So you might be thinking to yourself “I can have my business site be one long page where everything is right there will a little turn of the mouse!” In theory, this would be great. Have all of your company information and details about what you do and who you are right there!
On top of that, look at how much money you will save just by having a programmer build one single page instead of page after page (costing you more and more money).
Well I hate to break it to ya but…
Users Don’t Scroll
Now let me warn you that this is about relevance. Will a user read an article about their favorite movie or something they have a great interest in? Of course! Will they scroll through a huge page looking to see what services you provide or where you’re located? NOPE.
In a study done by the Neilsen Norman Group, users spent 80.3% of their time above the fold on a website. This means that having every single detail about your entire business on one page results in anyone going to your site missing important details about who you are and what you can offer them.
They would get to your pretty home page banner and see your logo at the top and then what? They click onto the next thing because they’re not seeing the information they want (or how to get the information they want) right in their faces when they get to your site.
On top of that, think about the mobile experience. According to Smart Insights, digital media time on a mobile device is significantly higher on a mobile device at 51%, compared to a desktop device at 42%. Significant scrolling on a desktop site means that the experience on mobile is greatly increased because of the width of the screen on a mobile device.
Navigation is King
A well laid-out, visible navigation with clear “Calls to Action” (or CTAs) on the top of your home page means that your customers can easily identify where the information they need is located. Need your phone number? Look at the pretty link to the Contact Us page right there in the navigation. Need a list of products or services you offer? It’s so easy to locate when it’s one of the first things people see on your site.
So the next time someone mentions how great it would be to have one long page for their business, remember that having everything in one place isn’t great when people have to dig to know how great you are.
If you would like to learn more about great website design, check out our post: Designing a Winning Landing Page – Beyond Nice Fonts, Pretty Colors, and Eye-Catching Pictures/Graphics.