Many of us are familiar with multi-page website design. We’ve seen it used on many websites and have gotten quite comfortable with using them. They make it easy to navigate through a website with just a few clicks. In recent years though, especially with the advent of mobile devices, we have seen a new form of page design on the rise.  

This new form is called single-page designs and we see them on a lot of mobile websites today. They are a great design for a mobile experience as the ease of just scrolling through one page makes for a great mobile navigation experience. Before we dive a bit more into a single-page design, what exactly is a single-page design? 

What is a Single-Page Design?

A website with a single-page design is a website that only has one HTML page. Instead of having multiple different pages for each piece of content, a single-page design breaks down all the content and puts it into one page. This results in a website navigation interface that is clean and simple to go through. 

Because of their narrow and simple design, single-page websites are great when they are used on mobile devices. Instead of clicking to reach other pages, one just simply has to scroll or click to reach a specific part of the page. 

To get a better idea of what a single-page website design looks like, here are two examples of them. 

Kit-Kat

One good example of a single-page website is the Kit Kat mobile website. It has a lot of content, but not to the point of being unbearably overwhelming. It is clean and easy to navigate through as well as mobile-friendly. There are small icons to the right that when highlighted show the title for a specific section on the page. From there, you can just simply click on the icon and it takes you to that section. 

As you scroll down through each section, you might notice that the content blends into the next one. This provides the user with a seamless experience and one that will leave them impressed with the quality of the website. 

Trionn Design

Another good example of a single-page website design is Trionn Design’s website. Their website is entirely on a single page and has a menu that can help you navigate to specific parts of a page. Another big plus is that they have links to different parts of the single page! This can benefit them if they want to direct people to a specific part of their page by promoting something on their social media accounts.

Benefits of a Single-Page Design

Just like multi-page designs, there are benefits of having a website with a single-page design. You can reap these benefits if your brand meets certain criteria. A single-page design might not work for everybody. Here are some benefits of a website with a single-page design.

Easy Navigation

One of the most obvious benefits associated with using a single-page design for your website is the ease of having all of your content under one page. Instead of having different material and content in different links and pages, you have them all on one page. You just gotta scroll or click the menu links to get to a different section on the page. This makes navigation easy and leads to a seamless user experience.

Can Lead to High Conversions

Having a single-page design for your website can encourage more conversions from users. The user only has to take a few or even 1 action on a single page. Without the distractions that a multi-page design can sometimes provide, a user can avoid distractions and target the action that you want them to take. This can potentially lead to more conversions than if you used a multi-page design. 

Easier on The Eyes

Another obvious benefit of a single-page design is that it is easier to digest for the reader. The content, rather than being split into pages, is split into small chunks on the same page. This leads to less clutter for the user which makes it easier on the eyes. This can lead to a more optimal user experience for anyone who decides to use your website. 

Works Well for Mobile Websites

In today’s increasingly mobile world, a single-page website design is one of the most effective ways to display your website. This is mainly because the navigation and user experience are compounded when used on a mobile device such as a tablet or phone. Phones and tablets aren’t used in the same way a desktop PC is used. A multi-page design may seem less navigation-friendly and look a bit odd when it appears on a mobile device. With a one-page design, people can easily scroll and tap their way through your website. This makes it stand out from more traditional websites and can lead to more traffic to your website. 

Single-page website designs are a good match for brands that meet certain criteria. Although there are many pros of using a single-page website, just like other things, there are cons with them as well. 

How Single-Page Websites Can Hold You Back

Remember how I said there are certain criteria you should meet if you want to reap the benefits of a single-page website? Well, there is a reason why you should meet those criteria. If you don’t, then a single-page website can hold you back. Here are some ways a single-page website can hold you back. 

Not SEO Friendly

Compared to a multi-page website, single-page websites aren’t exactly optimized for search engines. The reason for this is that single-page websites tend to have less content than websites with multiple pages. This leads to keywords on single-page websites being neglected as they don’t have much to offer for SEO. This can negatively affect rankings on search engines. This inevitably leads to less traffic, which can lead to fewer conversions on your website. 

Not Able To Scale with Growth

A single-page website is great for websites that aren’t going to be experiencing any type of growth, at least for the foreseeable future. If you think that your business still has potential growth to experience though, then maybe you should look for a different page design. A single-page design for a website tends to have a more narrow scope than a multi-page design. This makes it ideal for a website that doesn’t have a lot of content. Sure, your branding is not big right now, but you might grow some more in the future. If that’s the case, then you should probably avoid going with a single-page website design. 

Only One URL Link

Picture this scenario. You are promoting some content on your single-page website and you want to redirect your social media followers to it. What’s the problem? Well…a single-page website is just that, a single page. You can’t link to a different page as all of your content falls under one page… This can lead to a frustrating experience for users if they planned on trying to check out your content but are confused when they realize they are directed to one single page. Another problem with having only one link is that it can cause analytical problems as you can’t view data and statistics per piece of content. Rather, you are viewing all the stats and data from the website itself. This can make it difficult to find out what part of the page people frequently go to and why it draws in so much attention. 

Confusing

When it comes to longer single-page websites, there can be a lot of confusion for your users. A short website with a single-page design works great if you don’t have an overwhelming amount of content to scroll through. The problem arises when you have a lot of content that users have to painstakingly scroll through. This means that if a person wants to get to a specific part of your website, they better know where it is. They can get lost easily if they have to find it again with no help. 

There are many pros and cons when it comes to using a single-page design for your website. To better gauge which one you should go with, you should take a look at your brand. Is there potential growth to be expected in the future? What type of business are you? Questions like these can help you understand what website design to go with. 

Are They Right For You?

Single-page websites aren’t for every brand and business. They are not a one-size-fits-all template for websites. Some brands can benefit from having a single-page design, while others may suffer from just having one page for all of your content. Do some proper preparation work and hopefully, it can help you come to a decision that you won’t regret. A website is an important part of any brand, so make sure it is something that both you and your users will appreciate and enjoy using. 

So, you’ve decided that you want a website for your brand. Where do you start? Well, that’s what we’re here for! Contact us here and we can get you started with your new website.