You see it more and more these days. Efficient, streamlined web experiences that accomplish a lot but encompass very little. It’s a cry that can be heard from a growing and vocal contingent of the design world:
Pages? We don’t need no stinking pages!!!
Single page websites offer a uniquely effectual means to tell your brand story. They utilize minimal space and content to convey maximum meaning. They do this via efficient, goal-oriented design and satisfyingly interactive micro-experiences. And with design efficiency you also get price efficiency. What’s not to love?
Companies with limited needs or highly focused goals have found that single page websites are perfect for their purposes. Whether you’re launching a product, revving up a startup, promoting an event, or just need to set up a temporary site, single page website design might be perfect for your brand as well.
The single page website bandwagon is gaining steam by the minute. Here are 7 reasons why this streamlined solution might be right for your brand.
1. They’re simple, friendly, and shareable
Okay, technically that’s three reasons right there, but they’re all related. The simplicity of a one page website means that nearly every barrier of entry is removed for the visitor. No longer are users harangued with the myriad navigation options and calls to action that crowd a poorly designed website. For this reason, a single page site feels friendlier and more inviting, decreasing bounce rates and increasing engagement. As a single, self-contained and engaging experience, it’s also more likely to be shared by users impressed by its message or features.
2. They’re seamless and intuitive
Traditional websites are often fragmented and disjointed. Even the most instinctive navigation doesn’t account for the whims of individual users. The result can be a confusing site that puts control of your brand’s online experience out of your hands. As self-contained linear narratives, single page websites take the guesswork out of information architecture. Even if a user skips around on the site, it’s always clear how the information is meant to be absorbed—from start to finish. This seamless, intuitive experience mirrors the mobile app experience to which we’ve all become accustomed.
3. They tell a compelling story
Every good story has a beginning, a middle, and an end. Single page websites allow you to tell that story in a controllable, linear fashion, guiding the user through a narrative that unfolds in an intuitive and compelling fashion. Their design efficiency allows for the incorporation of richly rewarding experiential interactions along the way. Rollovers and drawers and other features add texture to the story without distracting from it. The top-down narrative sequence enables you to guide visitors to your site’s ultimate goal: conversions. Which brings us to the fourth reason single page websites have a leg-up on traditional design.
4. They’re designed specifically with conversion in mind
Single page websites employ uniquely goal-driven design that leads users on a predetermined course toward conversion. Along the way a persuasive argument can be made for why the user should take a certain action once he or she reaches the course’s destination. The course follows a compelling, engaging progression that feels natural to the user. Supplemental information in the form of interactive features enriches the journey instead of distracting from it.
5. They’re innately suited to mobile devices
Because they present the same type of design parameters as mobile apps, single page websites are uniquely tailored for mobile devices. You can be certain that the experience of a single page website will be virtually identical across devices. With a navigation strategy centered on scrolling, they’re essentially designed from a mobile-first perspective. And if you think mobile responsiveness is an important feature for your brand’s online experience now, just wait. The future is mobile, might as well build a site that’s exceptionally designed for this reality.
6. They’re visceral, interactive, and experientially rewarding
The streamlined nature of single page website design not only allows for, but practically necessitates the creative use of viscerally rewarding micro-experiences like hover effects and drawers. These fully customized, enjoyable features add character and depth to a one page website, transforming it from the virtual stack of papers that is a traditionally designed site into a satisfying interactive encounter that’s eminently more shareable for its visitors.
7. They’re cost and time efficient
One of the best features of single page websites is that they don’t take as long to design as a traditional website and they won’t break the bank. No hours are wasted on unneeded pages, so costs are kept to a minimum. Budget-conscious brands will be hard pressed to find a more powerful asset with a higher return on investment than a well-designed one page website.
Who needs pages when you’ve got a website that comprises a compelling, goal-driven narrative unfolding intuitively with rich, interactive elements regardless of device, all at a fraction of the cost of a traditional website? It’s easy to see why the popularity of single page website design has been steadily growing with no sign of letting up. Is it time your brand jumped on the bandwagon?
Brian Lischer
A prolific blogger, speaker, and columnist, Brian has two decades of experience in design and branding. He’s written for publications including Forbes, Entrepreneur, Inc. Magazine, Fast Company, HuffPost, and Brand Quarterly.
