Single page designs can be an excellent technique for tackling smaller websites, even those that you might not think could ever be done without multiple pages. There are tons of great reasons for using a single page site, from ease of maintenance to reduced bandwidth needs.
If you’re tackling a shorter site, one that would normally have a handful of pages, consider using a single page, and see if it will make the project easier and more user friendly. Read on for more information on the benefits, when (and when not) to use them, and some best practices you should follow.
The benefits of single page design
Obviously, single page designs are not ideal for every project. But there are a host of reasons to use them if they’re a possible fit.
They’re intuitive to use
By default, all a user needs to know to navigate a single page site is how to scroll. You might include arrows or other navigational clues, but with rare exception, simply scrolling will bring your visitors from one section to the next.
You’ll never have to worry about your visitors getting stuck in multiple layers of navigation, endlessly searching for what they need. The use of a header or other navigational links is often helpful if there are multiple sections on the page, but even without them, the site is usable.
It can be faster and easier to maintain
While this one is not a given, a well-coded single page site is probably going to be faster to code than a multi-page site. The design process can sometimes take less time, though that depends on how complex the single page is going to be.
Maintenance can be easier, too. When you only have a single page to deal with, maintenance is more streamlined, so long as your code is written well to begin with.
You’re forced to simplify
This one builds off the previous point. When you only have a single page to work with, you have to simplify things to their most essential components. No more pages and pages of useless marketing propaganda. You have to get to the point right away.
Better SEO potential
Quality inbound links are a big part of how well a website performs in search engines. While search engines aren’t necessarily the largest traffic source for a lot of sites, they’re still generally important.
By only having one page, you only have one page being linked to. That can increase the importance of the site as far as search engines go.
Storytelling can increase action
Single page sites often use a storytelling angle that multi-page sites aren’t as good at. This can increase conversions and inspire visitors to take action.
People are used to following stories, both online and off, so this has obvious user experience benefits. We’ve been reading and hearing stories since we were children, so it’s something that comes naturally to us.
Easier to organize
There are no more endless lists of pages and sub-pages to organize. No more wondering if this page or that page should be a parent or a child. No more huge navigation menus and sub-menus. It’s all on one page. And whether you decide to include navigational links, or simply let users scroll, is up to you and whether you think it will add to the user experience or not. That’s just not an option when a site has multiple pages.
Eliminate mobile sites
Responsive design is, of course, not limited to single page sites. But the more complex a site is, the more difficult it is to make it work well on a smaller screen, even with a responsive design. A single-page site is, by necessity, not complex. Making the design responsive is generally easier. Simplified navigation and similar changes also make a design that works well on small screens easier.
About when to use and when not a single page design find out in the next post.