There is a question that gets asked many times from clients,
“should I use the newer styled, one page website, or the classic style that everybody is used to?“
This is actually a very good question. So let’s talk about the different styles and their advantages and disadvantages.
CLASSIC STYLED WEBSITES
This style consists of the basic header title, social icons in the top rt, and a logo on the top left, with the nav bar under the 
title. It is consistent throughout the site. There is also the basic footer with a site menu, contact box and other information sources like an address and phone #. All the links are blue.
title. It is consistent throughout the site. There is also the basic footer with a site menu, contact box and other information sources like an address and phone #. All the links are blue.
Advantages:
1- Very Recognizable
- This is the website that everyone is used to. We all know where everything is placed, that a blue phrase is a link to another page, and we know where to find everything.
- Visitors feel comfortable using something they know well.
2 – Easy to Navigate
- This makes for a good user experience because the viewer does not have to explore or look very hard for the information they require.
Disadvantages:
- A visitor must generally visit 5 or more pages to see the entire site. So if your website is providing a service, the visitor will enter on the home page, then open a new tab to see testimonials, then a new tab for about, then a new tab for services, and so on. This can be annoying to some, to have to keep reloading pages, especially on a mobile device.
- Potential for a higher bounce rate. (Bounce Rate is the percentage of single-page sessions (i.e. sessions in which the person left your site from a page without interacting with the page). If the user feels there are too many pages to go through and will spend too much time searching, they may get frustrated and leave your site without ever seeing your information.
- It’s more difficult to get the visitor to perform the action you want them to most. One of the main design elements of a website is to lead the visitor to where you want them to go to perform the action you want them to.
- If the website is not laid out well, your main service or your main point of the website might not be upfront and clear to a new visitor.
- This style does not transfer well to mobile. With Google’s new mobile policy, this will affect rankings and eventually visits.
NEW TRENDING STYLED WEBSITES
This style consists of a 1-2 page website with a long scrolling main page, a nav bar at the top, that always stays in place for
continuous access. The links in the nav bar lead to sections on the main page without opening a new tab. All the sections, About, Testimonials, Services, Contact, etc… are represented on the homepage in their own container.
continuous access. The links in the nav bar lead to sections on the main page without opening a new tab. All the sections, About, Testimonials, Services, Contact, etc… are represented on the homepage in their own container.
Advantages:
- All the information a visitor needs is on one page. There is no need to open other pages, which enables the visitor to find what they are looking for quicker.
- With the nav bar always in place and visible, a user can jump to any section they wish to see. They do not have to scroll through the page as it will automatically scroll for them. This also adds to the quick access of information for a user.
- This is also a less cluttered looking website. There are no sidebars, or multiple columns to distract a visitor. Each topic has its own container in which the subject matter is clearly defined.
- Generally the average time spent on this site is longer than that of a classic site. Meaning that a visitor may be seeing more of your services.
- This style site transfers better to mobile. And with Google’s new mobile policy, that is important for higher rankings.
Disadvantage:
- Unfamiliarity with the way the website works. Visitors may not realize where everything is and may not know what to do. This is up to the designer to help guide them through the site.
- Most non-tech savvy people do not like change. They want to see everything where it is supposed to be.
More and more website designers are using the newer 1 page websites. In my experience, the analytics numbers favor this type of site. They are less time consuming, information is more easily accessible, and has a greater user experience rating.
At SMR Website Design, we highly recommend this style to our clients for those reasons. To see a nicely designed newer styled website, come visit us atSMR Website Design.
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