When we search for something online, we will seldom be sent to the home page of a company’s website. Instead, we’ll be taken to a section which links to the product or service, blog or case study etc we’re looking for. You’ll possibly then head to the home page, typically to find out more about the organisation or to fill-in a form or sign-up to a newsletter.
While some agencies might still design websites as ‘pages’, websites are evolving and Target Ink has adapted too. Typically, the websites we design allow visitors to scroll down the home page to learn more about that business in one easy movement.
Scrolling is indeed ‘the new clicking’ and visitors are much more likely to stay engaged if they can scroll, rather than click around to find things. Scrolling is faster than clicking and works better on touch screen smart devices; we’re already used to it on platforms such as Instagram and TikTok. On a website, if a visitor clicks away and wants to return, this isn’t always straightforward. If they are scrolling, they can just scroll back up to what they were viewing earlier.
There are arguments against scrolling and the way it encourages us to consume content like we’re at some sort of ‘all you can eat’ buffet. We’ve all fallen down a rabbit hole, scrolling on social media and ended up looking at videos of cats or the wedding photographs of a couple we’ve never met.
There is such a thing as ‘the infinite scroll’, which is attributed to engineer Aza Raskin. In creating it in 2006, he drew inspiration from Google Maps, which enables visitors to simply keep moving around without clicking. We come across infinite scrolling in many aspects of our life nowadays. We’ll be watching a programme on iPlayer or Netflix and, before we know it, the next episode has loaded up and we’re stuck on the sofa for another half an hour.
As children we are encouraged to ‘clear our plates’ and in this new ‘all you can eat’ environment, there is unseen pressure to keep going and watch that next story, video or episode. The infinite scroll is addictive and continuous content can give us a ‘high’ but constant scrolling can lead to sensory overload and a loss of productivity (we’ve all been there).
Raskin himself tweeted in 2019: “One of my lessons from infinite scroll: that optimizing something for ease-of-use does not mean best for the user or humanity.”
However, as web designers, we have recognised that visitors are more used to scrolling and clicking just seems like a chore. Scrolling offers:
It allows users to navigate through content seamlessly without interrupting their flow. They can simply scroll down to explore more, which can be particularly useful for long-form content, such as articles, blog posts or social media feeds.
Clicking involves making decisions about which link or button to click, which can cause confusion, particularly if there are numerous options. Scrolling eliminates this decision-making process to some extent, as users can simply continue scrolling.
Scrolling has become a natural and intuitive way to interact with content on touch screens. It's easier and more natural for users to scroll through content, rather than tapping on small links or buttons.
Scrolling is generally faster than clicking, particularly when users are looking to quickly browse through content.
Scrolling encourages exploration and discovery by allowing users to effortlessly move through content. Users can quickly scan through headlines, images or summaries to decide what interests them, without the need to commit to clicking on individual links or buttons.
Importantly, it’s been shown that users tend to engage more with content when they can scroll through it, as it provides a sense of control and immersion. Additionally, scrolling can encourage users to spend more time on a page. This increases retention and reduces bounce rates.
The ultimate scrolling website is arguably a one-page and we’ve all visited one of those. Often, they don’t look like one-page if you are at the top, as there’s usually a menu bar but, when you click on ‘a page’, you’ll find that you simply travel down to your destination. These can provide a user-friendly starting point for a small business, as they can be quick to develop and launch and are typically easier to maintain.
However, single web pages are not the way forward, particularly as a business grows and adds products and services. If you have a requirement to sell products or share content, a single web page is not for you. They also don’t work in terms of SEO; if you want your website to perform, you’ll need different landing pages.
Additionally, if you are looking to make the most of the tools within Google Analytics, then a one page website won’t let you track the behaviour of visitors.
If you’d like to discover more about scrolling and the benefits for your website, contact our team at Target Ink on: 01892 800400.
By filling out this form, you agree to the terms laid out in our privacy policy
