Every business needs a website in order to be successful - or to keep new customers in your pipeline so you continue being successful! Our blog post - " Why Your Small Business Needs a Website " - covers the practical reasons in detail, such as visibility when potential customers search Google for businesses that sell what you sell. But now that you're convinced, what kind of website is better for your enterprise - a traditional multi-page website, or a one-page (also known as a single-page) website?
The answer depends upon your business and its needs. For example, if is in the picture, a single-page website obviously won't work. But if you own a small local retail store with only in-store shoppers, it could be a perfectly good solution. However, if you think that a one-page website will save you money, be aware that budget can't be the only basis for your choice.
The Pros of a One-Page Website
Intuitive mobile-friendly design - How often can we say this? More people go online on their mobile phone (or other mobile device) than on their desktop computer. The endlessly scrolling nature of a one-page website is conducive to mobile responsive use. As Matt Secrist observes in his article for BKA Content , the company comScore analyzed data and found that U.S. citizens were using their mobile devices to access the web 71 percent of the time.
"Single-page websites are ideal for mobile users because they were made with scrolling in mind. The unique design makes objectives and CTAs simple, which can be great for small businesses or organizations that want users to act."
Single-page websites typically load much faster than multi-page sites, which is a big advantage, as most users don't have the patience to wait longer than a few seconds before moving on to your competitor's website. Our blog post - " Why Your Website Needs To Be Up-to-Speed " - covers the need for speed in greater detail.
Improved link authority - Writing for Search Engine Journal , Adam Heitzman point out, "Links are one of the largest factors that determine how well a website ranks and the benefit that a single page website has going for it is that every link acquired will point to the main URL so there will always be a 1:1 ratio of links to pages."
"One of the main goals of every content marketing plan is to increase the authority of your site," says Secrist. "Single-page websites do this easily because any promotion done generally links back to the main URL. When you create several single-page sites, you gain the authority of having numerous websites that link back to your page without having to convince other authors to embed your link.
"Linking is one of the most important factors to SEO professionals, as evidenced by the fact that a large survey done by Moz.com revealed that the domain- and page-level link authority and features accounted for over 40 percent of the impact in Google ."
Increased engagement and conversions - Single-page websites see higher engagement and conversion rates because CTAs are able to instantly be presented to visitors. All of the necessary content - such as contact information, social media links, etc. - are all in one easily accessible space. In this way, site visitors are more likely to stick around to read and interact with your content instead of at the sight of too many tabs.
Simple navigation - As mentioned in the previous point, simple navigation holds the attention of users much easier. Users don't risk getting lost on your website, confused, or frustrated when you opt for a single page. Make navigation even easier with menu buttons at the top of your single-page website.
Easier to target a specific audience - According to Heitzman, "Single page websites are great for those looking to target a specific audience and provide them a certain type of user experience. It's easy to control their behavior on your site and steer them in a specific direction if you don't have to worry about them clicking on various pages, possibly in the wrong order.
"With a single page site, all the information you want users to access can be presented to them on one page, in whatever order you choose to suit the needs of your business. In SEO terms, this can be important if there is only one keyword or set of keywords you're worried about targeting.
"You'll want to keep in mind though that because users have to scroll through everything in order to find what they're looking for, they could easily get turned off if presented with information they don't find valuable. Make sure everything you put on your site has a purpose and that you've put some thought into its placement. It defeats the point of a single page site if you ruin the simplicity with haphazard photos and posts that confuse your audience."
Easy image integration - Integrating images and photos onto a single-page website is easy to do, which can help improve your website's effectiveness and overall visual appeal. Tagging your images with appropriate alt-tags can also help your SEO strategy, as well.
The Cons of a One-Page Website
The risk of TL;DR - As previously mentioned, a continuously scrolling website has several advantages - unless it goes on endlessly, that is! Make sure it's short and sweet enough that visitors don't get fed up and leave. If you just can't limit it, this is a good indication that your business really needs a multi-page site. You won't save money by choosing to go single-page if visitors abandon your site because they lacked the patience to see it through.
Thin content - As Heitzman observes, "Another downfall to single page sites is that the content published on them is generally not as specific as what is published on multi-page sites. You don't have the luxury of devoting a separate page of each topic you want to cover; instead, all of your information needs to be presented on one page."
This should not be an issue if your business is small, local, and/or only offers a few products and services. Again, the type and size of your business should ultimately determine which type of website you choose.
Difficulty with keyword targeting - According to an article on ocreations , "It can also be a challenge to incorporate all of the keywords you wish to include on a singular page. On a single-page website, you will definitely be limited to how many keywords you can target. If you choose to saturate your one page site with tons of keywords (which we do not recommend), it will be very obvious, and your content will not read as naturally as you would want it to.
"Additionally, one page sites also limit your SEO potential in terms of producing a substantial amount of content, and rank above your competitors in SERPs."
Back to Heitzman, who makes the good point that if you depend heavily on Google to find new customers, you might be better off creating a multi-page website that incorporates different keywords into each page to attract a wider audience. "But if Google search isn't a main priority for your company, the lack of keyword ranking shouldn't pose a problem."
The Take-Home Message And Our Blatant Self-Promotion
As you've learned, there is no right or wrong answer to this question. Whether you choose a one-page or multi-page website depends upon the unique nature of your business. Whichever you decide upon, our experienced team at Virtual Stacks Systems can develop a website specifically designed to meet your business's marketing objectives and goals for growth. If you feel that it's time to update your current website, we do that, too !
We also offer all of the other digital marketing services that can give you the competitive edge - including SEO services , PPC advertising , social media marketing , email marketing , SMS text marketing - and much more! today to learn more and get started!
