to go to an alternative website. The best way to increase engagement is with either video, flash or images:

• Videos are great as they directly communicate with web users in a medium that seems natural and fluent to people – visually and with sound. It requires minimal effort from the web user so it is always a winner for engagement.
• Flash helps the web user interact with content by getting them to click onto different areas and engage with the flash content. Although this might slow your microsite down a bit, it is worth tying if your budget can fit creating flash.
• As I always like to say, images have the potentialy to be worth a thousands words so try ot use images on your microsite where appropriate (where the content can be replaces by an image).