What Is a One-Page Website? Uses for One-Page Sites + Examples

Longer doesn’t always mean better. This adage applies to wedding toasts and magazine articles. It also applies to website design.

If you have a simple product to sell or an event to promote, you may not need a complex multipage website to get your marketing message across. Perhaps all you need is a single page that gets visitors to take the desired action as quickly as possible.

Here’s a primer on one-page websites, with essential tips for building your own.

What is a one-page website?

A one-page website is a type of website that consists of a single HTML page. All the necessary information, sections, and content are contained on just one web page, often using scrollable sections or links in a table of contents that navigate to different parts of the page.

Also known as single-page websites, one-page websites have some common characteristics:

• Stripped-down structure: Unlike traditional websites with multiple pages for different content, a one-page website includes all the content on a single landing page.
• Minimal navigation: Because you don’t have too many places for visitors to go, you can make your site easy to navigate with anchor links that scroll to a specific part of the page when you click on them.
• Simplified user experience: The one-page design focuses on a seamless and straightforward user experience (UX), eliminating the need for multiple page loads.
• Mobile-friendly: One-page website layouts are often optimized for mobile devices, providing a consistent and smooth user experience across different screen sizes.

Use cases for one-page websites

1. Small product catalog
2. Product launches
3. Service showcases
4. Event promotion
5. Marketing campaign landing pages
6. Portfolio sites
7. Online résumés and CVs
8. App promotion

By consolidating all necessary information on a single page, an effective one-page website can offer a focused, engaging user experience.

Here are some common use cases for one-page sites:

Small product catalog

If you sell just one product—or a small collection of products—you might not need a dedicated product page for everything you sell. It’s also likely you won’t need collection pages that group those products. A one-page website can shine the spotlight on your product, while providing enough space for you to add the promotional content (like positive reviews and product images) necessary to convert sales.

Product launches

One-page websites are ideal for launching a new product. By featuring compelling visuals, product information, and a call to action (such as “Preorder” or “Buy Now”), potential customers get all the information they need without having to navigate away. You can also start building your email list by including a sign-up form.

Service showcases

Service businesses can use one-page websites to outline their offerings, highlight the benefits of their service over that of competitors, showcase client testimonials, and provide contact information. This is particularly useful for local businesses, consultants, freelancers, or small agencies where the goal is to quickly convert visitors into leads. Once a site visitor has shared their contact information, the service business can follow up with additional information.

Event promotion

For businesses organizing events, a one-page site can serve as a hub for all event-related information. This includes event details, schedules, speaker bios, registration forms, location maps, and FAQs. A one-page website simplifies the user experience and makes it easy for attendees to find what they need.

Marketing campaign landing pages

Instead of directing visitors to your ecommerce site’s homepage when they click on a digital ad, direct them to landing pages tailored to specific marketing campaigns. These one-page websites can drive conversions by providing special offers, promotions, or limited-time deals to potential customers.

Portfolio sites

Creative professionals (e.g., designers, photographers, writers) can use one-page websites to display their work portfolios. Personal portfolios typically feature high-quality images, summaries of past projects, client testimonials, and contact forms—which can all be organized in one cohesive page.

Online résumés and CVs

Job seekers or professionals looking to showcase their skills and experience can use one-page websites as online résumés. These sites can include sections for professional experience, education, skills, portfolio pieces, and contact information, presenting a comprehensive yet concise overview of someone’s experience and skills.

App promotion

Developers can use one-page websites to promote mobile or web applications. These digital marketing sites can highlight features, provide screenshots or demo videos, showcase user reviews, and include download links. A one-pager won’t supplant mobile apps; it’s simply used to promote them.

One-page website examples

• DONE
• Mote
• Kndrd
• Mark Lewis

Here are some one-page website examples to for inspiration as you create your own website:

DONE

DONE is a company that sells prebiotic protein drinks. It uses a one-page website to educate visitors about the company and its products, then tell potential customers where they can buy DONE’s drinks.

Here are some highlights of the site:

• Pop-up windows: When a visitor clicks to learn more about an individual product, a pop-up window appears with additional information. This keeps the visitor on the same page.
• Scrollable timeline: A scrollable timeline details DONE’s brand story and introduces its founder and CEO. This adds an interactive element to the site.
• Clear CTA: A banner at the top of the page directs visitors to “Get Notified” when DONE is available on Amazon. This requires the visitor to provide their email address, a form of lead capture.

Mote

The design firm Mote Agency uses a simple one-page website to describe its service offerings, showcase examples of past work, and list completed projects.

Here are some important features of its one-page website:

• Simple color palette: Mote’s grayscale color palette lets the viewer focus on the company’s completed work—like the websites of Jacquie Aiche and Justin Reed. 
• Header animation: An animation of moving dots adds visual interest to Mote’s site without distracting from the company’s portfolio. A website builder like Shopify can let you add these types of custom animations.
• Sticky navigation menu: Mote’s navigation menu on the left side of its website stays put no matter how far down you scroll. This makes it easy for visitors to quickly move to another section.

Kndrd

Knrd is a social meetup mobile app designed to help people make friends in real life.

Here’s why this one-page site works:

• Clear call to action (CTA): An above-the-fold CTA reading “Get the app” tells site visitors exactly what to do next: Download Kndrd’s mobile product.
• Striking image: The header image features a shiny silver disco ball (attracting viewers’ eyes) within a vintage-style photo of people at a party. This picture alludes to what site visitors could also have if they download the app: an invitation to a cool party.
• Social media links: If site visitors want to learn more about Kndrd before downloading it, they can head to the platform’s social media profiles, linked in the upper right corner of the site.

Mark Lewis

Designer Mark Lewis uses a one-page website to showcase his portfolio. The site also includes a brief resume-style introduction.

Here are some key features of this website:

• Video reel: A brief video introduces viewers to Mark’s work and makes the site more interactive.
• Introduction: A short introduction tells readers about the work Mark does and how that work helps clients.
• Project list: A compilation of projects serves as Mark’s portfolio.
• Animations: Creative animations throughout the website showcase Mark’s design prowess and create visual interest.

How to create a one-page website

1. Define your purpose, goals, and brand identity
2. Plan content and layout
3. Choose a site-building platform
4. Pick a template
5. Design for mobile responsiveness
6. Add visual elements
7. Make it accessible
8. Ensure smooth navigation
9. Implement search engine optimization
10. Test for usability and performance
11. Launch and monitor

The best one-page websites condense the elements of multipage websites into a compact, visually appealing package that encourages user engagement. If you’re considering a single-page website design for your own website, use some time-tested methods for layout and content creation.

Here are a few tips to guide you as you build your website:

1. Define your purpose, goals, and brand identity

“The first step in designing a website is to take a step back and think about how to present the brand,” says Sara Mote, co-founder of web design agency Mote. Thinking about your brand identity means deciding on core branding elements like brand voice, brand mission, color palette, and font. These will inform later steps in your website development, from drafting copy to choosing a template.

Next, think about exactly what your website will achieve. For example, is the primary objective of your website to showcase a product, promote an event, announce a new project, or present your portfolio? Once you know your objective, determine the action you want users to take, such as making a purchase, signing up for a subscription, or contacting you. The call to action you present should match your one-page website’s purpose.

2. Plan content and layout

Decide on the sections you need in order to achieve your goal. For example, you may want to build in social proof (like customer reviews), product images, an introduction, and a contact form. Once you know what you want to include, think about where you’ll position each element on the page.

At the top of the page, consider adding a hero section (including a hero image) that conveys the most important message or value proposition of your brand, product, or service. Add your contact information, including your business’s email address, hours and location (if you run a physical shop), and links to your social media platforms at the bottom of the page, where many users expect to find it.

Be sure to insert a clear CTA to direct site visitor behavior. Place CTAs strategically throughout the page to guide users toward your desired actions. Make CTAs visually distinct and compelling, using contrasting colors and clear text.

Ultimately, you want to ensure your content flows logically and intuitively from one section to the next, or follows what Sara calls a “linear narrative.”

“Easily digestible content with clear formatting keeps users engaged,” says user experience (UX) and graphic designer Mark Lewis, “and can lower bounce rates.”

Creating a website mockup can help you organize your ideas. If you haven’t chosen a site builder yet, you can simply sketch it with a pen and paper during this phase of the process.

3. Choose a site-building platform

When you’re ready to start building your one-page website, select a no-code website builder or content management system (CMS) that supports one-page websites. Shopify’s all-in-one ecommerce website builder and CMS can accommodate a one-page design and make it easy to set up a one-page website template without any coding background. AI tools like Shopify Magic can also help you draft web copy, and Shopify’s AI website builder can help you set up a site in minutes.

Look for a platform with a range of template options, too. Shopify, for example, has more than 800 web design templates. A wide selection of themes and templates will increase the odds you’ll find a design that fits your brand identity and requires the least amount of modifications to meet your needs.

4. Pick a template

Choose a template that makes creating a one-page layout easy. Look for features like drag-and-drop editors that make it simple to move elements around your page.

Shopify’s theme foundation, Horizon, offers 10 themes that come with drag-and-drop functionality and AI technology that makes building a website even easier: You can ask Horizon’s AI to create unique content blocks (like countdown timers, for example), then add them to your site.

Make sure to also choose a theme that lets you create a sticky menu. That lets users see your navigation links, even when they scroll down the page.

Here’s an example from a Shopify Horizon theme with a sticky menu bar:

You might also look for a template with parallax scrolling, which can add visual interest to your site. Parallax scrolling moves site content while keeping your background static. This makes it look like your content is floating above your background, creating the illusion of depth.

5. Design for mobile responsiveness

Ensure your design is mobile-friendly, as many users will access your site from mobile devices. A responsive design helps you offer customers a seamless user experience no matter what type of browser or device they’re using.

Use a responsive design framework, like Bootstrap, or ensure your chosen web design platform offers mobile-responsive templates. Shopify offers a number of mobile responsive templates to choose from, so you won’t need to worry about coding or using any third-party tools to build your site.

6. Add visual elements

Use high-resolution images, videos, and graphics that align with your branding and messaging strategy. Optimize media and image size for fast loading times without compromising quality. For example, if you include pictures that stretch the width of your site, choose photos of around 2,500 pixels.

You’ll also want to add elements of your visual brand identity throughout the page. These include your logo, brand colors, and typography.

Website builders like Shopify have templates that come preset with different color themes and fonts. You can either stick with the preset or choose your own. If you have custom fonts that aren’t immediately available in Shopify’s font library, you can easily upload them to incorporate them into your site.

As you select colors, make sure to create enough contrast between your text and background. This will ensure your content is easy to read and accessible. If you’re in doubt, try an online tool like WebAIM’s contrast checker.

7. Make it accessible

Website accessibility ensures everyone can easily use your website. It’s essential for inclusivity, and it can also be a legal requirement.

“Making your site accessible improves user engagement and demonstrates quality standards,” says Mark. “This includes color contrast, alt text, technical accessibility for screen readers, and following Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG).”

You can check the World Wide Web Consortium’s website to learn the best ways to improve your site’s accessibility. The templates on a platform like Shopify also have features that make it easy to optimize your website’s accessibility. For example, Shopify templates include fill-in-the-blank fields for image alt text.

8. Ensure smooth navigation

Use anchor links for smooth-scrolling navigation throughout your single-page website. These user-friendly links jump to different sections of the page without reloading it. Ensure the navigation menu is easily accessible and fixed at the top or side of the page for convenience. This is sometimes called a “sticky menu,” and a website builder like Shopify can make this easy to set up through templates.

In the end, the goal of your anchor links is ease of use. “If someone's on a mission, make sure it's as easy as possible for them to find the product they're looking for through navigation,” says Sara.

9. Implement search engine optimization

Search engine optimization (SEO) is the process of making your website rank higher in search engine results. Website builders like Shopify come with SEO features that automatically optimize your pages for search engines, but you can add keywords to your site copy and website title to further boost your SEO. To find which keywords to include, you can try a keyword research tool like Surfer or Semrush.

Note that fast load times can also raise your position in search results. Ensure your page loads quickly by minimizing the use of heavy scripts or overly large images.

10. Test for usability and performance

Conduct thorough website testing across different browsers and devices to ensure your site functions properly no matter how visitors are accessing it. This means analyzing site characteristics like load time (use tools like Google PageSpeed Insights to check and improve loading times for site visitors), compatibility with other devices, and accessibility (Siteimprove and Applause can help you with this).

11. Launch and monitor

Once everything is in place and tested, you’re ready to launch your website. If you’re replacing an existing multipage website, you can migrate your existing domain name to your new onepage website.

Monitor performance using analytics tools like Shopify Analytics to track user behavior, engagement, and conversion rates. Make continual adjustments and improvements based on this analytics data and user feedback.