With this post we will conclude our talk about single page design. The topic of this post will be about the best practises for single page sites.
Best practises for single page sites
Most of the principles of good design are still applicable in single page sites, as they are with any good website design. But there are some additional things you need to keep in mind, some of which have already been touched on above.
Keep it simple
Trying to make a design that’s too complex for the content you’re trying to present isn’t doing you or your users any favors. Instead, simplify both your design and your content as much as possible, while still presenting what you need.
Navigation links are still helpful
Just because users can scroll to navigate your website, doesn’t mean that’s the most user-friendly way to do so. This is especially true if you have a long page with many sections. Unless there’s a very good reason not to include them, adding navigation links to particular sections makes your site more user-friendly.
Divide up your content
A single page doesn’t mean everything has to be one long section. In fact, it shouldn’t be. Divide your content into logical chunks and sections so that users can better find what they’re looking for.
Do something with all that background
Single page sites tend to have large backgrounds. Granted, sometimes those backgrounds are left plain or with a repeating pattern; but other one page sites take advantage of all that space to do something creative. This can also help to divide up your content, as already mentioned. Your background doesn’t have to be one single image. It can be a series of images, if that fits your content better.
Conclusion
Single page designs can be an excellent option for a lot of different kinds of websites. While they’re not the be-all and end-all of small site design, they are worth considering on many projects. Consider the reasons for using a single page, and then consider the reasons not to, and decide from there.