Creating a successful one-page website for your SMB clients: Best cases, practices, and examples
Thanks to the rise of website builders and the wide selection and availability of themes and templates to use, even inexperienced people can create relatively attractive and complex websites without ever writing a line of code. This makes it easy to forget that a simple one-page website design is sometimes more than sufficient to meet clients’ goals.
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In this article, we’re diving into the world of single-page website design: when these back-to-basics websites are a perfect choice, what their benefits are, and what drawbacks you know about before pitching them for your next client website. Plus, we’ll provide some best practices to keep in mind to ensure your next one-page website shines.
Why might a business prefer a one-page website?
As a web design agency, it can be tempting to present clients with flashy, feature-rich website concepts when they come to you looking for a new site build. However, there are some very good reasons why a single page website may be a better choice than a more complex, multipage home on the internet.
Easier maintenance
No matter how pixel-perfect a website is when it’s delivered, there will always be some need for maintenance. Websites built on WordPress require regular updates to both the version of WordPress being used and the active theme. They’re also likely to use at least a few plugins to add features and functionality to the site. If they aren’t updated and get out of date, they can break the front end of a site.
While some maintenance is still required for single page websites, the simpler the site is, the easier it’ll be to maintain. A simple one-page WordPress theme will also likely have fewer bells and whistles, meaning fewer plugins that can potentially get out of date or become incompatible, requiring more involved maintenance.
Cost-effective
Whether you charge by the hour or by the project for web design and development services, a single page website will almost certainly cost less than a more complex, multipage website. If your client has a limited budget and doesn’t need more than a single page, using or reselling a one-page website builder makes it easy to create a great finished product affordably.
Peace of mind
With a simple one-page website design, it’s easy to see what’s going on with the site at a glance. Clients don’t have to worry that some pages deeper on their website look wonky or are otherwise not displaying what they should be. Single page websites are straightforward, easier to manage, and faster to fix if something does go wrong. The bottom line for clients? Less website-related stress.
One-page websites for small business: Pros and cons
When it comes to web design, there’s never a one-size-fits-all solution. One-page websites have their benefits and drawbacks, but the degree to which your clients decide on this depends on their specific business needs and goals.
Before getting into examples of websites where a one-page design is likely to be the best way to go, let’s take a look at the pros and cons of single page websites more broadly.
Pros of one-page websites
One-page websites have plenty of attractive features that can make them a good fit for a surprising array of businesses.
Simplicity
One-page websites are super straightforward to navigate and understand, with all the information on a single page. They offer a frictionless, pleasant user experience that can be particularly effective for businesses with a simple message or product.
Cost-effective
Given their lack of complexity, one-page websites are often more cost-effective than multipage websites. They require less design, development, and maintenance work, making them cost-effective both up-front and over time. This can be a great option for small businesses or startups with limited budgets.
Focused messaging
By limiting content to a single page, single page website designs encourage businesses to focus their copywriting, making it easier to convey a clear and concise message to users. Businesses that want to emphasize a specific product or service can do so effectively with a crisp, focused message.
Mobile-friendly
With one-page websites, it’s easy to check that all parts of the design are mobile-friendly. One-page website WordPress themes are usually already mobile-responsive, and if any issues do come up, they can be more easily resolved. Mobile responsiveness for landing pages ensures that no matter what device a user is visiting a website from, content displays properly and is easily navigable.
Quick loading times
Design-heavy websites can lose in loading speed what they gain in features like images, videos, and graphics. Fast loading times are critical when it comes to minimizing bounce rates, increasing engagement with the site, and optimizing the conversion rate of a website.
Cons of one-page websites
Despite the considerable benefits of one-page website design, it’s not without its drawbacks.
Limited content+SEO opportunities
A single page website design, by definition, doesn’t have much room on it for other content beyond the key information being highlighted on the page. This means that there likely isn’t a blog that can be packed with keyword-rich content marketing. On a one-page website, there will naturally be fewer opportunities to target specific keywords, which can hamper a business’s ability to rank highly on search engine results pages (SERPs) for their niche.
Limited design options
Websites with only one page may not have as much leeway in terms of creating complex layouts or incorporating interesting design features. This can limit the creativity or visual appeal of a website. This doesn’t mean that one-page websites can’t be impressive from a design standpoint, but they are more likely to be simpler than their multipage counterparts.
Less detailed analytics
Having more pages on a website creates more opportunities for users to interact with it, which in turn produces more analytical insights into user behavior and engagement. Since there is less for users to do on a single page website, it may be difficult to gauge actionable data from analytics to improve the site or boost conversions, for example.
Risk of information overload for users
If a single page website design tries to cram too much information onto a single page, users can quickly become overwhelmed. Having tons of copy, design elements, forms, and other elements on the sole page of a website is a recipe for bad UX.
Best cases for single page websites
While every business is unique, and there are certainly more candidates for one-page websites than this list, the following five are great examples of projects for which a single page website design just might be perfect for the job:
Small businesses with limited content
A startup or a small business that only offers a few products or services is a good candidate for a one-page website because they likely don’t have much content with which to fill a multipage site. By presenting all their information on a single page, businesses can effectively and concisely get their main point across to visitors.
Event-based websites
Websites for conferences, festivals, or concerts generally online need to convey a relatively limited amount of information, such as the location, a ticket purchasing portal, and a schedule or list of performing acts.
Keeping all of this information on a single page enables event organizers to create a seamless user experience that encourages visitors to purchase tickets or register for the event. This can be particularly important since they don’t have to click deeper into the site to take action, and given the time-sensitive nature of event-based websites.
Portfolio or personal websites
Photographers, graphic designers, and other visual artists can make a bold statement by presenting a selection of their work on a single page, ensuring that it is harder to miss or skip by visitors. A one-page website featuring artwork can be a visually appealing, engaging way to represent a body of work.
Product or service launch pages
Businesses may create unique single-page websites, in addition to their regular website, to promote a new product or service. The goal might be to generate sales of the product, collect emails in advance of a launch, or even share a free lead magnet such as an ebook. In any of these cases, the aim is to create a specialized, limited-time one-page website that serves a specific goal.
Landing pages for marketing campaigns
Marketing campaigns with specific calls-to-action (CTAs) can drive customers to take the desired action by creating a one-page design just for encouraging that action. For example, a single product landing page can be used to encourage sales of a particular featured product, eliminating the distraction of a full, multipage website.
One-page website design best practices
Whatever your reason for building a one-page website, these best practices will ensure that your client projects look great and serve their goals.
1. Start with a clear and concise message
One of the key benefits of a single page website is that it allows businesses to effectively convey a clear and concise message to users. If you start your design without understanding what this message is, the one-page website might feel meandering or boring. It's important to start with a clear value proposition and focus on the most important information that users need to know, using that as the starting point for the design.
2. Use a responsive design for mobile optimization
Our average time spent in front of our phone screens is increasing every year, and now sits at around 4.5 hours each day (Statista). Given the central role of mobile devices in our day-to-day lives, building responsive websites is non-negotiable. Users will be accessing the website from all kinds of devices, from desktops and laptops to tablets and varying mobile phones. The best one-page websites, like all websites, need to retain their design and functionality regardless of which device they’re being accessed from.
3. Include clear navigation and call-to-action buttons
Since one of the major benefits of one-page websites is that they cut to the chase, it’s essential to make the most of its concise nature. Do so by incorporating an intuitive, responsive, and easy-to-use navigation along with CTA buttons that drive visitors toward conversion.
You may think that navigation isn’t particularly important for one-page websites: after all, where would users need to navigate if everything they need is on a single page? In reality, you don’t want visitors to the site to have to scroll down the page not knowing if the information they seek is even included. Having a header that lists key sections improves UX by informing visitors of what to expect, and also gives them buttons to click to jump down to the relevant section without having to scroll.
4. Optimize website speed and performance
Speed and performance are critical ranking factors for websites. Since single page websites don’t have as much room to optimize for search engines through other techniques, like SEO-optimized content, it’s even more important that every other part of the site performs well. This can give the one-page website a chance at getting discovered in relevant SERPs, even if it doesn’t include a blog.
Another significant point to keep in mind here is that one-page websites may include even more data than the homepage of a multipage site, since they have to include the full contents of the site on one page. This can increase the risk of slow loading times, so be mindful of making the necessary optimizations to keep things snappy.
5. Use high-quality images and videos
Images and videos can take a boring page and make it far more memorable and engaging. However, remember the point above: speed matters. Optimize your images and videos for fast loading, and consider hosting your video on a third-party website rather than on the site itself. This way, it won’t hamper the page load speed.
6. Keep content organized and easy to scan
To keep a one-page website readable, make ample use of headings, subheadings, white space, and images to break up information. Avoid clustering too much copy together in a wall of text, which can overwhelm readers.
7. Ensure SEO optimization for higher visibility
Just because a one-page website may not incorporate as much content marketing doesn’t mean it can’t still be SEO optimized. Optimizations to make include incorporating keywords throughout the copy, headings, meta descriptions, and image alt text, making the site responsive, implementing HPPS, using a fast server, and making use of header tags.
Frequently asked questions
What is a one-page website?
A one-page website is a website that contains all of its key information on a single page, rather than across multiple pages. One-page websites can be simple, straightforward, and concise, often making them user-friendly and easy to navigate.
Are one-page websites a good idea?
One-page websites are a good idea for simple website needs such as single-product or service businesses, event pages, or landing pages for marketing campaigns.
