One Page Websites and SEO

We received an email recently from somebody wondering about one page websites and SEO.

As in – are they good for SEO, or not? Apparently a website designer had told them that it was the way “most modern websites are built”.

There is a certain appeal to having a one page, scrollable website:

• they are simpler – and therefore cheaper – to set up;
• and they are ideal for being viewed on a mobile device (which is what many of us are using these days to browse online).

However when it comes to whether they are any good for SEO (ie optimising to make sure it’s easily found in Google), the short answer is: No, not really.

Do You Want to Get Found in Google?

And now for the long answer, on WHY one page websites and SEO aren’t compatible.

(An aside – maybe you don’t care/mind if your site doesn’t come up in search engine results. For example, you may have plenty of leads and customers from other sources, or your demographic doesn’t use the internet. In that case, a one page website is fine.)

The best way we can explain it is with an analogy – think of your website as a physical building, like a store in a shopping centre. Why do shops have lots of windows / doors, in fact some are completely open to the mall? Because it increases the chances that the store will catch people’s eye, and entice them to come in (and buy!).

With a website (particularly if it’s optimised), each additional webpage that Google indexes, increases the chances that people will see / find / notice your business, and come into your site (and convert).

Why One Page Websites and SEO aren’t a Good Match

If you want to dig a little deeper, here are just a few reasons why one page sites aren’t generally recommended for SEO:

• There’s usually more copy on multi page websites – and you NEED content to rank. The content on a one page website is going to lack the detail needed to get on the front page of Google.
• Better targeting – SEO strategy tends to work best when it focuses on one keyword / cluster (topic) per webpage.
• Consider the user – From a user point of view, it’s usually easier to find the info they want on a multi page website – and the “golden rule of SEO” is all about seeking to please the user, not the Google gods!
• Internal links (links from one page to another on your own site) – These can be used to signal to Google and Co what content on your site is particularly important – and this opportunity is lost on a one page site.
• Website Speed – A long scrollable one page website is likely to be slower to load – and site / page load speed is an important factor in SEO.

Of course there are always exceptions to any rule, but in most cases, one page websites and SEO are not a good match.

We hope this helps clear things up! Now – do you have a burning SEO question?! Feel free to drop us a line, we’d love to help!