Single Page Websites: Are They Good or Bad for SEO?

Single page websites have gained popularity in recent years, particularly among businesses that advertise a single product and those that focus on a specific niche.

The question is whether single page websites are good or bad for SEO. Could a one-page site hurt your chances of ranking on Google?

Let’s look at some examples of single page websites and discuss the pros and cons to see if we can find an answer.

What is a single page website?

If a website has all the content on one page and there are navigation links that scroll down to see more, it is called a Single Page Website (SPA).

Users click navigation links to jump (or scroll) to destinations further down the page. This interaction gives the impression that the page is turning; however, there is no page refresh.

Below is an illustration to see the difference between how a traditional page interacts with the server and how a single page interacts with the server.

Note: A single page website is slightly different than a single page website. One page websites are literally one page; there are no navigation links to give you the illusion that the page is changing.

Example of Single Page and Single Page Websites

Not sure what I’m talking about? Let’s take a look at some examples of how this style of web design is used.

One page website for one app

Impulse is an example of a one page website for an app. The seamless user experience keeps users focused on the one goal: downloading the app.

One page website for e-commerce

kukla kit is a great example of how ecommerce sites can use a one page site design.

Online stores can include a ton of information about that product using the landing page to sell the collection while keeping the focus on a singular call to action: buy (download) now.

One page website for an event

You have to love the interface is a non-profit event for developers.

What I like most about this example is that the main details (about, hours, contact) are all on one page, while information about past events is available on subdomains.

One page website for a niche

Start up figma has a service aimed at a niche audience, users looking to convert their Figma design to WordPress.

The elegant site uses the main navigation to move users to the section of a single page of most interest while controlling the user’s journey to conversion: request a quote.

SEO pros and cons

As you can see, single page websites look great and are fun to build, but are they good for SEO?

There seem to be two schools of thought on this subject. So, I will explain the pros and cons of having a single page website.

advantages

First of all, let’s take a look at some of the pros or benefits of using single page web design.

Better mobile experience

In 2019, Google announced that they are working to switch to mobile-first indexing, so having a website that works well on mobile devices is a must.

One of the main advantages of a single page design is that sites are generally much more easily converted to mobile devices, and users find them easy to navigate.

They also load much faster than multi-page sites, which is a big plus for most users who don’t have the patience to wait more than a few seconds for a site to load.

Also, some people find it difficult to click through additional pages or tabs on a small device like a smartphone, so having a single page site is a boon for those with not-so-thin fingers.

Target a specific audience

Single page websites are great for targeting a specific audience and giving them a certain type of user experience.

It’s easy to monitor their behavior on your site and guide them in a particular direction if you don’t have to worry about them clicking through multiple pages, possibly in the wrong order.

With a single page site, all the information you want users to access can be presented to them on a single page, in the order you choose to meet your business needs.

In terms of SEO, this can be important if there is only one keyword or set of keywords that you are concerned about targeting.

page rank

Links are one of the biggest factors in determining how well a website ranks and the benefit of a single page website is that every link purchased will point to the main URL so there will always be a ratio of 1:1 of links to pages.

Cons

Given the nature of all your information on a single page, there are likely to be drawbacks.

Here are some ways that having a one page website can be bad for SEO.

Limited keyword targeting

Unfortunately, there are some SEO drawbacks to single page sites, keyword ranking being one of them.

Single page sites are generally supposed to be designed around one main concept, which limits their ability to rank for a wide variety of keywords.

If you rely heavily on Google to find new customers, you’re better off building a multi-page site that incorporates different keywords on each page to attract a larger audience.

But if Google search isn’t the top priority for your business, a lack of keyword rankings shouldn’t be a problem.

Content lacks details

Another downside of single page sites is that their content is generally not as specific as that posted on multi-page sites.

You can’t afford to dedicate a separate page to every topic you want to cover; instead, all of your information should be on one page.

It is impossible to cover the same amount of information on one page as on multiple pages.

Visitors looking for detailed and relevant content on specific topics may be disappointed by the lack of relevant content.

Minimal Advanced SEO Strategies

Advanced SEO strategies and best practices are not available when working with a single page site.

Take, for example, the silo.

Siled content is the practice of structuring your website into main areas of interest in order to demonstrate authority in these areas.

In a nutshell, siloing is a way of organizing your website into categories and subcategories to better display your content.

Trying to fit a ton of specific topics on a single page will result in a disorganized mess.

The traditional multi-page site design is ideal for storing content in silos.

Key takeaways from the single page website

So are single page websites good or bad for SEO?

In my opinion, single page websites are not as good for SEO as traditional multi-page websites. But that doesn’t mean there isn’t a time and place to use a single page layout.

When determining whether your site should be single page or multi-page, you need to consider your business goals and what you’re trying to accomplish with your website.

Things to consider:

• Do I have a target audience or several?
• Do I need to rank organically for multiple keyword topics or am I targeting one main search intent?
• What site design will give my users the best possible web experience?

More resources:

---

Featured Image: KatePilko/Shutterstock