6 Advantages and Disadvantages of Designing One-Page Websites

Are sites with fewer pages better? In what situations should a web be with just one page? We analyze the benefits and challenges of this design in digital projects.

At Webepower, we are constantly evaluating the trends and fashions of web design to determine its usefulness and efficiency. For some time now we have noticed the increasing popularity of corporate sites built on a single page, with a long scroll and without navigation between inside pages. This trend is known as One Page and has become a trend in startup sites, applications and newer digital ventures.
A one-page website can be a good experience if we talk about a mobile user. Since in many pages about 70% of web traffic is received from mobile devices, having a one-page website seems to be a good idea.
The trends marked this a few years ago. Templates and themes, you could also see some alternatives in that sense. But here we will review what are the advantages and disadvantages of having a one-page website with scrolling as the protagonist.
In our team, there is no consensus on the subject in terms of its visual appeal. However, we are aware of its pros and cons, so we make a list of the advantages and disadvantages of this method, from the point of view of design and development, web analytics and digital marketing.

These are the points for which we would recommend doing one page:

ADVANTAGE

• Use only one template, so all the stages of work in information architecture are reduced.
• For the same reason, the code created for the site is greatly reduced.
• In terms of metrics, it simplifies the management of site analysis, since it only involves analyzing a page or a large section.
• It works as a single landing, concentrating conversions better and reducing traffic leakage. As is logical to think, this is achieved by defining a conversion point and optimizing the contact form. It does not make sense to make one page with two objectives for the page.
• It facilitates the SEM, since it is more focused on the conversion than on navigation. In addition, they are more effective in concentrating all the calls and interaction possibilities in one place.
• By having only one general design, you can spend more time optimizing details in the interactions and testing innovative designs.

On the other hand, these are the challenges when creating a one-page site:

DISADVANTAGES

• It requires thinking and planning the design very well. Concentrating all the information on a page is a great challenge, it is not to arrive and launch the content.
• You have less chance of increasing traffic to your site with SEO, since there is less content, fewer keywords and therefore fewer opportunities to position.
• The content marketing is limited by design, if not impossible since you can not publish much content. It is impossible to increase the scroll to infinity in this case.
• If the page has only one URL, the consumption of each section could not be measured, making it impossible to optimize based on metrics.
• To find out which content is effective and which is not, analytical tools aimed at saving the user session are required, which are more expensive.
• Anchors can be used to change the URL as the user goes up or down on the page, but only a limited number or the result will be a very long and difficult page to navigate.

SO, WHAT IS THE VERDICT?

The one page works very well for SMEs, small agencies, personal portfolios or application pages, which do not have much content. However, for larger companies or sites with a lot of information, it would be impossible to concentrate everything on one page.
It is not correct to think that load times and general performance improve on one page, the truth is that it depends on the development and type of content contained in the site, not the number of pages.
Finally, the one page can be a very good option for small companies, but can become a real nightmare if you do not adequately identify the needs and objectives of your project. For example, if you decide to create a single page you will waste time trying to come up with a design that contains everything you need if in addition to a portfolio you need more dynamic contents or sections.