ingle-page websites have gained popularity in recent years, particularly among companies advertising a single product and those targeting a specific niche.
The question is whether single-page websites are good or bad for SEO. Could a single-page site hurt your chances of ranking on Google?
Let’s look at some single-page website examples and discuss the pros and cons to see if we can find an answer.
What Is A Single-Page Website?
A single-page website is slightly different than a one-page website. One-page websites are literally one-page; there are no navigational links to give you the illusion that the page is changing.\
A single-page website is a type of single-page application (SPA) that dynamically displays content from the server in response to user interaction versus loading the page as a whole.
Users click on navigation links to jump (or scroll) to destinations further down the page. This interaction gives the impression that the page is changing; however, there is no page refresh.
Below is an illustration to see the difference between how a traditional page interacts with the server vs. how a single page interacts with the server.
Single-Page Website For A Niche
SEO Pros And Cons
As you can see, single-page websites look great and are fun to build, but are they good for SEO?
It seems like there are two schools of thought on this subject. So, I’ll explain the pros and cons of having a single-page website.
Pros
Better Mobile Experience
In 2019, Google announced they are working towards switching over to mobile-first indexing so having a website that performs well on mobile is a must.
One of the major advantages of the single-page design is that the sites typically convert much easier to mobile, and users find them simple to navigate.
They also load much faster than multi-page sites, which is a huge bonus for most users who don’t have the patience to wait longer than a few seconds for a site to load.
In addition, some people find it difficult to click on additional pages or tabs on a small device, such as a smartphone, so having a single page site is a blessing for those with not-so-thin fingers.
Target A Specific Audience
Single-page websites are great for targeting a specific audience and providing them with a certain type of user experience.
It’s easy to control their behavior on your site and steer them in one particular direction if you don’t have to worry about them clicking on various 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 one page, in whatever order you choose to suit the needs of your business.
In SEO terms, this can be important if there is only one keyword or set of keywords you’re worried about targeting.
PageRank
Cons
Given the nature of all your information is on only one page, there are bound to be drawbacks.
Here are some ways that having a single-page website can be bad for SEO.
Limited Keyword Targeting
Unfortunately, there are some SEO drawbacks to single-page sites – keyword rankings being one of them.
Single-page sites are generally supposed to be designed around one main concept, which limits your ability to rank for a wide variety of keywords.
If you depend heavily on Google to find new customers, then you might be better off creating a multi-page site that incorporates different keywords into each page to attract a wider audience.
But, if Google search isn’t the main priority for your company, the lack of keyword ranking shouldn’t pose a problem.
Things to consider
- Do I have one target audience or several?
- Do I need to rank organically for multiple keyword topics, or do I target one primary search intent?
- Which site design will provide my users with the best possible web experience?
