Substantial developments in technology over the last 20 years or so, which fueled things like on-demand TV, Amazon Prime and Uber Eats have perhaps made patience unnecessary. We want everything fast and efficiently and we continuously seek instant gratification. This is why single page websites became a trend. They are simple, easy to navigate, mobile friendly and visitors find everything they need on a single scroll.
The percentage of global web traffic on mobile phones has surged over the past decade. As of February 2022, 57.38 percent of all web traffic came through mobile phones.
Here are some pros and cons of single page websites:
Pros
Works better on mobiles. Easy to navigate for visitors
Loads faster
Easy to direct visitors within the website
Works well if you want to portray simplicity and efficiency
Easy to design, develop and maintain
Cons
Not the best for SEO – difficult to include a variety of keywords
Visitors will get frustrated if you have a lot of content and they have to scroll endlessly to find what they want.
Not suitable for complex products that needs a lot of explaining
Single page websites are not for every business. If you decide it’s what you want for your business, design one with parallax scrolling for seamless navigation.
Is it good for SEO?
Is it user friendly? Yes, without a doubt. Is it good for SEO? Not so much. Single page websites are designed around a single concept to portray efficiency and simplicity. They don’t allow much room to rank for an array of keywords. Single page websites are built around a single concept. It is almost impossible to optimize a single page for several phrases. When it comes to meta descriptions, again you only have the opportunity to add one meta description.
It's really like deciding between a studio or a 3 bedroom.
Let us take you through some strategies to optimize a single page website for search engines.
How to do SEO for a single page website
Format the content into sections
The layout plays a crucial role in single page websites and needs careful handling. When you don’t have the walls, you need to keep every room nice and neat. Every section needs a dedicated place on the page, with clear headings and easy navigation using anchors and parallax scrolling.
Say you are creating an SEO for a boutique film studio, the first thing you should do is clearly define each section by industry standards as home, about, features, reviews, contact form, etc. A well- organized format will definitely render a smooth navigation for the users.
Use H1 headings for each section
Using H1 tags helps organize content in the most practical and sensible way and let search engine crawlers know the most important text on a page. Since there is just one space for all the content, clear headings and careful organization is what will for SEO.
Improve load time
Most single page websites are heavy with animations, lot of rich content and parallax scrolling. After all, you only have a single opportunity to impress the visitor and give out all the information. This affects load time. In a world where patience is not everyone’s strong suit, poor load time is bad for SEO, increases the bounce rate and hurts your reputation. A website that doesn’t load fast projects unprofessionalism and unreliability. To improve loading times:
Compress and optimize your images using a tool such as WP Smush (for Wordpress sites), tinypng.com or Attrock.
Reduce redirects – redirects prolong the HTTP request and response process. You can use a tool such as Redirect mapper toolto identify redirects that are incorrectly set up on your site.
Remove unnecessary plugins – using a lot of plugins slows down the website, especially if they are not updated and maintained.
Choose your keywords carefully
Invest in thorough keyword research and identify the optimal keywords to be included in your website. Since you don’t have room for a lot of content, you need to prioritize and carefully place the keywords for optimal results. You can use Google ads, Ubersuggest or a similar tool to gain insights on keywords.
Do A/B testing
With all the content condensed to a single page, it’s easier to test different variations of the layout. You can change the placements of the CTA buttons, headings, and interactive elements to see which ones work best for conversion and engagement.
All in all, one pagers are a best fit if:
You are only selling one product or service
If you just launched your business and needs an initial landing page to create awareness
If the only purpose is to showcase a portfolio
The Redberries can create a search engine optimized, user friendly, beautiful website for your business. Get in touch with us to get started. We believe in measurable results.