The argument over whether mini sites or authority sites are a better option has been raging for some years now. Yet Google seems to have come up with a deciding factor that could end the debate once and for all. But recently is seems as though Google has grown disillusioned by its previous liking for mini sites. However, the last few changes in ranking algorithms seem to favor those content rich authority sites rather than mini sites. This is Google’s way of attempting to provide their users with more relevant content in search results. Yet even a mini site can still offer positive results in your marketing efforts.
It’s commonly believed that mini sites have the advantage of bringing you profits in a shorter period of time. This technique can work in some cases. It might be a good idea, however, to balance out your shorter and longer term goals when you plan your strategy. One approach would be to break down a niche into many micro niches, based on careful keyword research. You could then build a group of mini sites around these keywords. If everything is right, and your research is solid, then you will rank for them fairly quickly. But keep in mind that Google has made it very clear that mini sites are not on their popularity list.
As you can probably figure out, authority sites are larger, more demanding projects to undertake than mini sites. People have different preferences in this area, and one is not better than the other. For example, if you thrive on change and variety, then the mini site may be more appealing to you. A mini site is relatively quick to produce, and you can actually build a new one each day if you wanted. It’s very different when it comes to an authority site. Yet you can also think of an authority site as a group of mini sites that are connected.
When you have an authority site, you’ll want to frequently add fresh content, whereas with mini sites you may just want to keep making new ones.
One benefit of authority sites that you do not see often concerns ranking for other keyword phrases. It’s possible to get your site ranking very well for synonyms of your chosen keywords and phrases as well. When you see this happening, you have the option of exploring those possibilities for even better rankings. Those synonyms should be analyzed to see what other keyword phrases and variations you might be able to expand on for even more rankings. Many established websites will find this happening to their own rankings over time. However, this phenomenon does take time to appear. For instance, if you would rather create an authority site about say, hostgator coupon 2010, it would have a better stick rate.
If you are struggling with the choice of building a minisite or authority site, then there is much to consider. This question is not necessarily a newbie question, but rather it is just that more experienced people know what they want. But it is not so terribly important because you need to do what you think you will like. So we always recommend people do what interests them the most. You may want to consider a combination of both approaches.
