What is a Minisite?

A minisite is a website by which companies offer information about one specific product or product group. Typically, a minisite is enhanced by various multimedia content, such as an animated, narrated introduction, and accompanied by a visual scheme which complements the product well.

For example, a soft drink company might have a minisite with bright colors and a carbonated bubble motif. This offers a more immersive experience for the visitor, in comparison to a traditional corporate website, which is usually presented in a classic professional layout describing the company's statistics and range of operations, and products' technical details.

A minisite may also refer to a single-page website through which the operator aims to sell one particular product rather than present a company's product portfolio. Unlike traditional websites, minisites usually consist of a single page website that utilizes a direct response marketing approach to sell its single product. Such products are often digital products that can be sold in a number of electronic formats such as PDF eBooks, interactive web videos, software, audio, podcasts, membership subscriptions or an online eCourse. However, it is also not uncommon for a minisite to sell a physical product.

Minisites have existed since the popularization of the World Wide Web in the mid 1990’s as direct marketers adapted their offline direct mail campaigns to accommodate for a worldwide audience provided by the Internet.

Telltale signs of a minisite include the following elements:

• a graphic header
• a large headline, accompanied by a smaller sub-headline
• utilizes a letter-style format, i.e. using terms such as: From:, Date:, Dear Friend;
• addresses a readers problem
• provides a solution
• encompasses direct response marketing techniques such as: scarcity, social proof, guarantees, testimonials and call to action graphics
• uses virtual product packages or ‘eCovers’ to create higher perceived value
  

The growth of online direct response marketing has meant that minisites have become extremely popular and are attracting a large audience of both companies and individuals worldwide who are adapting to the online direct marketing environment. This growth has also led to an array of minisite related services such as; copywriting, minisite graphic design and minisite video production.

Minisites are popular marketing vehicles, as marketers are attracted by the ease and speed of creating a minisite to sell their digital goods or information, which in turn allows them to run their own part time online business.[citation needed]
==See also synonym:microsite

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minisite"
Hidden categories: All articles with unsourced statements Articles with unsourced statements from August 2009

Making Money With Mini Sites - The 3 Most Powerful Ingredients to Win
By Steve D'Agostino

Does really making money with mini sites seem beyond your reach?

Believe me, I know what that feels like. I wanted to make money with mini sites, but I just wasn't sure how to build them just right and mange them all to make them work.

And I failed... miserably.

But, after reading, studying, testing, and tweaking, I finally figured out how to finally build successful mini sites and make money.

You can, too, and I'm going to help you!

There are three powerful ingredients that you need in your design if you want to make money with mini sites.

1. A strong header. This does not mean that you need some wild graphic, but your header, even if it's just a headline, should come across as professional and relevant to the site.

As an example, if you are using a graphic, you don't want to be flashy, with big houses and such if you're selling a book on fixing auto transmissions.

2. Fast load time. Here is where graphics on your mini site can be a drawback if they are not necessary. Internet marketers generally expect to see graphics, but not always. If the site is overloaded with them, it can slow down load time.

You're much better off with a good headline and short paragraphs with a lot of spacing between them and bullet points to guide the reader through the page.

3. A clear call to action. Never be ambiguous here. Tell the reader to order, leave email, or whatever the single purpose of the site is. Repeat it at least three times- four if you are getting long with your page.

Test it, test it, test it! If the first page of your mini site is long, be sure to tweak over time as you find how many calls to action are effective. Overdo it, and you begin to annoy your readers.

Warning: Be sure to follow these very simple rules if you want to really make money with your mini sites. Include these ingredients, and you are sure to do just fine.

Now, we still don't know yet if you can make money with mini sites!

It's okay- to find out more about what you need in order to really begin to make money with mini sites, grab my free report Mini Sites Explained. This free report will help you to understand the basics of what you need to make your mini sites better, stronger, and more effective.

If you're truly serious about wanting to make serious money online with mini sites, you need to go now to http://minisitesexplained.info/.

Article Source: http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Steve_D
http://EzineArticles.com/?Making-Money-With-Mini-Sites---The-3-Most-Powerful-Ingredients-to-Win&id=2999776

1.Find a good market niche. Look into your favourite hobby. Do some research.
Adsense Mini-Sites or also called as Content sites are basically websites designed only around creating a revenue from Google Adsense by driving traffic to these websites which in turn, if built correctly will result in a nice income.
These type of sites are taking off in the search engine and usually will have quite a bit of original content aimed at being highly targeted to the topic of the website.

High quality Adsense Sites are not to be confused with many of the "scraper" sites around which are just rubbish and will have your site banned by Google really fast.

The purpose of an Adsense Minisite as mentioned above is to create content rich WebPages that are highly focused towards a specific search term (to help improve search engine ranking's), attractive to the visitor and provide you with another income stream.

2.Get a Domain name. The domain name should be your best keyword in your ads for your site. Like everything else there are many ways to go around completing the same objective, this is still the same
here BUT the difference is that the guessing work has been eliminated of the equation, allowing you to focus on creating your Google Adsense pages.

The guide which will be detailed takes you through one of the most effective way's of creating wealth from Adsense due to the fact that these sites are built to last, not just a useless spammy site that will diminish with time. An Income that continues to grow and mature.

In fact to outline how powerful this method is, not only will your Minisites be earning you an income possibly within the first month but that income will increase as each month passes for quite a while.

3.Get a good Hosting Account. Avoid the free hosting services. They have serious limitations.

Cost Effective

Minisites are very cheap to create in terms of initial outlay and continued costs. If you are starting from scratch with nothing then it is possible to set up your first site for under $100 and that includes everything. Once you have your hosting up and running you can usually add new domain names under the same account and it will cost you even less.


Time Effective

Your first Google Adsense Mini-Site will probably take you a little longer then usual as it may be completely new to you but once you have completed a couple you will be able to build a complete site in less then 3 days if you want to. A friend of mine personally has 3 Adsense site right now that he is working on and has another 3 in the drafting stages, and this was referred to as "taking it slowly".

Maintenance

We all know how dull website maintenance can be, even I dread doing it from time to time, guess what? You got that right! Adsense Mini-Sites are built for ease of use, ease of maintenance and easy to upgrade.

How about some Free resources (Videos) to help you create your Content Sites.
I got some great news for you . Michael Rasmussen has created some terrific Step by Step Videos on How to Create your Minisites. And Yes!. They are Free. Just go to my site.

We will be talking some more about the creation of your Minisites, Splash pages or Content pages.

Have a great day.

----------
Victor M. Martinez Is a retired Horticulturist with a MS Degree at UC Davis, with a passion for Health Topics and Internet Marketing. http://www.victormb.com/

If you're looking for a highly effective method of increasing your Internet sales, then mini-sites may be your answer. Mini-sites are one of the most effective marketing tools online. Not only are they effective, but they're also very inexpensive and easy to create.

The concept is simple. Create a one or two page website that completely focuses on one specific topic. Everything within that page should have one purpose -- getting the visitor to take action.

This page should be neatly designed in standard HTML with no Flash or fancy plug-ins and very few graphics. There should be no banners or outside links of any kind and nothing that will distract your visitor's attention.

The sole purpose of a mini-site is to attract highly targeted traffic. The more targeted the better. For example, if you have a website that sells a number of products, a good mini-site would focus on one specific product instead of all of the products. You could create a mini-site for each product you offer.


Designing Your Mini-Site

Each mini-site you create should be optimized for that one specific product. Concentrate on just a few keyword phrases, as this will help you to tighten your targeting. Remember ... the tighter the targeting the better.

Title - Your "Title" should contain your most important keywords. You've probably heard that before, but I've found a slightly different method for optimizing the title. Since mini-sites focus on just one product, place the "most" important "keyword phrase" first. Not just your most important phrase, but the keyword phrase that you think people will use when they do a search. Instead of capitalizing the first letter, type it in lowercase, as most people type in all lowercase letters when searching. This will assist you in ranking higher in the Search Engine for your targeted audience.


Description - Your description should focus on one specific product and not generalize. Make sure you include your most important keywords towards the beginning of your description. In addition, make sure your description describes your site in detail. You want your potential visitors to know exactly what you're offering. Your description should be less than 200 characters.

Keywords - Concentrate on just a few keyword phrases.

Heading tags - Search Engines pay close attention to the text displayed within the "Heading" tags. Place your most important keyword phrase within a "Heading" tag.

Graphic Alt tags - Place a readable keyword phrase within your graphic "Alt" tags.

Text - All of your text should focus on your product. There should be no filler text whatsoever. It should have one specific purpose -- getting your visitor to take action. Make sure you include your keyword phrases throughout your text.

If you'd like to set up your mini-site using tables, try to place your "Heading" text above your "Table" code. If this isn't possible, make sure you include your keyword phrases within your top left "Table cell" to assist you in ranking higher in the Search Engines.

Mini-sites are not limited to just your products. They can also be used with any affiliate programs you may be promoting. You can include extra incentives such as a free bonus for purchasing the product or even your personal recommendation. This is a great way to presell the product.


Hosting Your Mini-Site

Although it is much better to have your own domain name, these sites can be hosted on a free server and still rank high in the Search Engines. Keep in mind, free sites do not build trust and credibility. No matter which option you choose, make sure you place your most important keyword phrase (the keyword phrase that you think people will use when searching) within your web address.


Drive Targeted Traffic to Your Site

Once you have tested the effectiveness of your site and have a good conversion rate, (the number of visitors compared to the number of sales) you can buy targeted traffic. Goto.com is the number one pay-per-click Search Engine and will most likely produce the best results.

For additional options, visit: http://www.payperclicksearchengines.com/ .They provide information and reviews on a number of pay-per-click Search Engines.

The key to using this technique effectively is to bid on "very" targeted keywords. This will weed out the casual visitors and only attract your target audience. There's no sense in paying for visitors who really weren't interested to begin with.

In addition to bidding on keywords, you can also advertise in targeted ezines and even purchase some targeted banner advertising. Be creative and take the time to test all of your promotions prior to spending a lot of money.

If you really want to increase your sales, create some mini-sites. They are one of the cheapest and easiest to create profit generators online.


Copyright © Shelley Lowery

About the Author:

Shelley Lowery is the author of the acclaimed web design course, Web Design Mastery. http://www.webdesignmastery.com/ And, Ebook Starter - Give Your Ebooks the look and feel of a REAL book. http://www.ebookstarter.com/ Visit Web-Source.net to sign up for a complimentary subscription to Etips and receive a copy of the acclaimed ebook, "Killer Internet Marketing Strategies." http://www.web-source.net/