One-Page vs. Multiple Pages Websites: The Battle Arena

To Do or Not to Do: One-Page Websites

If you’re familiar with the technology industry, one big controversy within the jurisdiction of website design and development is whether to create one with a single page or multiple pages.

One-page websites used to be rare unicorns because everyone liked stuffing in as much information as they could into their websites, but now, they’re becoming more commonly found on the internet (for better or for worse, as we’ll soon see).

While every website has at least one-page (duh!), some of them go up into the hundreds – especially large corporations that also sell thousands of their products online. Think of companies like Walmart, Sephora, Best Buy, and Nike! These companies obviously can’t fit all of their products onto a single page, so they divide them up and organize them into separate sections and tabs. Imagine the chaos if every single product Walmart sold was on one page! How would you even shop without a hint of chaos?! 😳

Luckily, we’re not all Walmart and don’t need the caliber of pages that they do. Not everyone needs all of those pages – in fact, some of us are happy with just one.

If you are considering creating a new website, you’ve probably already browsed and rummaged through the depths of the internet to find references that you like and want your own to resemble – whether it’s a one-pager or fifteen-pager!

However, the reality is that websites are not one-size-fits-all. What works for you may not work for another business that’s even in the same industry! Or what works for your competitors may not work for you either! It all depends on the nature of your own business and what you need.

Say, if you’re a smaller company that’s just starting up, a 15-page website isn’t exactly necessary if you don’t need anything elaborate. But, if you’re a smaller company and you want e-commerce systems integrated into your website, then a single website page isn’t going to do it for you.

Whether you’re tilting towards a single page or multiple pages, both options have their own advantages. We’ll discuss these below to help you get a better picture of what your business needs.

Why You Should Do a One-Page Website

1. They Are Easy to Create and Maintain

Single page websites are as simple as it gets in the online world. Because of their simplicity, they’re both easy to create and maintain.

Generally, you only have to consider the amount of work it takes to complete one page from top to bottom. It’s easier to design, develop, and maintain single page websites because everything ties back to one simple page – no strings (or other tabs) attached.

2. They Are Cheaper

Let’s be honest, one of the best perks associated with single page websites is that they’re cheaper. Sometimes by a lot, sometimes by a little bit – it really depends on what you’re looking for in your single page website.

Logically, the cheaper price makes sense because there’s less work to do with one page. There’s only one page to work on. Less work means fewer costs. And who doesn’t want that?

3. They Have Faster Loading Speeds

This advantage makes sense too. When you’re on a website, what slows down your loading speed the most? (Other than bad Wi-Fi.)

Easy. Images that take decades to load, videos that take more space than an elephant in the room, and large files that eat more space than a sumo wrestler does – all of these on multiple pages. But, if you only have a single page, you significantly reduce your loading time as there’s only one page to load in general.

Why You Should Do a Multiple-Page Website

1. They Are Better for SEO

If you have a website, you definitely want it to be SEO-friendly (search engine optimization). Having the capacity of multiple pages gives you the room and flexibility to add more content and information that’s going to help you land on the search engine results page (SERP) and boost your ranking.

One of the fantastic ways you can increase your SEO rank is by creating and posting blogs. The downfall with single page websites is they don’t provide you with the (user-friendly) ability to have a blog section in the first place! But, with multiple-page websites, that’s not even a problem. Heck, you can even have a different page for every topic or category of blogs you post. And all of this helps boost your SEO – which is why so many businesses blog!

2. They Allow for More Creative Freedom

With a website that has multiple pages, you have more freedom to be more creative with the design, layout, and navigation bar. Each page allows you to incorporate different elements and features giving your website more character and personality. Since you’re not constrained to one page, you have the creativity to design whatever however you like – no limits.

3. They Are Better for User Experience

If you care about creating a better user experience for your potential website visitors, then multiple-pages are the way to go. That’s not to say that single page websites have no user experience, but multi-pages amplify the user experience to a whole other level.

This is particularly even more relevant when your website is integrated with e-commerce platforms and you have a lot of content to share. Lots of intricate details and features are going to complicate a one-page website design, rendering it impractical for positive user experiences.  

The Final Verdict on How Many Pages You Should Have For Your Website

So, there you have it – reasons why you should do a one-page website and reasons why you should do a multi-page website. Both options have their definite advantages and both are great for different types of businesses. The reality with the selection of formatting really depends on your business and its needs.

So the only question left is: What does your business need?