One of the
hottest trends in the web design game right now is single page websites. They
are chosen by many business owners who appreciate simplicity and loading speed,
which is exactly what can be provided by this design option.
But how does a
single page compare against multi-page design in terms of SEO? Clearly,
multiple pages can contain more information than one, so it will be easier for
Google to find them and display in the search results.
Maybe those who
choose to build single-page websites are actually hurting their chances to get
discovered by online audience?
Let’s find out
the answers to these questions by comparing single and multi-page website
design in this article.
The advantages of single page design:
Intuitive browsing experience. The most
important competitive advantage of this option is a simple and clean design
that allows displaying information in an operable and comprehensive fashion.
For users, this means that the site can provide intuitive experience.
Easy navigation. Naturally, the navigation on a
single-page website becomes very straightforward because it typically persuades
the visitor to take one action (purchase a product or subscribe to a service).
Multi-page
websites are known for having many links that can easily confuse the visitors.
This is not a problem with a single-page design because it eliminates endless
links by having everything on one page.
Better mobile experience. Single-page
design generally converts into mobile-friendly very easily, thus providing a
great experience in terms of navigation and search. Given that more than 50
percent of search queries come from mobile devices, having a mobile version
of a site is critical for business owners.
Another factor
that should be added to this group is faster loading time. Mobile-optimized
single-page websites will load faster than multi-page counterparts. This
represents a significant advantage for businesses since many internet users
typically wait just a few seconds for a site to load.
Ability to target a particular audience. Business owners who have products designed for particular target
audiences will benefit from single-page website design. For example, if your
target audience is college students, all essentials of writing a college paper should fit on one page.
First, it is
great for providing them with a specific type of user experience. Second, all
the information the business needs to give the visitors is in one place, so
they have easier access to options that meet their needs. For SEO, this is an
important requirement in case if a narrow set of keywords is targeted.
Disadvantages of single-page design
Limited content and use of keywords. To make sure that a website is discovered by
Google, the owners must select the content with care and display it with a
clear hierarchy. This means that content marketing
abilities are limited because one page cannot provide sufficient space.
As the result,
once content goes over the fence, it becomes difficult to manage it on a single
page. Moreover, there is a good chance that viewers will miss most of the
important information.
This means that
the content must be made as relevant
as possible in order for the website to be discovered by Google. The SEO
strategy thus becomes limited to a low number of keywords because of a lack of
space.
A single-page
website may have the best layout in the world but many visitors will end up
frustrated with the lack of content that’s relevant to them. People are always
looking for helpful, fresh,
and robust content, providing which is almost impossible with a single page
website.
More complex performance analysis. If a single-page website uses more keywords than it should, it will
fall to a multi-page one, because assembling the content on one page can really
mess up critical keywords.
As the result,
sharing a particular piece of content is almost impossible. The only option that’s
left in this case is to insert a link to a social media profile of the company
and create the content there.
The performance
analysis of single-page websites thus becomes difficult, including page visits
that show best practices and conversions. That’s bad news for any business.
Lack of scalability. Single-page
websites are not scalable, period. This is one of the main reasons why business
owners avoid choosing this option for their websites. If they do, they would
not have the opportunity to create and add content like bloggers. As the
result, the design is often changed to multiple pages to improve scalability.
Lack of opportunities to grow. A single-page
website could be a good option for startups and small companies but should they
really neglect the possibility of growing and developing? Of course, the amount
of content will increase over time as a business grows, but single-page cannot
meet this need.
The Verdict
Single page
websites are not that SEO friendly because they limit the opportunity to use
content marketing and narrow the list of keywords that could be used.
They simply
cannot satisfy the needs of internet users for fresh, relevant, and robust
content because it’s impossible to cover the same information on one page. In
contrast, multi-page websites provide much more opportunities for content
marketing and targeting more visitors.
Another problem
is detailed content. Apparently, single-page design cannot even meet provide a
desired amount of content, so there’s no point in discussing detailed content
at all.
Multi-page
websites are perfectly scalable and provide all necessary opportunities for
growing companies that need more pages on their website. Single-page design is
not good for any of these requirements.
With multiple
pages, it’s also easier to carry out performance analytics because they provide
information on why the viewers are leaving the website and help to decrease
bounce rates. In contrast, this task becomes much more difficult with a
single-page website.
The final
decision is obvious: while possessing advantages in terms of design and mobile
experience, single-page website falls short in terms of SEO. Multi-page design
clearly is a better choice here because it allows more SEO practices and
opportunities to grow.
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