5 Core Elements for Building Award-Winning One-Page Websites

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Is your next project a one-page website? You might think designing it is a simple task compared to multi-page website design. You will be shocked.

Making a single page website that is both visually attractive and user-friendly is harder than you think. The design work alone may be ten times as much as you normally invest in a multi-page website. This is one of the challenges facing designing a single page website. For example, you need to stuff a lot of valuable information into a smaller space in a way that won’t make the user disgusted.

Key Points

• Determining the website’s goals and building designs around it is a key first step in creating a successful one-page website. Design should guide the user’s journey towards a single goal, whether it’s selling products, announcing events or displaying portfolios.
• Keeping text to a minimum and making it easy to read is essential for a single page website. The information should be streamlined to key points, using bold titles, bulleted lists, and short paragraphs. Pages should be divided into easy-to-understand sections, using visual effects and text.
• Integrating user-friendly navigation is crucial. This can be done through a sidebar menu, a horizontal sticky menu, or an automatic scrolling navigation link. The goal is to enable users to easily click to jump to the section of interest. Highlighted call to action (CTA) that aligns with the website’s goals should also be highlighted.

5 Key Elements to Award-winning Design

This guide revolves around 5 key elements you need to consider. It will help your single page website succeed. They are somewhat similar to fire, earth, water, air and spirit, which are the 5 basic elements of nature. But for your purpose, they are more important.

Point 1 Goal: First - Determine the website's goals and strive to achieve it

If you haven't determined what you want to achieve, it doesn't make sense to start the design phase. That's the first step.

The second step is to understand your goal and plan the entire website structure around it.

It is also worth noting that for single page websites, you need to lead your user journey to a single goal.

What is this goal? It may be:

• Recommended or sold goods
• Announcement of Event
• Introduce and present your portfolio
• or for any other single reason.

Now, you can start. Once you do this, you need to constantly ask yourself what factors may drive visitors away and how to avoid this.

Any design method that reduces page loading speed may make users disgusted. For example, use parallax effect:

Bistro Agency

The interactive effects of this website are located above the visible area of ​​the page and do not slow down the page loading speed.

Be Moving 3

The static images in this BeTheme pre-made single page website look dynamic. Therefore, it does not affect the page loading speed.

Think Pixel Lab

In this example, tiny animation items make this page more vivid without slowing down any speed.

Be Product 2

The fresh appearance of this page is a selling point in itself.

Sheerlink

This Sheerlink page illustrates the important role that large images and sliding panels can play in attracting users.

Be App 4

When a truly cool demo contains bright colors, you don't need to rely on lengthy technical arguments to promote your application.

Point 2 Text: Keep it to a minimum and make it easy to read

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Including lengthy descriptive blocks of text in a one-page website is not advisable. This will certainly send visitors elsewhere. You need to streamline the information to the minimum required to deliver it. You can do this by using bold titles, bulleted lists, and short paragraphs.

A good way is to divide the page into easy-to-understand sections. Use visuals and text together in one section – just like in these examples:

Dangerous Robot

The layout of this single page website is very interesting and you will want to browse each section – at least once.

Be Tea 3

Nequipped and ordered. That's all.

Hello Alfred

All core information is located above the visible area of ​​the page, and bulleted lists are used to make the message concise and clear.

Be Cakes

A great example of how large attractive images combined with concise descriptive text can help sell.

Mercedes-Benz

When a vehicle has the status of a Mercedes-Benz, high-quality images plus minimal text are usually enough.

Point 3 Visual Effects: Identify the correct pattern and use negative space wisely

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People read text in F-shaped patterns and scan visual effects in Z-shaped patterns. Keep this in mind when mixing text and images. It will help you keep the process of guiding users to access critical content. This is where empty space can come into play. Use it to make text easier to read, separate parts, and keep people engaged and curious.

Chris Connolly

An excellent example of how empty space can be used to create a sense of order.

WeShootBottles.com

Using blank space as a canvas, the website designer has created extremely creative results.

Be Dietician 2

The use of blank space on this prefabricated website creates a sense of order and makes the different parts stand out.

Dribble’s Year in Review

Use all kinds of design principles to create amazing visual effects, such as those shown in this example, without any problem.

Nasal Drops

When was the last time you found the page promoting nose drip exciting? This single page website breaks the norm thanks to the clever use of slideshows, blank spaces and animations.

Point 4 Navigation: Make it easy to navigate and make scrolling fun

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We tend to think about navigation in purely mechanical terms. This makes it quite easy to create a system that not only doesn’t help people, it will kick them out of the page.

The key to attracting visitors is to use the sidebar menu. Alternatively, you can use the horizontal sticky menu as an alternative. The goal should be to enable people to easily click and jump to the section of interest.

Automatically scrolling navigation links is another alternative. It works and may even be fun.

The following are some examples of user-friendly navigation:

Sergio Pedercini

The designer's website effectively uses 3 auto-scrolling links.

Be Game

Be Game provides its visitors with an interesting way to experience their navigation.

Be Landing 2

This prefabricated website has three highlights: its color scheme and layout structure, and how to scan the page with 3 mouse times.

Brainflop

The menus on the top and left help to quickly browse this site.

Point 5 Call to Action: Determine the right CTA and don't be afraid to use it

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This design element is closely related to point 1 (determine the website’s goals). Once you know what you want your website to achieve, you shouldn't be hesitant to use the CTA button. This is especially easy for a single page website, as you usually direct people to a single operation. Of course, there may be exceptions.

Be Hairdresser

The CTA button for this prefabricated website is located above the visible area of ​​the page. There is also one in the menu.

The Art of Texture

The two CTA buttons placed above the visible area of ​​the page allow users to select what they want to view.

Pyrismic

Pyrismic uses simple join forms and eye-catching CTA buttons.

Reneza

Reneza doesn't waste time using the CTA button, but they carefully choose the color and text size.

Summary

You have now learned about 5 key elements of one-page website design. You need to use them until you master the skills to use them.

They may look simple. You will find it difficult to effectively combine them in long, one-page websites.

The good news is that you can use a pre-made website. They have included these 5 elements in their design. An excellent prefabricated website resource is Be Theme, which has a huge library of over 60 single page sites and over 400 prefabricated websites of various types. You can customize any of them to suit your needs.

FAQs about building award-winning one-page websites

What are the key elements to consider when designing a one-page website?

Key elements to consider when designing a one-page website include clear and concise information, intuitive navigation, engaging visuals, compelling call to action, and responsive design. These elements ensure that your website is user-friendly, visually appealing and can effectively achieve its purpose.

How to make my single page website more visually appealing?

To make your single page website more visually appealing, you can use high-quality images, videos, and infographics. You can also use consistent color schemes and typesettings that match your brand identity. Additionally, you can use blank space efficiently to make your content easier to read and highlight important elements on the page.

How to make sure my single page website is user-friendly?

To ensure that your single page website is user-friendly, you can use intuitive navigation to make it easy for users to find the information they need. You can also use responsive design to make sure your website looks good and functioning on all devices. In addition, you can use clear and concise content to effectively convey your message.

What is a compelling call to action and how do I create one for my single page website?

Striking Call to Action (CTA) is a tip that encourages users to take specific actions, such as signing up for newsletters, downloading resources, or making purchases. To create a compelling CTA for your single page website, you can use persuasive language, clear value propositions, and eye-catching visual design.

How to optimize my single page website for search engines?

To optimize your single page website for search engines, you can use SEO best practices, such as using relevant keywords in your content, meta tags, and alternative text. You can also use a clean and clean URL structure and ensure your website loads quickly. Additionally, you can use high-quality backlinks to improve the authority and visibility of your website in search engine results.

What are the benefits of using a single page website?

Single-page websites have several advantages, including simplicity, ease of navigation, and the ability to focus on a single product, service or philosophy. They are also easier to maintain and update than multi-page websites.

How to measure the success of my single page website?

You can use analytics tools to track metrics such as traffic, bounce rates, conversion rates, and user engagement to measure the success of your single page website. These metrics can provide insights on how users interact with your website and whether it is achieving its goals.

Can I use a single page website for e-commerce?

Yes, you can use a single page website for e-commerce. However, it is important to make sure that your website design facilitates easy and secure transactions and that it provides all necessary information about your product or service.

What common mistakes should be avoided when designing a single-page website?

Some common mistakes that should be avoided when designing a single-page website include: excessive page information, confusing navigation, not optimizing for mobile devices, and not including clear call to action.

How to make my single page website stand out from the competition?

To make your single page website stand out from the competition, you can use unique and engaging visuals, compelling content and innovative design elements. You can also offer a unique value proposition and ensure your website provides a seamless user experience.

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