If the Mid-Autumn Blahs (translation: gray skies, rain, and a diminishing justification for ice cream) are getting you down, you might be needing something to perk up for spirits. We know just the thing… a web design revamp! In this article, we’ll take a closer look at one of the growing web design trends of the season: a scrolling website.
What is a Scrolling Website?
A scrolling website is one where visitors can simply scroll down (or across, depending on the design) to reach each section of your site and see new content. Rather than having to load a new page, the motion is continuous, and users will see the images move incrementally.
Take a look at an example of a scrolling website here:
Oakley: Fear and Loathing in Australia
Many scrolling websites use a parallax scrolling technique. These designs are dynamic because the background image of the website moves slower than the foreground elements. A great example of a parallax design is here:
PROS:
Guide Your Visitors
A scrolling website can help you take your user through the entire story of your site – you guide their experience and the order of how they view your content.
Unique
At least for now, a scrolling website is not yet the norm. Your site will stand out as cutting edge and on-trend. While it’s not the norm; however, scrolling is becoming a more popular navigation technique. Because scrolling is becoming more common with social media giants such as Facebook and Pinterest, the idea is not too far-fetched for users to grasp.
Visual Impact
A scrolling website is a great way to capture attention, especially if your website is visually driven. The fluid motion of one page seeming to transition to the next can give your users a more relaxed and interesting user experience.
CONS:
A scrolling technique can create a stunning site to impress your clients, associates, and hip friends. But before you jump on the bandwagon, consider if the “pros” outweigh the “cons.”
Effects on SEO
Be aware that many scrolling websites have an entire site on one page. However, this could cause trouble for SEO, for a number of reasons. There are many debates in the cyber world on this topic, but one of the most prevalent concerns is that Google Spiders do not know how to scroll to look at new content. Another issue is that Google may not like big pages with a lot of content, as they can take too long to load. There are many different proposed solutions to the SEO problem, so if you do take the plunge into Scrolling Design territory, make sure you do your research!
Here’s an article with some SEO solutions to parallax design: The Perils of Parallax Design for SEO
Text-Based Websites are Not Ideal
Remember when we said a scrolling website would be perfect for image-based sites? The opposite is true for text-heavy websites. Unless if creative typography is your thing, a text-driven website could be messy, intimidating, and not visually stunning.
Navigation
Imagine this dreaded situation: A potential client of your eCommerce site can’t seem to remember where they saw that item they wanted to buy earlier. They scroll a few pages down, get rust rated, and promptly leave. Ouch.
Because scrolling websites often have an entire website on a single page, rather than having multiple pages, it could be difficult for users to bookmark exactly what they want. One solution to this problem would be to include a menu and pagination, while still implementing the scrolling technique.
Wrong Clientele
Sometimes, visitors don’t like change. All of a sudden, they don’t know how to navigate your site, they can’t find the page they were expecting to see, etc. So before you make the leap to a scrolling design, consider what kind of clientele your website attracts. Will they be open to change? Will they appreciate this modern look? Will they stick around to adapt to the new navigation technique? These are important questions to consider.
Conclusion:
So is a scrolling design right for you? It looks great, can create a compelling user experience, and can give your site a clean and modern look. However, be sure to pay attention to the individual needs of your website before making the switch.
If you’re willing to tackle a scrolling design, our hosting includes an instant script install for WordPress, which has many themes to try. If you’re not exactly the most tech-savvy, we’ve got some tech-savvy people at Doteasy to help you implement this design with a website design package only at US$695. Give us a shout if you need help!
