NOTE: This blog was published originally on my old website, which no longer exists.  

I switched to a one-page website.

And I think most businesses should too.

When I say “one-page”, I’m excluding blog posts because I’m talking about the marketing/informational/brochure portion of my website – the stuff about the company, value, services, contact, etc.

It wasn’t an easy decision, but here’s six reasons why I switched:

1.  Clicks Clog Conversions

One thing I’ve learned about Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO) is that you want to make it as easy as possible for visitors to take the action you want them to, such as request quote, download white paper, or make a purchase.

And clicks can get in the way of the conversion goal.

You’re asking them to visit another page, load another page (which could lose you leads if your site is slow), and take in more information.

Sometimes this is necessary, most times it’s not.

Limiting clicks just makes things easier for your visitor to take action.

2.  Mobile Visitors Will Be Most Pleased

Mobile and tablet users make up over one-third of this site’s visitors (a number that keeps getting higher every year).

Mobile users don’t like clicks, they like scrolling.

Our new homepage requires no clicking, only scrolling, whether you want to learn about our marketing services, costs, or more about us or to contact us – everything is accessible through scrolling on a single page.

Why make your visitor work?

As well, Google is already using User Experience (UX) as a ranking factor for Mobile Results.

3.  Old-School On-Page SEO is Less of a Concern

Not long ago, it would have been considered crazy NOT to have a dedicated page for EACH of your products or services – complete with relevant keywords in url, title, meta tags, headlines, and body copy.

The thing is, that sort of stuff was great for Search Engines, but NOT visitors.

Content and websites should be designed with people in mind, not Search Engines, and Google gets that.

That’s why it continues to place more and more value on User Experience in its algorithm and rankings.

4.  It Makes Sense For My Audience & Conversion Goals

In the five years since the launch of Op Ed Marketing, there’s been very few inquires for SPECIFIC services such as Content, Email, or Referral Marketing.

The vast majority of inquiries are simply about how we can help grow the prospect’s business with digital marketing (a topic a lot of prospects don’t have a lot of knowledge about, nevermind specific services).

That’s why we got rid of the detailed, multiple services pages and just focused on the strategy we use to grow their B2B biz on our homepage.

And that’s why the main conversion goal on the homepage (to complete a simple form), doesn’t mention a quote or consultation, but gives visitors the opportunity to simply ask a question or start a discussion (without worry of any sales pitches).

5.  It’s Easier to Manage, Test, and Optimize

I’m a firm believer that a website is never finished.

Images, headlines, copy, CTAs, form fields, are just some of the things that need to be continually tested to maximize leads, conversions, and customers.

Having a single-page site makes that so much more manageable.

I can install my web recording and testing tools and watch how users behave on my homepage, identify any speed bumps, and roll out some testing.

And it’s much more manageable to test your company’s value prop, CTAs, and conversions when it’s all in one place.

6.  It’s Simply a Better User Experience

A better User Experience is better for everyone: visitors, search engines, and your business (that will benefit).

I’ve read a lot about how single page or scrolling websites can increase engagement metrics (such as time on site), but the proof will be in the pudding when I get a better picture from my analytics in about a month or so.

Why Most Businesses (NOT All) Should Consider It Too

I’m not calling for every business to switch their site to scrolling or single-page.

There are some drawbacks, not the least of which is site speed and load time (which if not optimized, can affect your SEO and your number of leads).

But I think most businesses should consider switching simply because users have less time and desire to click, read and scan through pages and pages of info when the key messages can be captured all in one place.

This isn’t something that’s going to work for (most) ecomm sites, sites with lots of manuals or reference materials, or big, multi-dimensional organizations like IBM…but I think a single page site would work for most SMBs.

If you’re considering switching, first ask yourself:

• How much information do your prospects really need before they contact you?
• What percentage of visitors landing on your homepage click further into your site?
• Can the value of your offering and it’s accompanying Call To Action (a free trial, a download, a quick quote) be distilled and captured all in one place?
• Do your current leads and prospects derive from specific product/services pages?  If so, can that value be captured in your homepage?
• Would your user find it valuable to have a single-scrolling page that captures your value prop?

And remember, there’s so many testing tools out there that would allow you to test your current site against a new single-page scrolling site, so it’s not an either/or scenario if you’re worried about too much change.

So test away!

Need help? Got questions? Give me a shout 🙂