Choosing between single or multi paged websites shouldn’t be too difficult. However, it is very important to make sure that your site has the precise number of pages it needs. Otherwise, your visitors would probably go through a bunch of pages to get to the info they were looking for and that wastes precious time.
To be fair, there isn’t one size fits all, it really depends on the purpose of your website. For example, one-page websites are often better suited for promoting a service or product through story-telling, whereas a multi-page approach is ideal for corporate website with heavy information, e-commerce sites or online shops.
SINGLE PAGE WEBSITES
We can’t deny that single page websites have been very popular lately and will only continue to grow as huge brands start to make the shift to single page websites. Some experts even argue that it may be the future of web design.
The popularity of this design is that it enables brands to give direct focus on important highlights of what they’re selling, and it gives them the freedom to be creative and tell a story behind what they are selling.
Let’s take a look at the pros & cons:
PROS
Intuitive navigation
Given that it’s a single paged design, the only flow is to scroll down. With seamless scrolling, it’s very easy for any visitor to understand where to navigate, while acquiring information through steps that makes sense.
Clean structure
Information on single page websites are structured cleanly and straight to the point. Most brands tend to play around with the structure but basically it’s your intro, then show the benefits, and finally, the very precious Call to Action (CTA).
Easy maintenance & update
Most web designers will agree that maintaining or updating a single page of a website is way way more easy than a bunch of pages of a website.
CONS
Tricky Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
Fact is, single page websites may not have a library of paragraphs for keywording. Still there are ways to optimize it, it just wouldn’t be as effective as a website with a mountain of words.
Single focus.
Single page websites by nature tend to focus on a single topic. It will obviously limit you when you reach a point where your brand has more content to feature.
MULTI PAGE WEBSITES
There’s a reason why this design style has yet been buried by time. As brands grow, they continue to expand their content for anybody to enjoy. A single page website may not cut it, and that’s why multi paged websites still hold a strong relevance especially in an age where content is just bursting.
Here’s some pros & cons:
PROS
Unlimited scalability
As mentioned before, this is the main attribute that keeps multi page websites relevant after all these years. As businesses grow and begin to venture into various things, multi page websites allow them to add in new content.
Higher SEO potential
The ability to target different keywords under one url is very very useful, and with a multi page website that is definitely possible. The flexibility for SEO allows you to rank for a handful of keyphrase as opposed to one keyphrase.
Actually mobile friendly.
With tech like bootstrap & the breadcrumbs menu, multiple page websites are now easily translated on mobile. You can have all the function of a multiple page website on your mobile.
CONS
Tedious Maintenance
Depending on what the website is for, a multi page website can be very challenging to maintain as opposed to a website with a single page.
High Chance For Clutter
Most multi page websites fall victim to clutter. Especially without good copy, information displayed can be so confusing to visitors. Navigating through can be frustrating that visitors usually just click off.
CONCLUSION
Whatever you pick, it really depends on your purpose of having a website. Most startups or tech companies tend to go for a single page website, making things easy and simple is a prevailing trend. However, for brands with a multitude of content or an array of products for sale then multi paged website is always the way to go.
Each design suits whatever your purpose of having a website is. Talk to us today if you would like to understand more on how to get the best out of your website. Do your friends or colleagues have a preference? Share this article and discuss it with them!