The Pros and Cons of One-Page Website SEO

In case you haven’t heard, single-page websites are a trend that is utilized in the SEO world. Every content marketing agency gets requests for them each day, but we’re left to wonder if they are really the best choice. Before you add them to your order, check out the benefits of one-page website SEO as well as the ways this trend could actually end up hurting your rankings.

What Is a One-Page Website?

A one-page website, also called a single-page website, uses a minimalistic design that compiles all your information, CTAs and links on a single page. Users scroll down to read content, in which each section or desired action fills up the screen to focus the reader. This differs from a multi-page website, which has many additional pages and navigation buttons to other places within the website. Here is a great example of single-page design from Scriptogr.am:

This design is quite different from your normal website page and even the search engine optimization strategy is different. One-page website SEO doesn’t always target the same aspects that multi-page SEO does. For those wondering if single-page optimization is worth their time, we compiled a list of pros and cons about this fascinating trend.

The Pros of One-Page Website SEO

While there are plenty of arguments on either side of the debate of SEO single-page vs multiple-pages, we’ll focus first on the benefits that are drawing businesses to create single-page sites.

Increased Link Authority

One of the main goals of every content marketing plan is to increase the authority of your site. Single-page websites do this easily because any promotion done generally links back to the main URL. When you create several single-page sites, you gain the authority of having numerous websites that link back to your page without having to convince other authors to embed your link.

Linking is one of the most important factors to SEO professionals, as evidenced by the fact that a large survey done by Moz.com revealed that the domain- and page-level link authority and features accounted for over 40 percent of the impact in Google.

Better Mobile Experience

One of the main reasons that businesses are jumping on the one-page website SEO bandwagon is that most people are accessing their sites from a mobile device. While laptops and desktops still have their place, users are performing the majority of their searches via a smartphone or tablet, especially those not related to work.

The company comScore analyzed data and found that U.S. citizens were using their mobile devices to access the web 71 percent of the time. If you deal globally, this will be even more important to you since other countries, including Indonesia, China, Mexico and Brazil, report numbers that are the same or higher.

Single-page websites are ideal for mobile users because they were made with scrolling in mind. The unique design makes objectives and CTAs simple, which can be great for small businesses or organizations that want users to act.

As the number of users accessing your page through a smartphone or tablet continues to rise, it is increasingly important for you to make sure your site is as mobile-friendly as possible. Whether or not you use one-page website SEO, focus on optimizing your website for the growing use of smartphones.

Simple is Better

As you design your web page, one of your main goals is likely to target certain viewers and guide them through your site. One of the benefits of having a single-page site is that this can be easier since there are usually fewer options on the page. By keeping it simple, you can direct your targeted audience to the links in a less confusing manner than it would be for them to find products on your main site. Here is Lucky Beard’s simple and successful one-page website:

Take advantage of this by only including details that pertain to the product or service this specific viewer is looking for. While you may have several different types of products, focus your single pages only on those products that are similar to the one the viewer is searching for.

Simplicity is also a very popular trend in every category, from house design to website look. Less is more and being able to create pages that only feature certain details means you can incorporate a simple, clear view for your customers.

The Cons of One-Page Website SEO

Now that we’ve covered the pros, let’s go over some of the cons. Some of the very things that are positive about one-page website SEO can also be negative if used incorrectly. When determining if you want to include this as one of your content marketing methods, consider the following factors:

It Takes Planning

Creating a single-page site may present simplicity to your customers, but it’s not always easy for you to design. You will need to work with your content marketing and content writing agencies to be sure you are only putting information on the page that will be of interest to the user. With just one page to work with, too much content and too many links can cause the viewer to lose interest or become overwhelmed.

With such a concise type of marketing, you really need to plan carefully when determining what to include. This means you need to consolidate, simplify and improve your brand image and voice. You’ll need to keep layout and design in mind, too. Part of the magic of one-page website SEO is the aesthetic.

Maybe Too Simple

Another problem with a single-page site is that your viewers may be turned off by the lack of information. There is generally much less information on these websites than there is on multi-page sites. This can lead viewers to see the page as more of an advertisement and click away. While this can be a problem, it can be overcome with careful design and planning.

Some experts recommend using several H1 and H2 headers in order to divide and designate different sections. You need to find the perfect balance between too much and too little information. Viewers can become annoyed if they don’t find enough relevant content on the site. You will also likely need to alert viewers to the ability to click to the full site (if it exists) and then persuade them to do so.

Not Enough Keywords

If you have several keywords you want to incorporate, a single-page website will likely fall short. Multiple-page websites fill lots of pages to effectively boost rankings for multiple keywords. Your website will be pretty narrowly focused, so your pool of keywords will be smaller anyway. This makes it harder to rank on Google searches.

It’s More Expensive

Investing in SEO is a no-brainer, but some strategies cost more than others and single-page websites are one of them. Since the effectiveness is debatable, many experts in the field feel that there is not enough benefit to these sorts of landing pages to outweigh the cost. While this aspect will have little to do with how a viewer perceives your site, it has a lot to do with what your marketing budget is and how interested you are in being thrifty.

Lacks Advanced Strategies

There are plenty of fairly advanced strategies that you will just have to forego on a single-page website. Methods that require several pages can boost your rankings, but usually require multi-page sites to work. In other words, your normal digital marketing methods may not work. You may have to learn some new strategies or tweak the ones you’ve used in the past.

What We Think About One-Page Website SEO

Is one-page website SEO a good or harmful part of your plan? It depends on what you use it for. For smaller businesses or groups, this may be the best way to reach your target market. Especially for those who have only a handful of objectives, this mobile-based layout might do the trick. Take a look at Balance, which uses a series of questions to help you create a life balance map:

However, if you have a big company or are expecting increased growth, stick to multi-page websites. They can give you more options for SEO, content and buying options. However, every company strategy is different and may require the personal and eye-catching benefits that this single-page trend offers.

Single-page websites can be a great addition to your content marketing plan, but they need to be used in the right way (typically as specific landing pages) and should definitely not be your sole strategy. Talk about the options with your content team and evaluate together whether one-page website SEO is right for you.