From Apple to Elon: The One Page Website Has Staged a Comeback
Back in style, they’re an important part of a comprehensive online strategy
One page websites have emerged as a popular and effective way to showcase products, services, and brand. Unlike traditional multipage websites, one page sites condense all the necessary information onto a single page, providing a seamless user experience. There are no internal links. They are transactional and conversion-focused in nature. It’s important to recognize their singular purpose–generating traffic and conversion.
Breaking down information into its most fundamental messaging can be challenging, but since we’re always in a hurry. This can be a strategy that wins over your audience. You’ll find that it’s easy to write a lot; writing less requires much more skill.
One of the biggest advantages of a one page website is its simplicity
By presenting all the information in a single scrollable page, businesses can eliminate clutter and streamline their content and their core messaging. Simplicity makes it easier for visitors to navigate through the website but also ensures that messaging is communicated clearly and effectively.
Benefits of using a one page website for your business. It allows you to:
- Deliver a focused message to your target audience.
- Capture the attention of potential customers to drive conversions.
- Improve the loading speed of your website. As all the content is contained on a single page, there are fewer elements to load, resulting in faster load times.
- Providing a seamless browsing experience reduces bounce rates and increase user engagement.
One page websites can also be the right tools for the job:
- A placeholder—while you do a complete overhaul of your existing website. A one page website will buy you some time.
- A portfolio. It’s a great tool to showcase the watercolors that you’ll be showcasing at the upcoming Open Studios.
- Product launch. New product that will eventually be incorporated into the company website.
- Temporary product promotion. A one page website is perfect for the new food concession for the summer street fair season: Chocolate covered bananas.
Examples of successful single page websites
Many businesses have successfully leveraged the power of one page websites to enhance their online presence and engage with their target audience.
Apple’s AirPods Pro. The website features a sleek design with visually appealing graphics and concise, compelling content. Users can easily scroll through the page to learn about the product’s features, specifications, and pricing. The simplicity and intuitive navigation make it easy for potential customers to make informed purchase decisions. Apple’s still leading the way in terms of fabulous design.
Tesla’s Model S. This website reflects the minimalist aesthetics of the brand and showcases the car’s key features and benefits. Scroll through the page to learn more about the car’s performance, design and technology.
The website incorporates interactive elements, such as a configurator tool, allowing users to customize their car and experience it in a virtual environment. This creates a strong emotional connection with the brand and enhances the overall user experience. Sigh. We would all love to be driving a Tesla.
Concerned about a one page website and SEO?
So what about search engine optimization (SEO)? Contrary to popular belief, a one page websites can have a positive impact on your SEO efforts. By condensing all the relevant information onto a single page, search engines can easily crawl and index your content.
This improves your website’s visibility in search engine results and increases the likelihood of appearing in relevant searches. You essentially are extending your homepage to work in your keywords via descriptions, short testimonials, pricing and other product descriptions.
A one page website can be deceiving. These examples illustrate showcase the flexibility within the single page structure
A one page website avoids confusing search engines
Because all of the content is concentrated on a single page, you can strategically place keywords in headings, subheadings, and throughout the body text. This focused approach to keyword optimization helps search engines understand the relevance of your content and improves your ranking for relevant search queries.
Increasing website traffic with a one page website
A well-designed one page website can also drive significant traffic to your business. Leverage social media platforms and other media to amplify the reach of your content and drive a larger audience to your site.
Optimizing your one page website for local search
You’ll also want to optimize for local search by incorporating location-specific keywords and information. Google favors local businesses, so referencing your geographic area, city, street address, etc. will help you show up in search results pages. This is critical for those with brick-and-mortar businesses that rely on foot traffic. By targeting local search queries, you can attract qualified leads and increase the likelihood of conversions.
Designing an effective one page website
- Designing an effective one page website requires careful planning. You’re not designing an information architecture as you would with a larger website, but you’ll still need to define a clear visual hierarchy to guide users through the page. Give careful thought to each component and the order in which it appears on the page. With fewer components, each becomes more important and must contribute to the overall message.
- I always recommend sketching out a website in whatever media is most comfortable for you. It may be in a tablet, in Word or PowerPoint. You may want to create storyboards if you’re sharing this with other members of your team. You’ll want to:
- Use of contrasting colors, typography, and visual cues. By organizing your content in a logical and visually appealing manner, you can ensure that visitors can easily navigate through the page and find the information they need.
- Write concise content that captures the attention of your audience. Think of the user pain points and how your product will solve problems.
- Make sure that each section of your one page website conveys a clear message and provides valuable information.
- Focus on communicating the benefits and unique selling points of your products or services.
Use high-quality images and videos to complement your content.
Sounds like a lot, doesn’t it? For inspiration, go back and look at what Apple and Tesla have done. These sites are slick, but they’re not without flaws. On the Apple site, reverse type is traditionally hard to read, and it’s something I always avoid. On this website, some of the gray text is difficult to read. Look for examples in your own industry.
A one page website has come a long way—it’s a lot more sophisticated than it used to be. With today’s design feature of a scrolling homepage, the user is really not aware that it’s a one page website.
Optimizing your one page website for mobile devices
With the reliance on mobile devices, it is essential to optimize your one page website for mobile responsiveness, ensuring that your content is accessible and visually appealing across devices, including smartphones and tablets. This not only improves the user experience but also positively impacts your search engine rankings. Search engines prioritize mobile-friendly websites in their results.
- Make sure your one page website is a responsive design that automatically adjusts the layout and content based on the screen size.
- Optimize images and videos for faster loading times on mobile connections.
- Ensure that navigation elements, such as menus and buttons, are easily clickable and accessible on smaller screens. Check and recheck links. They change, so stay on top of this.
Tools and resources for building a one page website
Most of the new website applications offer a number of one page website themes, or templates, from which to choose. WordPress has become the industry standard, and its plugins make it especially powerful and extend its functionality. Wix and Square have one page website designs as well. All of these are created in responsive design. These themes provide pre-designed sections and templates that can be easily customized to meet your brand requirements.
Common misconceptions about one page websites
Despite their many benefits, one page websites are often subject to misconceptions and get no respect. There’s a perception that they’re lightweights, that they can’t deliver comprehensive business information. That doesn’t have to be true.
- With careful planning and strategic content organization, it is possible to provide all the necessary information while maintaining a concise and engaging user experience. There’s no question about it. A single page site challenges the owner to get creative and prioritize information.
- Another misconception is that one page websites are not suitable for businesses with a wide range of products or services. By creatively utilizing anchor links and smooth scrolling, you can effectively organize and present a large amount of content on a single page.
One more advantage of a single page website
These days, when everyone’s pulling up information on their phones, they don’t want to click or drill down—sometimes those links don’t work or it takes time for page to load. It’s infinitely easier to scroll. A single page website provides a big advantage here.
A caveat: If you’re serious about blogging, building backlinks and enhancing SEO, this likely isn’t the right solution for you. Invest in a multipage website with a blog page.
Conclusion
- A single page website can be a powerful tool for businesses looking to maximize their impact and efficiency in the digital space.
- It takes careful planning to consolidate information into a single, scrolling page.
- Single page websites are designed to drive conversions.
- A one page website can improve SEO and increase website traffic.