A microsite is a small, separate website, usually one to a handful of pages, built for one job: a product launch, an event, a campaign or a single audience. It normally lives on its own domain (or a subdomain) and links back to your main website. A microsite is not the same as a landing page, which is one page inside your main site. For most small businesses, a microsite is only worth it when the project truly needs its own identity, because Google treats it as a brand-new site.
If you’re asking “what is a microsite?”, someone has probably suggested building one for you: a marketing agency, a printer selling a campaign, or a friend who saw a competitor do it. I’m a freelance web designer in Clapham, London, and I get asked this a lot. So on 14 November 2026 I checked the parts that really matter for a small business against Google’s own documentation: its spam policies (last updated 28 August 2026), its SEO Starter Guide, the Search Console help pages and the Google Business Profile guidelines. Most articles about microsites are written for big brands with big budgets. This one is for the business owner deciding whether to spend money on one.
Key takeaways
- A microsite is a small, focused website with its own address, built around one product, event, campaign or audience.
- It is not a landing page: a landing page sits inside your main website, a microsite sits outside it.
- A microsite on a new domain starts from zero on Google. Google says keywords in a domain name “have hardly any effect” on ranking.
- Building lots of microsites for different towns or services is what Google calls doorway abuse, which breaks its spam policies.
- For most local businesses, a strong page on your main website beats a microsite for SEO, cost and upkeep.
What is a microsite?
A microsite is a mini website that does one thing, separate from your main business website. Think of your main site as your shop and this as a stall you set up for a festival: smaller, focused and often temporary.
It usually has its own domain name (for example summerofferclapham.co.uk) or a subdomain of your main domain (for example offer.yourbusiness.co.uk). It might be a single long page or a small group of pages, with its own design, its own message and one clear action you want people to take: book, buy, register or call.
Big brands use them all the time for film launches, product campaigns and annual reports. Small businesses use them less often, and when they do, it’s usually for an event, a new product line, a separate sub-brand or a recruitment drive. “Microsite meaning” searches tend to come from people who’ve been quoted for one and want to know what they’d actually be paying for.
What’s the difference between a microsite, a website and a landing page?
The difference is size and where it lives. Your main website covers your whole business, a microsite covers one topic on its own address, and a landing page covers one offer on a page inside your main website.
| Main website | Microsite | Landing page | |
|---|---|---|---|
| What it covers | Your whole business | One product, event, campaign or audience | One offer or one action |
| Size | From 5 pages to hundreds | Usually 1 to a handful of pages | 1 page |
| Address | yourbusiness.co.uk | A new domain or a subdomain | yourbusiness.co.uk/offer/ |
| Lifespan | Permanent | Often temporary, sometimes long term | Campaign length or permanent |
| Google history | Builds up over years | Starts from zero if it’s a new domain | Shares your main site’s history |
| Search Console | One property | Needs its own property | Already covered |
| Upkeep | One site to update | A second site to update, renew and secure | Nothing extra |
That last row is the one nobody mentions in the sales pitch. A second site means a second domain to renew, second hosting to pay for, second set of updates and a second place where things can break. If you’re not sure how those pieces fit together, my guide to domain vs hosting explains who should own what.
What are microsites used for?
They’re used when a project needs its own look, its own address or its own audience, separate from the main brand. The good reasons are about people and branding, not about tricking Google.
- An event: a festival, open day, conference or charity run with its own name, schedule and ticket sales.
- A product launch: a new range that needs a different look from your main site for a few months.
- A campaign with offline advertising: a short, memorable address on posters, vans or radio ads.
- A separate brand: a second business or sub-brand that serves a different type of customer.
- Recruitment: a careers site for a business hiring lots of people at once.
Notice what’s missing from that list: “to rank in more towns” and “to get more Google traffic”. Those are the reasons I hear most from small business owners, and they’re exactly the ones Google warns against.
Do microsites help SEO?
Usually not, and for small businesses they often make SEO harder. A microsite on a new domain has no history, no links and no reputation with Google, so it competes from scratch instead of building on the work your main website has already done.
Here’s what Google’s own documentation says about the three ideas that usually come with the pitch:
1. “A keyword-rich domain will rank.” Google’s SEO Starter Guide says the keywords in a domain name or URL path alone “have hardly any effect” on ranking beyond appearing in breadcrumbs. So best-plumber-balham.co.uk doesn’t get a head start just because of its name.
2. “One microsite per area or service will cover more ground.” This is the dangerous one. Google’s spam policies define doorway abuse as “when sites or pages are created to rank for specific, similar search queries”. Two of Google’s own examples are “having multiple websites with slight variations to the URL and home page to maximize their reach for any specific query” and “having multiple domain names or pages targeted at specific regions or cities that funnel users to one page”. That’s a word-for-word description of the “one site per town” plan.
3. “It will send SEO power to the main site.” A brand-new site has very little to send. Links from a site you own and built for the purpose aren’t the same as a respected local newspaper or trade body linking to you. And if the new site mostly copies text from your main site, Google simply picks one version to show. Google’s Starter Guide is clear that duplicate content isn’t a penalty, but it’s “inefficient”, which is a polite way of saying you’ve paid for something that does nothing.
There’s also a practical cost. Google’s Search Console help explains that a Domain property covers all subdomains, but a separate domain needs its own property, verification and monitoring. That’s one more dashboard to watch, and one more site where you can miss a problem. If Search Console is new to you, here’s what Google Search Console is and what it tells you.
My honest view: if the goal is more calls from Google, put the money into proper pages on your main website, one per service and one per area you really cover, each with real detail. That’s how I build websites for small businesses in London. If you’ve been quoted for one and want a second opinion, send me the quote or call me on 07404 145722. I’ll tell you straight if it’s worth it.
Can a microsite cause problems with my Google Business Profile?
It can if you use it the wrong way. Your Google Business Profile should point to the website that represents your business, and you should only have one profile per business location.
Google’s Business Profile guidelines say to “provide a website that represents your individual business location” and “do not provide phone numbers or URLs that redirect or ‘refer’ users to landing pages”. They also say “there should only be one profile per business”. So a campaign site shouldn’t replace your main website on your profile, and creating extra profiles to go with extra sites is a fast way to get suspended.
The safe setup is simple: your profile links to your main website, and the campaign site links back to your main website too. If you’re unsure what belongs on your profile, read what a Google Business Profile is first.
Microsite, subdomain or a page on my main site: which should I choose?
Choose a page on your main site unless you have a clear reason not to. A subdomain is a middle ground, and a separate microsite domain only makes sense when the project needs to stand alone.
| Option | Example address | Good for | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Page on your main site | yourbusiness.co.uk/summer-offer/ | Offers, services, areas, most campaigns | Has to match your main site’s design |
| Subdomain | offer.yourbusiness.co.uk | A different design or system on the same brand, such as a booking or careers site | Needs its own setup and tracking |
| Separate microsite domain | summerofferclapham.co.uk | Events, sub-brands, short memorable addresses for offline ads | Starts from zero on Google, extra renewals and upkeep |
| Several microsites for towns or services | plumber-balham.co.uk, plumber-tooting.co.uk | Nothing | Google’s doorway abuse policy |
A tip if you want a short address for posters or van signs: buy the memorable domain and redirect it to the page on your main website. You get the easy-to-remember address without building or maintaining a second site. My guide on .co.uk or .com covers which ending to pick.
How much does a microsite cost?
A microsite costs much the same as a small website, because it needs the same work: design, copy, build, testing and launch. Being “micro” makes it smaller, not free.
With me, a bespoke small website of up to 5 pages costs £1,500, which is the size most of these sites are. It takes 10 to 15 working days once the content is in, and you pay 50% to start and 50% at launch. On top of that, you’ll pay for the domain and hosting in your own name, every year it stays live. You can see everything on my pricing page.
Compare that with adding one strong page to a website you already have. If your main site was built well, a new page is a small job for whoever built it (I only work on sites I’ve built myself; I don’t edit sites built by someone else). If your site can’t take a new page without a struggle, that’s a sign the main site itself needs attention, not a reason to build a second one next to it.
How to plan a microsite so it doesn’t waste your money
Plan the end before the start: decide what it is for, how you’ll measure it and what happens to it when the campaign is over. Here’s the checklist I use:
- Write down the one job. One audience, one action. If you can’t say it in a sentence, it belongs on your main site.
- Check you’re not building a doorway. If the plan is several similar sites for different towns or services, stop and read Google’s doorway abuse examples again.
- Register the domain in your own name. Not your designer’s, not your agency’s.
- Write original content. Don’t copy and paste from your main site. Give people something they can’t get there, such as event details, a schedule or product specifics.
- Link it clearly to your main business. Your name, address and a link back to your main website, so customers and Google can see who’s behind it.
- Set up tracking from day one. Add the site to Search Console and analytics, and track calls and form enquiries, so you know if it’s earning its keep.
- Plan the shutdown. When the campaign ends, redirect each page to the closest matching page on your main site. Google’s site move guide says permanent redirects “don’t cause a loss in PageRank” and to keep them “generally at least 1 year”. Don’t just let the domain lapse.
Step 7 is where most go wrong. A campaign ends, the domain expires, and any links or bookmarks pointing to it go nowhere. If you later rebuild your main website as well, the same care applies: my guide on redesigning a website without losing SEO walks through it.
Do I need a microsite? Which situation are you in?
Most small businesses don’t need one. Find your situation below for a straight answer.
| Your situation | Microsite? | What I’d do instead |
|---|---|---|
| You want to rank in more towns or boroughs | No | One genuine area page per place you really serve, on your main site |
| You’re running a seasonal offer | No | A landing page on your main site, plus a short redirect domain for print if you like |
| You’re organising a public event with its own name | Maybe | A microsite can work, with a plan to redirect it afterwards |
| You’re launching a separate brand for different customers | Often yes | A proper website for that brand, not a throwaway microsite |
| You don’t have a main website yet | No | Build your main website first. A mini site can’t replace it |
| Your main website is old or slow | No | Fix the root problem with a redesign, rather than adding a second site |
| An agency says extra sites will “boost your SEO” | Be careful | Ask which Google documentation supports that, then get a second opinion |
If you don’t have a website at all yet, start with does my business need a website?
What is a microsite: frequently asked questions
What is a microsite in simple terms?
A microsite is a small, separate website built for one purpose, such as an event, product launch or campaign. It usually has its own domain or subdomain and links back to the business’s main website.
What is the difference between a microsite and a landing page?
A landing page is a single page inside your main website. A microsite is a separate small website on its own address, often with several pages and its own design.
Are microsites good for SEO?
Usually not for small businesses. A microsite on a new domain starts with no history on Google, keywords in a domain name have hardly any effect on ranking, and several similar microsites for different towns break Google’s doorway abuse policy.
How much does a microsite cost in the UK?
About the same as a small website, because it needs the same design, copy and build work. A bespoke site of up to 5 pages costs £1,500 with me, plus your own domain and hosting each year.
Should a microsite have its own Google Business Profile?
No. Google says there should only be one profile per business, and the website on it should represent your business. Keep your profile linked to your main website.
What should I do with a microsite when the campaign ends?
Redirect each page to the closest matching page on your main website with permanent 301 redirects, and keep the redirects in place for at least a year, as Google recommends for site moves.
Thinking about a microsite? Talk it through first
Now you know what a microsite is, how it differs from a landing page and where it can go wrong with Google. If you’re planning an event site, a new brand or just want to know whether that quote makes sense, tell me what you’re trying to achieve. I’ll give you an honest answer, even if it’s “add a page to the site you’ve already got”. You can also see how I build bespoke websites in London.
Book a free consultation, or call or WhatsApp me on 07404 145722. One site that works hard beats three that nobody finds.
Freelance web designer and SEO in Clapham, London, and two-time Prestige Awards Web Designer of the Year. I design, build and rank websites for small businesses. More about me
