subject: Authority Sites or Mini Sites- Which Way Should You Go? [print this page] Authority Sites or Mini Sites- Which Way Should You Go?
When deciding whether to build minisites or authority sites, you really have to consider your own preferences. When it comes to these two kinds of sites, it's best if you don't make broad, general statements about them. In the internet marketing world, you'll find lots of people who have strong opinions about this that aren't likely to change. But it can be to your advantage to openly look at both sides of this debate. The more open-minded you are, the more options you have and the more money you can make. To help you make up your mind, we'll explore some of the pluses and minuses of authority sites vs. mini sites.
Mini sites and authority sites both have characteristics that give you certain possibilities, and also certain limitations. Sometimes scale is the only way the two kinds of sites differ.
If you wanted to target a broad range of products within a particular market, then you can accomplish that quite easily with a large authority site. Mini sites would enable you to market one specific product, but not a large variety in this niche. Which approach you decide is entirely up to you, and there are many reasons why you would want to choose one over the other. Most people are aware of the benefits to be had by creating authority websites. It's convenient that Google is also reinforcing this belief. But there are also plenty of other benefits for the bigger sites with regards to marketing as well as SEO. Authority sites can be easier to promote when you consider the broader scope of backlinks that can be generated to inner pages. A good authority site with plenty of good quality unique content may also find that other webmasters voluntarily link to that content, generating even more backlinks.
You'll find that it is much easier (and faster) to build credibility with an authority site. Larger sites filled with useful content tend to be more impressive to visitors. Many people simply make the leap that the person behind the larger site has a larger knowledge base to draw from. For some people, this is all that is needed for credibility to be established. This is a rare situation for mini sites. While it can happen, that is a rare occurrence. The choice between creating a mini site or building an authority site is one that is being influenced by Google. Mini sites can be great tools for any marketer, but you may find you need to spend more time finding ways to attract traffic. Mini sites are excellent additions to any carefully created marketing plan. Yet the possibility of better ranking results and a stream of organic traffic coming to a larger site remains.
