In modern web design, one-page websites are introducing a new paradigm in which everything that you have to say on your site can all be relayed through a single document. In a generation where we’re constantly inundated by tons of information, one page website design offers a refreshing break from multi-page spaces that compel us to make several clicks before getting to the content we want to see.
Some argue, however, one page website design can lead to endless scrolling because you’re trying to cram tons of information in a single document. But with the right strategy, it is possible to create successful online spaces following this design scheme. Strikingly is a leading one page website builder. In this article, we have listed a few tricks and some of the best one page website examples that were created with Strikingly web templates. We hope these one page website inspirations will help you to kickstart your own website building project.
Clear goal for the website
One of the perceived limitations of a simple one page website design is that it is made to fulfill one specific goal; unlike multi-page sites that are designed to be full-featured online spaces and the pages accomplish varied objectives. However, this kind of elaborate design is suited only for certain business cases where you have a lot of data to display on your website. For example, an online store or a blog definitely needs a multi-page design. Only then, their viewers can access a single product or article, without having to scroll down through a long page. On the other hand, if your website is focused on achieving a single target, you should go for a one-page design. This will give your website the minimalist look that your audience will love.
Before you create a one page site, it’s important to identify a clear objective that will drive your design and content. Objectives could either be to inform, to announce an upcoming event or to present a portfolio, among other things.
Get things in order
In a conventional website design, you cannot predict in which order users will be viewing the content of your website. A user may go directly to the ‘Services’ page, without reading the ‘About Us’ page, and this may adversely affect the digital marketing journey that you want to take your user through. One of the biggest advantages of using a one page design is that you can mostly control this order. It is true that many one page website designs have a navigation bar at the top or left to enable users to jump to any section they want. But, most users prefer to scroll down rather than click on the navigation menu. More so when your website is a concise one.
Seize this unique opportunity that a one page website design offers. Spend some time to decide the order of various sections on your page, to cleverly take the user through a series of content/images that will prepare his mind to finally click on your call to action.
Strong but lightweight visuals
One page website design enables business owners and individuals to create online spaces that can convey a single message. With a single document online space, it can be quite tempting to cram a lot of images in such a small space. The only problem is the desire to showcase beautiful images can come at a cost - loading speeds can be affected and user experience can also go down in the process.
Image taken from Strikingly user’s website.
GDC Consulting’s one page website design is a good example of how strong visuals can help bring an online space to life without sacrificing loading speed. To do this, we recommend that you keep within the recommended file size limits for images and videos.
Use compact design elements like image sliders
Image slider is a very powerful tool in single-page websites. You can use them to present an array of pictures in front of the user, within a limited space. Strikingly allows you to add up to 20 images in a banner slider. You can achieve a variety of objectives using these sliders such as promoting a new product, igniting interest in the users’ minds, displaying various services that your business provides, and so on.
Image taken from Strikingly user’s website.
Engage with a call to action
By focusing on a single objective, a one page website will require a single Call To Action (CTA) to fulfill this goal. Smart placement of this CTA can help increase conversions and engage visitors. Many sites just like the Zizzle display their call to action on the upper fold of the site so it gets easily noticed.
Image taken from Strikingly user’s website.
Short but punchy web copy
Few people will want to scroll down to the end of a really long website so you want to make it worth your visitor’s time. One important tip on how to make a one page website is to work on creating attractive and engaging web copy. Using bold headlines such as the GDC Consulting banner above gets your reader’s attention and encourages him to scroll.
Avoid huge blocks of text anywhere on the page. Whenever possible, break your text content down into sections and combine them with high-quality visuals. Make your copy easy to comprehend and appeal to your target demographic.
Separate sections with smart use of white space
Image taken from Strikingly user’s website.
Proper placement of visuals plays a significant role while creating beautiful one page websites. Resist the temptation to cram so much information in a single document but if you must, break the content down into sections and add sufficient white space to prevent clutter. Elly Amelia’s visuals are divided into various sections to make it easy for the visitor to process information. Negative space is great for drawing the focus on images and keeps the entire design clean.
Let the transition be smooth
In a one-page website design, you need to add some page animations to avoid getting monotonous. Though all the details are on a single page, these transitions make a clear boundary between sections. By showing a transition effect when the user moves from one section to another, you can keep your audience aware of the change and prepare them to imbibe what you have in store for them in the next section.
Strikingly lets you add three types of page animations:
- Page scroll - It determines how the content rolls out when the user moves up or down the page.
- Background - This one is also used while scrolling. While the previous animation was about the content, this one controls how the background image moves.
- Image link hover - When a user hovers over an image in the gallery or a link, you can add some effects like ‘zoom in’ to enhance the user experience.
Simplify the navigation
Like we discussed in the first few paragraphs of this article, one page website designs may lead to never-ending scrolling. To avoid this, there should be a clear navigation bar either at the top or on the left-hand side. Each item here will take the user to a section on your page, rather than a different page like in the case of a conventional multi-page website. The order of items in this menu should be the same as the order of sections on your page.
Keep the navigation bar visible at all times by making it a floating menu. This will save the user from having to scroll back to the top of the page when they want to navigate to a different section quickly. Another handy feature that will help the user to navigate effortlessly in a one page layout is the ‘Back to Top of the page’ button.
Add some social proof markers
When it comes to one page website design, you need to score very quickly. You don’t have the luxury of elaborating your products and services over several pages. One way of gaining your visitor’s trust with less content is adding social proof markers. Don’t get overwhelmed by the jargon. This refers to any content that comes from your existing customers, conveying how their lives have been made easy after hiring your services. You can add it by incorporating one or many of the following:
- Social media feeds that boast of your achievements
- Testimonials from happy clients, neatly arranged on a slider
- Snippets and links to media publications that laud your contributions to your industry.
One page website designs offer a lean design that goes well with most of the website requirements today. When your website is on a minimalist design, you can focus on a single objective and achieve higher conversion rates. Strikingly is home to some of the best one page websites in the world. We offer a vast collection of one page templates for every possible use case. Moreover, your website will be rendered seamlessly on all devices including mobile phones and tablets. Try out Strikingly for free today, and launch your website with a clean and organized one page layout.
