subject: Do Authority Sites Convert Better than Mini Sites? [print this page] Do Authority Sites Convert Better than Mini Sites?
Many internet marketers don't appreciate the differences between mini sites and authority sites in terms of strategies and results. Many internet marketing newbies have trouble deciding which kind of site to focus on. You really need to consider a variety of factors, including the kind of business you want to build and the way Google and other search engines operate.
Yet you really have to make your decision based on what kind of products you want to sell and your own marketing style. The following discussion regarding mini sites and authority sites can help you make up your mind.
Mini sites and authority sites both have characteristics that give you certain possibilities, and also certain limitations. In some cases, the two can be similar, though the scale will be different.
An authority site is recommended if you want to sell a variety of products in a popular niche. The mini site approach would mean setting up a separate site for each product, which can work but is a completely different strategy. Depending on your market, and the number of products you want to sell, you have to decide which model is more appropriate.
Google changes it formulas and policies from time to time, based on their preferences and calculations. In recent years, especially in 2010, Google has made it plain that it likes authority sites better than sites lacking in substantial content. Just like with pay per click advertising, you will incur a lower quality score if your site is deemed, thin. In other words, it will take more work now to rank well with a mini site or effectively optimize it. The same efforts that would have gotten you lots of traffic earlier this year or before will get you less now. This is simply the way Google is operating now.
Authority sites can give you the benefit of ranking for keywords and phrases you might not have expected. In time, and with backlinking, you will discover that you are ranking well for words that are basically synonyms for your regular keyword phrases. You can then exploit those new key-phrases to improve your rankings even further. You can analyze those synonyms on their own merits or you can expand them to uncover other keywords and phrases. That is a distinct possibility that happens with more established websites. Of course, it does take some time for this to happen, so be patient.
Overall, you can't make a simple judgment about whether a mini site or an authority site is better. It can be tempting to make all your internet marketing decisions based on Google's preferences. It certainly makes sense to pay attention to Google, but at the same time you might also want to develop strategies that consider other platforms as well. Ultimately, the kind of sites you build will depend on your own preferences and objectives.
