To Micro-site or not to Micro-site?

[Alex Snyder]

Micro-sites have been a hot fad amongst many dealers and vendors, and after attending the Digital Dealer Conference I can tell you they're going to get even hotter.  But are they worth doing?

Before I get started, I should clarify this is Alex writing - not Jeff - so if you have any issues with my opinions see me.

I'm not convinced Micro-sites are the way to go.  Maybe I haven't spent enough time talking to Ralph Paglia, maybe I just don't want to throw another set of responsibilities on my already loaded plate, or maybe I think there is another way to do them without the extra hassles, customer confusion, and expense.

Micro-sites make sense! No doubt about it, they are a fantastic way to funnel precise information to a customer.  They are awesome for campaign tracking, and they absolutely rock for SEO!  However, I think they add confusion for a customer and more things to watch to your Internet department's to-do list.....as if we don't have enough websites to keep an eye on already.

I know I'm speaking to the more advanced eCommerce crowd here, so I'm going to assume you guys are putting a lot of time and effort into your main dealer website.  You've got your value-added programs on your site, all your new & used inventory there, the right phone numbers, all kinds of forms, and maybe some other things that set you apart.  Why build more sites that only convey one message when you can build a single page, under your own domain, that can do the exact same thing?  Let's call it a "landing page" and direct our campaigning efforts to that page.  If you know how to use your site metrics, you can watch to see how effective the campaign is.  On top of that, the people who come to your main site can also see your "landing page" ....win-win!   Yes, you're going to lose out on phone call tracking (if you're assigning a special 1-800 number to the campaign), but you're not confusing your customers with 500 different phone numbers (this is another beef I have).  Speaking of customer confusion, what happens when all your micro-sites are indexed - how do they know which site is the one they should be clicking on when they're coming through the organic side?  Is precise tracking worth more than customer frustration?

The part of micro-sites I absolutely love is the SEO benefits of having multiple, relevant, sites pointing back at you.  I can't come up with a decent argument on this part, but I can tell you I'd rather spend my money on press releases instead of micro-sites.  They're relatively inexpensive and don't have to be managed.  If your customers find the release, then it just makes you look better (if written well), and it can be somewhat timeless (again, if written well).

Now you know my take on dealer micro-sites, and I'm interested to hear what you think - GET TO COMMENTING!!!

 

[Eric]

Dead on Alex. I have yet to bring any stats to the table but most shoppers are looking for some sort of reassurance before they send in their personal info. Microsites do not provide that.

 

[Mike@Carfeine]

Depends whether it's branded or not Eric. Brand recognition is going to payoff for those that have a good one. Those that do not have something else to address prior to Micro-Site marketing.

 

[Lindsey]

I've looked into micro-sites from several different vendors. I have not been able to justify the cost of another $1,000 per month for a website that is only focused on one vehicle model, and no other links to your actual dealer website. Does anyone know of a website company that has landing pages within your dealer website for each model?

Right now, we have landing pages for each make, and individual vehicle pages for each VIN - which is great for SEO. I just wish we had landing pages for the models - it would be great for PPC campaigns!

I agree with Alex about confusing customers when a dealer has too many websites. We have one for each make we carry, plus a splash page that links all the sites together. We also have "Cobalt" sites as part of the GM requirement. All in all, for three dealerships, we have 10 websites!

 

[Brian in Etown]

Well I have some ideas on this when working within a budget.
Check out my site and see what I have done with a Mountain bike race
we sponsor every year. Doesn't cost anything other then time.
100% increase in traffic to the Tundras since going live with the coupon sale and popup.

 

[Lindsey]

Brian - that is a nice site. What kind of online or offline marketing campaigns do you use to promote the Tundra coupon page?

 

[Mitch]

Lindsay, $1,000/mo for a microsite? Wow.

There's obviously value in microsites and landing pages, but It all depends on the content and how it relates to the goal of the promotion.

Obviously the overall goal is to generate a lead, but more specifically, you might want to lure customers away from a competitor, or push some SEO, or improve your online reputation. You're going to do something different for all of those cases, so buying a plug-and-play microsite from some vendor isn't always the way to go... especially if they're charging a g-note for the site. It's like anything else on the net - the best solutions are basically free, as long as you have the expertise to get it done yourself.

 

[Frank Davis]

We have built a few micro sites this year with awesome results. Type into Google "special financing tulsa" you will see that my micro site is #1 and my website is #2 before the micro site we did not show up at all for that search term. For 400.00 and no monthly fees (includes URL and hosting) I am #3 or better for all the search terms I choose. These sites provide me with everything I wanted and a little more with no up keep and no headaches, just more clicks.

 

[Joe Pistell]

If you take all the above comments and place them in a blender, then copy n paste them here... that about nails my opinion on it.

Micro-sites
...w/o branding affiliation is a waste.
...Can be duplicated with landing pages.
...create more work
...SERPs can confuse a googler
...should have a unique tel# (more shopper confusion)
...have questionable ROI (gulp, $1k p/mo? I am in the wrong biz!)

All that being said...
I am a micro-site proponent. To me, the battle is for SERP dominance and micro sites help me get there. Allow me to explain.

To me, the center of all car buying is GOOG.
If you see an ad and you want to pursue it, you go to GOOG. If want more info on a hot lil' mini that just wizzed by you at lunch, you GOOG it. If your getting deeper into the process and you want to buy one, you GOOG it. Its HERE -at this search point- '[goog: make/Model/location] that Cars.com and AutoTrader.com STEAL your shoppers! That's right Cars.com and AutoTrader.com are your SERP competitors.

From my seat, if my site and my little army of micro sites can rank 3 of the top10 for "used ford 500 dealer near [city, state]" then thats 3 less spots for dealerrater.com, autotrader.com and the rest.

Because GOOG will only give one URL 2 links for a search, then that means the most your site will see with Landing pages are 2 results per search request. It is possible to have 2 results from your Microsites PLUS your home site, all on the TOP10 (1st Page).

BONUS:
Sometimes, you're going to want microsites just to protect yourself. Want proof?

Loading…

www.google.com

See position #2.

The best offense is rooted in superior defense. Your turn is coming.

just my $0.02 from your ol pal,
Joe

 

[Brian in Etown]

@Lindsey
check under the about us tab then check out news.
We use grass roots events to market the web site.
Not as advanced as what I would like but I am a one man show and kinda of hard to manage prices, pics, comments, previous customers, carfax, autotrader, cars.com and taking care of the tech issuses that pop up from time to time, But hey never a dull moment and the days go by fast.