There’s lots of reasons to love a one page website. They’re simple, straightforward and require minimal maintenance. But we do recommend using them cautiously, as there are also quite a few areas they can let a business down, in quite a big way (particularly when it comes to SEO).
So if you’ve been wondering whether a one page website is suitable for your business, let us quickly take you through the downsides of one page websites and the exceptions. Then you can make an informed decision that is just right for you.
Downsides of one page websites
- One page websites became a bit of a design trend internationally in recent years, but there are actually a lot of SEO implications that come from this. So if showing up organically in Google search for specific keywords is important for your business, then you will be at a disadvantage with a one page website. When it comes to competition for the keywords and/or phrases you want to be discovered for, Google will typically favour more comprehensive websites which have multiple pages and focus on a range of specific topics.
- Depending on how much information you have on the one page, you’re only providing people with the opportunity to scroll to find the content that is relevant to them. This could frustrate users if they aren’t able to navigate directly to what they are looking for. So you do have to keep the one page very simple in structure and short.
- A single page website limits your potential to scale up content and information on your site as you add new services or information. And that’s just a shame for your business! It will end up becoming too long and confusing for visitors to the site, and provide little to no opportunity to gain organic search results from new content.
Exceptions to one page websites
- A one page website is ideal if you have a new website coming soon, and you want people to know just that. (Of course this is only relevant if you don’t have a current website in use).
- Event landing pages are also great as a one pager - perhaps if you’re wanting to have a unique web address or allow it to stand as its own brand. Remember to keep it simple though.
- Advertising and marketing landing sites are another reason people use one page websites. If you want to drive visits to a single landing page from an ad campaign, a one page website might be suitable for a direct sales proposition. You might even have multiple one page websites for different campaign targets!
- If you’re a cafe or bar that just needs a few photos, your opening hours, contact info and a menu and budget is limited for a full website - then a one page website might suit. It’s better to have a small web presence than none at all. However, if you want to share more than just the basics (like an extensive wine list, awards, online table booking form and chef profiles) then be aware of having one page that is very long to scroll down - unfortunately it’s not very user friendly.
If you’re needing a one page website contact the Rocketspark team about our one page pricing.
