What are Microsites and Why Should Your Law Firm Have One?

Unlike your main law firm website, which provides a comprehensive overview of your entire practice, law firm microsites are more singularly focused. They are often developed to support a larger website and share specialized editorial or advertising content. A typical microsite contains highly targeted content intended to showcase a firm initiative, attorney bios, or to complement a specific marketing campaign. Microsites can be a powerful tool for your legal marketing mix. In this post, we explain what a microsite is and walk through some of the benefits of developing microsites for your law firm.

What is a microsite?

A microsite is a single web page, or small collection of pages, designed to stand alone and function outside of your firm’s main website. Microsites can exist on a URL under your main domain, on a subdomain, or on a completely unique domain of their own. Law firm microsites usually have their own unique design and navigation system.

What is an example of a law firm microsite?

Law firm microsites come in all shapes and sizes and a great example of a microsite is Debevoise Women’s Review. The law firm of Debevoise & Plimpton LLP developed the platform to spotlight topics of interest to professional women, including the achievements, initiatives, and advocacy efforts of women and organizations around the world. The microsite provides a community for professional women and an opportunity for the firm to show its commitment to the success of professional women. 

What are some of the benefits of building a microsite?

More Focused Content

Your main website needs to be accessible to everyone, but there’s no such rule with microsites. You’re free to remove distractions and narrowly address the audience you’re trying to reach about the issue they’re seeking answers to. A microsite gives your prospects and clients a place to go to find relevant, detailed content that they will find valuable and want to come back for.

Positive User Experience (UX)

When people visit your microsite, they find exactly what they were searching for. They don’t need to look through a list of options and submenus to find what they need. This greatly increases the chance that you will capture the visitor’s attention in those crucial first few seconds.

Search Engine Optimization Benefits

Many marketers build microsites for the SEO value. With another URL, your firm will have another website that prospects and clients can land on to learn about you. Your microsite can start ranking for keywords that may be difficult to rank for with your law firm’s main website, affording you the opportunity to attract a wider audience. 

Fast Deployment

Because law firm microsites are small and stand on their own, they can be created and published quickly. This allows you to create content to take advantage of sudden opportunities where it could be difficult and time-consuming to integrate with the more complex design of your firm’s main site.

Creative Freedom

Microsites give you the freedom to break away from your main website’s design when you need to. They allow you to tailor the user experience, as well as the content, to fit the audience you’re trying to attract.

Less Overcrowded Pages

While it’s tempting to crowd your website with pages for every feature or cause your firm is involved in, it’s better to launch a microsite to help keep your content tidy and easy to digest. Offering too many choices and details on a single website can confuse the visitor and prompt them to leave your website.

Takeaway:

Law firm microsites are more than a landing page, but less than a full-fledged website, and allow you to generate more leads by providing highly targeted and compelling content that fits your audience’s specific needs. Are you considering building a microsite for your firm or practice group? We can help! Contact us today to learn how.

This post has been edited and republished from October 15, 2019.