Single-page websites. A content marketer’s worst nightmare. 

Single-page websites have grown in popularity among small, local businesses. They offer that sleek and streamlined look that many business owners love while keeping costs low. The best part is you can create these websites all by yourself. With a quick YouTube search, you’ve got a ready-to-publish website in under 2 hours. This offers the perfect solution for businesses looking to boost their online presence without draining their budget. 

Here’s the big question you may be asking. When it comes to SEO, do these sites hold up? SEO gurus and professionals often criticise single-page websites as they go against many of the rules Google has put in place for SEO. Lack of content, issues with backlinks, and low user trust are just some of the reasons these sites get the side-eye. The issue with having a single-page website is that everything that you want your site to say, do, or be is condensed into a single landing page. You’re limited to only include the bare essentials and nothing more. 

But, it’s not all bad when it comes to one-page websites. With nearly divided sections and a menu to teleport visitors to the section of their choice, it provides a seamless user-experience. One-page websites also load up at lightning-fast speeds. This is because these types of websites are usually static, self-contained, and all squeezed into a single HTML page. And let me tell you, Google loves it! 

Usages of Single-page Websites:

Single-page websites have a lot of usage and are a lot more versatile than you think. They might seem compact, but there are a tonne of ways to use these sites to better market your business or product:

• Selling a single product or service: When looking to get more eyes on your product or service a single-page website is your go–to. They are designed to look like landing pages that put that one killer product in the spotlight. You essentially have a whole website dedicated to showcasing how good your product is. The best part – there’s no chance of users getting distracted by other pages on your site. No need for an entire website – just one page to rule them all. 
• Creative Portfolio: For all you creatives out there, single-page websites are a quick and easy way to show off your digital portfolio. Showcase your work, throw in your contact details, maybe a contact form and done! You’ve created yourself a one-stop shop for potential clients.
• Hiring: Looking to hire your dream team? A simple landing page allows you to find talent, share your company culture, and get job applications all in one space. 
• Special promotions: Shine a spotlight on specific campaigns, promotions, or product launches. This helps gain your audience’s attention on the thing that matters most. This also helps avoid diverting their attention to the other pages on your site. You don’t want users to click on the ‘About Us’ page when you have a shiny ‘50% off sale’ that’s just waiting for them. These sites can be temporary and help you reach a specific goal. The best part is, it’s separate from your actual website. This means you can view the performance of your page to see how your campaign is doing.  
• CVs and Resumes: Want a visual showcase to show off your skills and experiences? A single-page website is a unique way to create a stellar first impression on the hiring manager. You can also include a lot more about yourself than you would with a 2-page resume. 
• Event-hosting: Last but not least, single-page websites are your best friend when it comes to event planning. Whether it’s a conference, networking event, or a product launch party, this website will have your back. Users will be able to get access to all the necessary details as well as book tickets for the event all in one location. Talk about a positive user-experience! 

The Pros of Single-page Websites For SEO:

Faster Loading Speed: 

Single-page websites tend to have a faster loading time which is perfect for SEO. Search engines are all about speed and consider page speed to be a staple in their ranking algorithms. If your website loads faster, it gets a nod of approval from Google. 

And it’s not just about impressing search engines. Faster loading times also provide visitors with a positive user-experience. Users no longer need to waste time waiting for a bulky site to load up. These sites serve up content quickly, leading to fewer people clicking on the big ‘x’ button on the right side. 

Mobile-Friendly: 

Single-page websites are designed with a mobile-first mindset. These sites are incredibly compatible with mobile devices, helping you deliver content directly to your audience. No more zooming into the screen just to read the text – it’s a smooth, user-friendly experience, and your visitors will absolutely love it. Why does that matter? When your site is responsive on a range of different devices, you earn major brownie points from search engines. They recognise the effort you’re making to boost the usability of your site and reward you by boosting your search rankings. Having a mobile-friendly site in an era when everyone’s got a mobile phone glued to their hand, definitely has its perks. 

When your site isn’t responsive, you’re singling out a large portion of your audience. They won’t be able to see what you’re offering or read anything about why they should choose you. They’ll end up leaving your site frustrated, moving on to the next site that actually cares about mobile users.

Simplified Navigation: 

One-page websites are built with simplicity in mind. Due to the simple navigation system, users no longer have to actively look for the content they need – it’s all there right in front of them. This straightforward journey can also help reduce your bounce rate. People are likely to navigate through the page when they know their answers are just a scroll away. Benefits of simplified navigation:

• Clear Call-to-Actions (CTAs): Having a killer CTA that is clear and eye-catching is the key to maximising your conversations. And single-page websites make it much easier to do so. With fewer elements cluttering up your page, you’re able to create CTAs that are not only eye-catching but work. The best part is that users can’t get distracted by other pages on your site. It’s all eyes on your CTA. 
• Improved User Engagement: Storytelling plays a major role in your branding. Having a story that keeps users scrolling and engaged does wonders for your website. Users are hooked from the minute they load on and want to know more about your brand. This leads to longer time spent on the page and search engines thrive on this kind of engagement. The longer users stay on your site, the more impressed search engines become.
• Domain Authority: Having just one page for a website allows your site to have better domain authority. This is because, unlike a traditional multi-page website, your links aren’t scattered across different pages. Your links are concentrated in one powerhouse of a page, boosting your domain authority. This helps increase your website’s trust, credibility, and rankings.

The Cons of Single-page Websites For SEO:

Lack of content: 

One of the most obvious downsides to a single-page website is the lack of content. And with the content being the lifeline of the internet, you’re hindering your business’s online potential. 

With less content also comes less visibility. Your website won’t show up for the relevant keywords users are searching for, missing out a huge chunk of potential customers. 

This also takes a huge hit to your search rankings. Google thrives on content and loves it when a site is providing relevant content to users. If you’re not providing any content, you’re giving Google nothing to work with. They won’t place you anywhere near the top of search rankings because you haven’t proved yourself to be a knowledgeable source of information. 

Lower chance of acquiring backlinks: 

Google absolutely loves backlinks. When Google sees a backlink pointing to your website, it signals that your content is worth reading. The more quality websites vouch for your content, the higher your reputation is in the eyes of Google. 

So, if you’re thinking of acquiring backlinks to boost your SEO, you may want to rethink your site’s web design.

Single-page websites are mostly transactional with minimal information. As a result high-authority websites usually stay clear of linking to these sites. They prefer linking to informational content that provides value to their readers. They’d rather link to a multi-page website with high-quality blog posts over your salesy single-page website. This makes it incredibly difficult to build quality backlinks and grow your SEO. 

Low user trust:

When it comes to gaining user trust, a multi-page website often has that competitive edge. From multiple blog posts to in-depth case studies, these trust-boosting factors aren’t common in one-page websites. This means you’ve got to bring your A-game to earn user trust. However, amping up your trust factor isn’t impossible. It’s all about quality, not quantity. Get rid of the unnecessary fluff no one has time to read and add legitimate testimonials, FAQs and an About section. Your users don’t have all the time in the world to scroll through your page so you need to be clear and keep things short but informative. 

And that’s not all. Your website is just the tip of the iceberg to build user trust. Spend time building your social media presence. Share memes, talk about the latest trends, and show off your expertise within this space. This will help build a sense of community that sees you as the go-to expert within your niche. 

Email marketing is another great way to build user trust outside of your website. It’s your opportunity to send out engaging newsletters, share valuable content and promote offers directly to your audience’s inbox. This not only helps to turn one-off customers into high-paying customers but also helps to send out personalised content that they can relate to. The more personalised you are with your emails, the higher the chances of them trusting you.

Limitations with analytics:

There are also limitations with analytics that come with having a one-page website. This is because analytic tools thrive on details and rely on metrics with different pages to provide insights.

Here’s the kicker: fewer insights act as a barrier to improving your website. You’ll have no clue what to improve because you won’t have your hands on detailed user data.

Updates and Changes Impact Entire Site:

If you have a single-page website yourself, you’ll find that making updates or changes to content can impact the entire site. Now, why does this matter for SEO? The slightest tweak, if not handled with care, can take you from page 1 on Google to the 20th page, where no business wants to be.

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How to Optimise Your Single-page Website For SEO:

Divide content into sections:

The first step to optimising your one-page website is by dividing and optimising content with sections. You want to first start with keyword mapping. Identify and group related content and assign each section with a targeted keyword. This is to help search engines get a gist of what each section is actually about. 

Next up is the HTML tags. Using tags like <div> or <section> will help carve out distinct areas for your content, with each section focusing on a specific keyword. This will help each section operate as it’s own standalone page. Make sure to give each section an ID. For example, you have a services section on your single-page website. Using the ID ‘services’, helps create an anchor link like ‘website.com/#services’. These anchor links act like arrows that point search engines and users in the right direction. It also helps to better streamline your navigation. 

After you’ve created those anchor links, it’s time to add a header menu. Create a header menu that features these anchor links to guide users through different sections of your one-page website. By sprinkling targeted keywords in these anchor links, you’re keeping things simple and streamlined. 

Oh, and the cherry on top? Keep that navigation menu visible while users scroll. It helps improve user experience and overall site navigability.

Link building:

Link building is an essential part of SEO and requires your dedication to get those external links to point to your website. Think of it as convincing search engines to recognise your website for its credibility and expertise. 

I get it, link building can be hard especially if you’ve got yourself a single-page website. With so few backlinks you can get for a single landing page, you need to forget the quantity and focus on the quality. Choose links from related and trusted sources. Remember, Google is the ultimate critic and if your links don’t impress, you run the risk of doing more harm than good.

Regular content updates:

Regular content updates are crucial when it comes to a single-page website. It helps keep your website fresh and relevant without the need to add more pages to your website. It’s all about updating and rewriting your existing content to give it some much-needed TLC.

Why does this matter? Frequent updates showcase that your site isn’t stuck in the past. Both users and search engines love new content. They want to see that your website is still a relevant source of information and also tell them that your business is still up and running. Refusing to update your site can lead you to potentially slip down in search engine rankings. 

You don’t have to go all out with the updates. Small tweaks can make a huge difference to your content. Don’t forget to keep your content in the loop with industry changes or hot trends. This will show users that you know your industry inside out. 

Add interactive content: 

The time users spend on your site is an important metric search engines use to rank your website. However, with limited pages and space on your website, you need to look for unique ways to entice users to stay. Add interactive content to make every scroll count. A well-placed quiz or a chatbot can increase the time spent on your page. This will signal to Google that visitors are enjoying the time that they spend on your website. 

These interactive elements not only engage your users but also help you gather audience insights or data so you can provide a much more tailored service. 

Remember: It’s not about how much space you have; it’s about how you use it. 

Improve site speed:

Site speed is one of the SEO factors that shouldn’t be ignored. It’s not just about improving search rankings, but also improving your overall user-experience. Here are some tips to improve your one-page website’s site speed:

• Optimise images: Don’t let images slow you down. Shrink those file sizes and use .webp and .AVIF file types to make sure you’re not sacrificing the quality. Pro tip: Throw in descriptive file names and alt texts with relevant keywords to make sure your images are SEO-friendly. 
• Reduce HTTP requests: Too many HTTP requests can be a pain for users. Minimise them by minifying CSS and JavaScript files, reducing the number of plugins, and enabling lazy loading to keep that load time snappy. 
• Caching: Get a caching plugin to help speed up your site for users. The one I recommend is WP-Optimise.

To find out more ways to speed up your website, read the blog: ‘Why Site Speed Matters: Speed Up Your Website in 5 Easy Steps’ today!