Are one page websites good for SEO?
Are one page websites bad for SEO?
However you phrase it, these are common questions for those new to SEO and digital marketing and we are glad you are asking.
If you are considering a one page website or you currently have a one page website and are considering an update to a multipage website, this post is for you. Here we’ll cover what we mean by a one page website, the reasons why you might use a one page site, if a one page website is good for SEO, and finally, we will discuss the ultimate question: Should you use a one page website?
Or, more realistically, will a one page website get you the business results you want?
Contents
- What is a one page website?
- Reasons to use a one page website
- Is a one page website good for SEO?
- Should you use a one page website?
What Is A One Page Website?
Before we dig into the SEO implications of a one page website, let’s define what a one page website is exactly.
If you need a higher level overview of SEO first, feel free to check out our What is SEO? post.
A one page website, also referred to as a single page website, is a website that contains a single page with all of the information about a business. This can include the business history, testimonials, contact form, business address, portfolio, description of services, unique selling points, events, and any other information related to the company all on just one page.
A single page website can be short with all information contained above the fold, or it can be long and involve many sections and lots of scrolling. To reduce scroll and improve user experience, one page websites can include a menu that links to sections of the page.
A single page website doesn’t have to be basic either. It can be complex with dynamic features designed to capture your attention and promote conversions. There are many different variations of one page websites. In fact, there is an entire website dedicated to single page websites called One Page Love where you can check out real examples of single page websites. (Ironically, the One Page Love website itself is a multipage website.)
Now that we’ve covered exactly what a one page website is, let’s move on to why you might use a one page website.
Reasons To Use A One Page Website
There are several reasons one might consider using a single page website. We’ve outlined a few of these below.
Temporary Landing Page for a Website Launching Soon
If you are in the process of building a larger website, a single page website works as a way to get the word out, while letting visitors know that you are working on a redesign or a more in-depth website. The single page site is a quick way to provide helpful information such as contact information and when to expect more detail, or when the full website will be live, while also collecting email sign ups for users who’d like to be notified when the new website or product is available. This temporary single page website can also generate interest in your brand prior to launching.
Easy to Build & Maintain
A one page website requires less set up and maintenance than a multipage website. This is great for people who don’t have time or knowledge on how to build larger websites. It also works well for those who don’t have time to consistently maintain the website information and work on improvements and optimizations as there is only a single page to manage.
Lower Cost Than a Multipage Website
Because a single page site is easier to build and maintain, it also costs less to hire someone to do so. For businesses that are low on cash to invest in their online presence, a one page website is a way to get their business information online at a more affordable price.
It’s Quick
If you are working on a tight deadline, a one page website is hard to beat because you only need to craft a single page to get your information out into the world wide web. Modern site builders and platforms make setting up one page sites very fast, even if you don’t know how to code. The speed of building a one page website also makes it enticing for those who don’t want to or can’t wait for a more fully fleshed out version.
You Have A Single Product Or Service
If there is only one product or service on offer, a one page website is an efficient way to market this. When you only have one service or product, a single page website can improve conversions by keeping website visitors focused on that single item. This sole focus provides users with an easy way to take the next step to use the service or continue on the path to purchase.
One Page Is Better Than No Page
Another reason to use a one page website is that it is better than having no website at all. As long as your one page site provides relevant, accurate information, we’d agree that the something is better than nothing approach is in fact worth it. However, if your one page website isn’t on brand or provides inaccurate information, it can do more harm than good for your business.
Is a One Page Website Good for SEO?
While there is no black and white answer to this question, like most things in SEO, we suggest that for a majority of businesses, a one page website won’t provide the best SEO results. To demonstrate the impact on organic search rankings, we completed a few quick searches in our local market (Bend, Oregon) to see how many single page websites appeared on the first page of results on Google. Below are our findings.
Search One: “veterinarian near me”
Only one single page website appeared on the first page of results.
Search Two: “coffee shop”
Only one single page website appeared on the first page of results.
2 local coffee shops with no website appeared in the map pack on page one of results via their Google My Business listing.
Search Three: “chiropractor accepting new patients”
0 single page websites appeared on the first page of results.
Search Four: “best roofing company near me”
0 single page websites appeared on the first page of results.
Search Five: “auto repair shop near me”
0 single page websites appeared on the first page of results.
Note: Results may change overtime and do not include any advertisements on page one of the search engine results page. The results do include listings in the map pack. Each search was only performed one time, from one location. This is not meant to be statistically significant results, rather serve as an example.
As you can see, the majority of websites which appeared on the first page of search engine results were multipage websites. This is a very small representation of possible searches and search results do change based on location and user. However, looking at this sample of locally focused searches shows us that in these instances, a one page website isn’t helping search engine rankings for these local businesses.
To help you make a more informed decision about your business website, look at the results on the first page of Google or Bing for the searches related to your business. This will give you an idea of how one page websites currently rank in your industry and market.
Bonus: It will also help you identify your largest competitors online.
While these results aren’t scientific or statistically significant, they don’t make the case that a one page website is good for SEO.
Looking beyond these results, there are several other reasons a one page website isn’t great for SEO.
One Page Website SEO
We recently wrote about how to get your website to show up online. All of the recommendations we make on essential technical items that your website needs can be implemented with a one page website. These essential items are mobile friendliness, site security, site speed, and indexing.
The SEO challenges of a one page website arise when you move on to other SEO tactics you can use to improve your search rankings. For example, you may have heard “content is king” to signify that content is extremely important for search engine optimization. If you have a one page website, it’s difficult to incorporate the same quality of content that you can with a multipage website.
As an example, let’s say you run a dental practice. The information you likely want on your website is how to make an appointment, where the office is located, insurance providers accepted, dental services you offer, information about the dentist and staff, and information about the practice. In order to be more helpful for current patients and to attract new customers you may also want to have information on regular dental hygiene at home, how to properly brush your teeth, why you should floss, how often to come to the dentist, how to prevent cavities, or information on preventing other dental problems.
You can put all of this information on a one page website; however, that would be a very long one page website and it might become difficult for a website visitor to navigate. When the website is harder to use, you may actually see a decrease in dental appointments made.
The other downside is that with all that information on one page, it will be difficult for search engines to understand what the page is actually about and what the most important information is. If you were to use a multipage website, you could have a page for each topic of information, which would be much easier for search engines and website visitors to use and interpret.
You may be thinking, well why do I need the other information about dental hygiene, etc.? Can’t I go without that information on my site?
The answer is yes, you can forgo the additional information, but in the process, your website loses the ability to appear for related searches. When you appear in the results for fewer searches, you reduce your website’s visibility. With the reduction in visibility, you’ll see fewer visitors to your website which can negatively impact your business results, i.e. the number of appointments made. You would also forgo helping your patients (current and future) by providing this additional reference information.
This is just one example of a consideration of one page website SEO and how a one page website can be bad for SEO.
Should You Use A One Page Website?
When it comes to one page website SEO, this is probably the most important question: Should you use a one page website?
Just like search engine optimization itself, the answer is not black and white. There are many factors to consider when making this decision. Here are a few of the questions we would ask to help decide if you should use a single page website:
- Do you have more than one service or product?
- Are you operating in a competitive market?
- Do you have the resources (time/money) to dedicate to a multipage website?
- Do you want to increase the number of leads/sales coming through your website?
- Does your product/service require explanation or further detail before a decision is made?
- Would you like your company to be recognized as a thought leader in your industry?
- Do you plan to grow your business?
If you answered yes to any of these questions, we’d recommend a multipage website for your business; however, if you aren’t sure, it’s worth discussing with an SEO professional.
Conclusion
Using a single page website can make sense for some businesses, but there are plenty of things to consider. In our experience, we have seen that it is difficult for one page sites to provide more value to customers than a multipage site and they can also have less visibility on search engine results pages. This lower visibility comes from having fewer opportunities to rank for a wider variety of keywords as well as use of a single, multipurpose page that can be confusing for search engines to index and people to use.
Deciding to use a single page or multipage website can be difficult for any business, especially when first starting out. If you’d like to talk with someone about your specific situation or have questions about one page website SEO, don’t hesitate to contact us. We are happy to answer questions and help you decide if you should use a one page website or build a more flexible, multipage website for your business.