One Page Websites: The MVP

In tech circles, MVP stands for ‘minimum viable product”. It’s the stage in product development where there’s enough functionality and design to make it possible to start testing the product with real users. You’ll almost certainly have additional features and design upgrades on your To Do list, but it’s good enough to release to your customers.

However in the sports world, MVP means ‘most valuable player’. A bit like ‘man of the match’, it’s the player that contributed most to the team. They didn’t necessarily score or make any spectacular moves, but they consistently provided what the team needed.

In this blog we’re going to explore how a one-page ‘minimal viable product’ website can become the most valuable player for marketing your business online. We’ll look at what a one-page website includes, some of the advantages of investing in one and what to look out for when considering if it’s right for you. And… don’t forget to make sure you read until the end to learn more about a special project that we’ll be revealing soon! 

What is a One-Page Website?

A one-page website is a website that includes everything you need to know, see, or do on a single page. This forgoes the need for separate pages such as product or service pages, contact pages, or about pages. Instead, everything is all in one place, with the browser jumping to a specific section of the page rather than a navigation menu taking reads to separate pages. 

One-page websites have become popularised due to the rise of mobile phones. Accessing the internet through our mobile phones has changed the way we interact and use websites. When most web browsing was on desktop, users tended not to scroll; early web design guidelines suggested anything not visible on the initial load (sometimes known as ‘above the fold’) would only be seen by a minority of readers as scrolling was a relatively new concept to many users. Websites tended to have lots of short pages as a result, but reloading the page often wasn’t an issue when on a wired connection.

Now over 60% of web users are on their phones, and scrolling is much more intuitive. Users expect to scroll down for more information, and instead become frustrated by having to load multiple pages, especially if their signal is patchy. Therefore, one long page that can be navigated without reloading is much more user-friendly, and the old guidelines about getting all the information within the top section of the page are no longer applicable.

What are the Benefits of a One-Page Website?

One-page websites offer several distinct advantages, so let’s take a look at some key benefits.

These websites are simple and focused. They present information in a streamlined and straightforward manner, which keeps the user’s attention focused without the distractions that come from multiple pages. 

They offer an improved user experience. Users can easily navigate and locate what they need without having to click through multiple pages – which makes for a smoother experience on mobile devices especially.  

One-page websites tend to have faster load times and are mobile-friendly. With only one page to load, one-page websites are quick to open and navigate, particularly for on-the-go mobile users, which only enhances user satisfaction and reduces bounce rates.   

They also tend to be cost effective and quick to build. In comparison with multi-page websites, one-page websites are less expensive to design and develop, which makes them a great budget-friendly option for those who are just starting up their business or small businesses looking to establish themselves online. Creating several pages of content can be daunting, so starting with one page of essentials is often more manageable.  

On a related note, one-page websites make it easy to keep your site on-brand with a consistent design. It can be tricky and time-consuming to replicate the same designs exactly on multiple pages, but having everything in one place makes it easier to keep your colour scheme, typography and layouts on point.

With only one page of space, it’s easier to prioritise and include clear calls to action. If your goal is a single action such as signing up for a newsletter, purchasing a product or showcasing your portfolio, one-page websites are great for really emphasising this to users. This is particularly useful for small businesses or people just starting out.

One-page websites can be created to have a streamlined SEO. Obviously one-page websites are unable to cover as much information and keywords as multi-page websites, but it’s easier to get your SEO strategy perfectly implemented when there’s only one page to worry about. Matching your keywords to your calls to action is a great way to make sure the traffic that finds your page is the right audience for you, and a one-page site makes this process much easier.

Who Needs a One-Page Website?

One-page websites are ideal if you want to get online but don’t have a lot of time or budget available. As they are smaller and less complex than a traditional website, the development time is much less, and the amount of content needed is also reduced. SEO integration, page optimisation and maintenance are also much simpler and cheaper. If you want to get a professionally built website but can’t justify large expenditures, a one-page approach can be much more affordable. They are great for those just starting out marketing their business, but small businesses, side-hustles, charities and community groups can also benefit from this approach.

Most one-page websites can be built with room for expansion too. Gradually transitioning from one-page to multi-page can be something exciting to work towards as your business grows, and means you don’t have to rebuild your site every time you need something extra on there. Whether this be through creating additional pages or sections or features – having the option to upgrade and expand as your business develops is a great way to spread the cost without losing your initial investment.

How to Start Building a One-Page Website

Let’s go back to thinking about the two meanings of MVP. We can use these to help us develop a site plan that will keep things simple while also attracting visitors. We need to work out the minimum amount of information we need to give visitors to our site, while also identifying the most valuable results we can get.

From a technical perspective, you’ll need somewhere to host the site, a domain URL and to decide on the platform for the running it. WordPress, SquareSpace, Shopify or Webflow are all good systems to consider, and some packages will include your hosting and domain, making set up quick and easy.

Next you’ll need to plan some content. We’re aiming for a minimum viable product, so less is more. A content plan for a one-page website should look a bit like this, with 4-6 sections:

We also need to consider what is our MVP from a marketing viewpoint. What single action could a visitor take that would provide you with the most value? The obvious answer is buying the product with the best product margin, but if you aren’t aiming to sell online, things like booking a call back or joining a mailing list can also be great answers to this question. Making sure that visitors have a clear next step is vital to getting useful real-life results out of your website.

Check out our Step By Step One-Page Website Guide for a more detailed explanation on how to plan your content and call to actions.

When to Avoid a One-Page Website

Of course, a one-page website isn’t the right choice for everyone. Here’s a few situations where a one-page site might not work for you.

You are building an eCommerce site. The functionality behind online checkouts and payments is complex, and usually requires multiple pages. There might also be legal requirements around terms and conditions of sales that you need to include, which would be best on a separate page.

You have a complex, expensive or highly technical product or service that customers need to know about in-depth. It’s off-putting to scroll through lots of product specifications or service features, and makes it hard to compare; how many visitors will check out the gold and platinum packages if they have to scroll through the T&Cs of the bronze and silver packages first? It would be better to put the key features on one page, then offer the full details either as downloads or separate pages.

You have very different products for very different user groups. In this scenario, it could be confusing for visitors to see things that don’t really apply to them, and they might not explore enough to find the right section for them. A common example would be a health charity; they might have support for patients that is written in clear and simple language, fundraising information that doesn’t give any medical advice at all, and resources for medical professionals that contain jargon and scientific language. For this site, each user group should have their own page, with all three signposted from a simple homepage.

You want to implement fancy functionality, like product customisers, membership areas or VR elements. These will almost certainly not work perfectly for every user; slow mobile connections won’t download all the elements before timing out, older browsers can’t handle the latest code and it may conflict with accessibility or security settings. While these users will be the minority, having a one-page site where the star feature doesn’t always work is a bad look. Instead, consider a plainer homepage with your main information, and include any gimmicks or experimental features on sub-pages.

However, even in these scenarios, you can still apply many of the principles of one-page web design to keep your site both budget and user-friendly. Organising your content by user groups, prioritising the most important information for each type of visitor and providing a clear call to action on each page will help your site be useful to your customers as well as valuable to you.

Next Steps

So there you have it! We hope this blog has enabled you to learn a little bit more about one-page websites and how they might be a good choice for you and your business. We offer a one-page website subscription, that gets you online with a professionally built website for a manageable monthly cost.

If this sounds like something you feel might benefit you and your business, you can sign up online at any time and we’ll be in touch shortly afterwards. You can also book in for a free consultation call or send us a message via our contact page if you have any questions or need extra help deciding which package is right for you.