A dark site is a complete but unpublished web page or microsite — holding statements, facts, contacts, updates — built in calm times and kept ready to switch live the moment a crisis hits. It buys speed when the first hour decides the narrative, letting a brand publish accurate, approved information in minutes. It also ensures the brand's authoritative account is online and citable immediately, so AI engines summarizing the event ground their answers in the company's facts rather than someone else's.