As of late much has been said about single and multiple page web design. A single page design is quicker to develop and is easier to develop. In other words, user interface (UI) design with a single page is less complex than its counterpart.
Also because when it comes to UI design of small and medium-sized business. Not much is taken into account with regards to user experience. So how to decide whether you need a single page or multipage design for your website, we seek to answer it below.
Single-Page Website: What Is It?
It is also known as ‘pageless’ design and uses HTML to render the content and its associated functionality. When you engage with a single page website. You notice that navigation links take the visitor directly to the desired content. Mainly the programming languages employed at the back end are JavaScript, CSS3 etc. To design a single page version of a website.
Multiple-Page Website: What Is It?
In simple words, they are an exact opposite of the single page website. They too can render the content and its added functionality but in doing so these websites do it through a variety of pages. For an organization which sells a diverse portfolio of products and services, a multipage website is a must!
Why? It is because then it would be absolutely difficult for all the desired content in the form of product listings or articles on a single page. You would be surprised but multipage websites are more popular when compared with single page website due to its archetypal website development project at the helm of it.
Now that the definitions and explanations of the two are out of the way, we can bring our attention to each’s advantages.
Single-Page Website: Pros
The biggest advantage a single page website entails is its ability to display information in a simple yet understandable format. Single page websites have the tendency to allow room for developers to become creative and play around a little. They can decide on navigation and how a particular section will appear upon interaction by the user.
From a user experience point of view, since navigation is clean it boasts a visually impressive storytelling. Consequently, clicks will be less due to neat navigation coupled with scrolling habits of users, you will find that visitors are more engaged with the content. They are absorbing your content more.
Single-page websites are also considered to be quite effective in generating leads/sales, according to the professional bloggers. Read our article about different ways to boost your WordPress website sales.
And you know when this happens, conversions are not far behind. In addition, single page websites provide owners with control over the dissemination of the information. On other website, users usually have to click back and forth in order to navigate through the entire site which makes it an incoherent experience.
However, it is not to say that if single page website is an exciting choice. It is also will be suitable for your business it may not and that is where multiple page website comes into play.
Multiple-Page Website: Pros
If your website is all about different intricacies then you should think multiple pages. As such websites require more content and improved level of functionality and thus, trying to cram everything into a single page can prove to be a recipe for disaster.
Not only it will yield poor user experience but it will be equally difficult for users to locate it (in the first place) and subsequently engage with it. If you are dealing with, for example, an ecommerce site then you should take a multipage route.
During this time make sure your website architecture is such where visitors can easily find you. And not just be able to find but quickly as well. Timing is crucial or they will go out looking for some alternative. With a multiple page website, you should seek to incorporate it into an online marketing campaign.
What will happen is that when a user will look up for you via search engines, they will be provided with absolutely relevant results. The technique applies to both organic and paid searches. This implies that as a website owner you should expend your efforts in designing varying pages for each keyword or phrase.
So you see how multipage serve you in such a situation? Where under a single page UI design, the effort to staying specific would utterly fail. In the case where inorganic or paid searches are involved. Remember to create a page with the most number of individual queries.
Coupled with remarketing, your multiple page website would generally fare better. Which should you settle for? If you do not have to deal with SEO or PPC then go with the one-page website. However, if you are high on products and services you might want to bring depth to your content and thus stick with the latter.
What good are advantages if there aren’t some disadvantages?
Single-Page Website: Cons
The biggest disadvantage that a single page website yields are that it cannot fathom more than the basic information on the page. You have to be very careful with regards to the content selection therein. Point being, you cannot experiment around much.
You have to ensure that the content is displayed in a crystal clear visual hierarchy. And that it is evident enough so that user does not miss out on critical information. For growing concerns which are expanding their categories, the content overload is too much and hence, single page websites cannot contain it.
Multiple-Page Website: Cons
While multipage websites are responsible for the increased rate of conversions, too much content can become clutter-some for the audience. A wide variety of menus and navigations panes often confuse the visitors.
It is also quite hard to manage a WooCommerce site and keep it secured. Check out our article based on WooCommerce Security.
It also happens with a multiple page website that due to a lot of content, website owners fail to take into account the target audience. Remember, content compliments the multipage UI design which gets you results. Because the latter alone serves no purpose. Therefore, as a general rule of thumb, always account for your audience in terms of content over UI design of the website.