Multi Page Versus One Page Websites. What's Better?

If you are wondering about whether to use a landing page or a website, I am for using them both.

But, how do you know which type of site is right for you? It all comes down to the overall goals of your page as either of these is created for different purposes; which we will get into in this post. 

I have mentioned this in previous posts and videos, but think of your full site as your first impression to viewers whereas your landing page is just one snippet of that first impression. It might be the handshake, the hello, the smile, where it is just scratching the surface. Whereas your full site goes deeper than the surface.

What is a landing page exactly?

The landing page is like a sale page. It has one focus; to get viewers to take some sort of action. ONE ACTION! Whether that action is to capture leads or drive sales. Let’s stick with the number one mindset. A landing page is also a page that is utilized to talk about one offer, one service, or one product - maybe a coupon, an eBook, or a free coaching call. 

When to use a landing page:

When people think of a landing page they immediately think the goal of this page is to put all of the information you would on a full site onto one-page, but this is not the case. Like we mentioned above, you should only use a landing page when you have one promotion you want to gain traffic for. A landing page also doesn’t normally have navigation buttons or other links similar to what you might find on a regular website. The reason for this is because you do not want to overwhelm your viewers or make it difficult for them to locate your call to action. Therefore, when thinking of creating a landing page think limiting your content, less imagery, one keyword focus. Get to the point and quick as you want your page and call to action to get the attention it deserves so that you get the customers and traction you deserve. 

When to use a full website:

Like we mentioned above, a full site should be your first impression. A great site will give an overview of what your company does and build trust with your viewers whether they are repeat or first-timers. The most important pages you need on this type of site include a homepage, about page and a contact page. However, additional pages might include general services pages, an FAQ page, a privacy policy page and so much more. 

Again, all of these pages are determined based on the overall goals of your business so make sure you have this all outlined before diving into which is the correct style for you. Knowing your goals is important here as each page that breaks away from the homepage should also have their own goal as you are breaking out all of the important details so they are easy to digest by your audience. 

Be sure to check out our other blog post, Five Signs of a High-Quality Website, for more information on what a great site should accomplish for its viewers. 

Unlike a landing page, each of these individual pages can focus on a different keyword; whereas a landing page can only focus on one. For example, if I have a commercial cleaning company in Columbus each of the pages in my navigation pane can have a keyword and overall focus on an aspect of the business such as recurring cleaning, costs, handyman, residential services, or an FAQ. Each of these pages and their keywords would feed up into the main keyword ‘commercial cleaning.’ You cannot and should not attempt to accomplish something like this on a landing page as things will get muddy real fast for your viewers. 

To recap:

A landing page describes one individual offer, product or service, does not normally have any type of navigation menu, and uses some sort of form for viewers to act. You would use this type of page when you are launching something new, when you are running a campaign of some sort, when you are promoting a lead generation or webinar or on a social media platform as a replacement for a full website. 

A full site goes into more detail on your business and the products or services you offer; whether an e-commerce site, a service site or a blog. A full site also has several pages interconnected to it through a navigation menu on the homepage and can provide multiple call to actions. You would use this type of page when you are trying to provide viewers with multiple points of information, when you are trying to direct viewers to a specific page or blog post, or when you want to explain your mission or how to collaborate. 

Have more in-depth questions on whether you should build a landing page or full site? Comment below!

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