Do I need a One-Page Website?
For many of my design clients launching a new business or in the early stages of testing out a new product or idea, a full website is simply too much for their current needs or daunting to create when they have limited content starting out.
A One Page Website condenses and highlights all the critical information to connect potential clients with your brand, service or product without the ‘excess’ that a full website can sometimes feel like.
For many of my design clients, launching a new business or in the early stages of testing out a new product or idea, a full website is simply too much for their current needs or daunting to create when they have limited content starting out.
A One Page Website condenses and highlights all the critical information to connect potential clients with your brand, service or product without the ‘excess’ that a full website can sometimes feel like.
A single page website design allows you to control how users experience your web page as a sequential story as they scroll down and gather more information.
All your information is positioned in a specific order, making it easier for your audience to navigate and find what they need to know when they interact with your brand. It’s easy to scroll through and doesn’t take much time to find what they’re looking for.
Single page sites are great at quickly communicating the value of a product, brand, or service and will lead to a clear ‘call to action’ to help clients take the next steps in their journey with you.
Another great thing about a single-page website is that it's very compatible with mobile viewing, which so many of us do these days. We are already used to long-form scrolling and there is no need for jumping around finding things in a menu bar on a small screen.
Let’s Future proof…
But what if later I want more than the one page?
I hear you.
A One Page Website might be a good fit now, but what about later down the line, when your business has grown and evolved, or you have more content that you want to share?
I’ve got you covered, by future proofing for expansion.
The way I approach One Page Websites also makes it very easy for streamlined future expansion, and in fact I specifically build that into my website design strategy.
So you can easily expand your existing site to a multi-page layout in the future (either DIY or with the help of a designer) and I guide you through that process too.
I allow for this easy expansion by considering each section of the single page as a mini version of the standard main pages. For example:
A standard website is often based on a ‘five page’ layout:
Home
About
Services/Product
Blog/News
Contact
The single scrolling home page would contain the main landing welcome banner followed by a succinct section for each of the page themes above.
As there will be no dedicated blog page, this could either be omitted or linked to articles you’ve published elsewhere or to social media posts. Similarly, for a shop of gallery.
In the future, if your needs change and you decide that you would like to expand the single page site to become a full five (or more) page site, you can simple create the additional pages with more in depth content expanding upon the summary sections on the homepage. You’d then have a link from each section to the relevant page as well as being listed in the top menu bar.
It’s a very organic and natural expansion process.
Here is what I consider One Page Websites best suited to:
New businesses with minimal content or looking for a simple streamlined approach.
The fast launch of an initial website with a view to add additional content later down the line.
Those testing out a new project idea or in the early stages of a new venture.
A singular product or event launch.
A secondary website for a side hustle or additional arm of a main business.
A hub or homepage that brings together and links multiple aspects and external platforms.
It’s cost effective!
As an additional benefit, it goes with out saying that from a financial point of view, a one-page site is typically much cheaper to commission a designer to build. The timeframe for completion is often significantly faster too!
I offer One Page Website design as part of my Design Day approach.
So what are the downsides?
A One Page website won’t be suited to everyone or every purpose. Whilst I believe it can suit many business needs, particularly given the easy expandable nature of the design, here are some things to consider to understand whether a single page or a multi-page is the best fit for you.
A One Page Website is not best suited to blog-centered websites that plan to have a lot of content by way of written articles, galleries, videos etc.
It won’t be suited if you know you need to have multiple products or services or an extensive shop built into the platform itself and not linked externally.
It may not be a good fit if you are a business that has multiple strands to what you offer, as there is only so much information that you can put onto one page before it becomes overwhelming for your site visitors. In this case a multi-page site is a better option.
On the other hand, you may decided to create a single page ‘hub’ with external links to all the things you offer - for example Facebook group/page, secondary websites, online shops or profiles on a specific platforms.
Another point to note is that single-page websites can be challenging to optimize for SEO (search engine optimisation) because there’s far less content compared to a full-size website and so Google wont be able to pick up on keywords so well.
I consider a single page website more of an online portfolio and you would focus on driving traffic to it by your own efforts rather than relying on google searches, which personally I would suggest is the main focus regardless.
Are you considering a new website?
Has this helped you better understand the options and what your needs would be best suited to?
If you’d like to explore the concept of a One Page Website with built in future expansion further with me, I’d be more than happy to chat. You can find more info on the process here.
Get in touch via email or drop me a text of voice note via Voxer @johodson
How I created a business by accident!
Last year I created a business, or in some ways you could say two businesses... By total accident!
And it's something I've been reflecting on these last few weeks and acknowledging the insights that I could tap into within other areas of my life and work.
So let me offer some background context.
At the end of Summer 2021, I had completed my campervan conversion and I was tentatively taking my life on the road. I began to think, "oh, it would be nice to have some housesits to break up some of my travels."
I was considering joining a platform such as TrustedHouseSitters (that I had used briefly a few years before) where you offer your time looking after pets when the owners are away in return for a place to stay. But as I was initially thinking the odd one or two sits dotted here and there, just to break things up a bit so I wasn't in my van the whole time, I was hesitant on paying a hefty platform fee.
Then just as I put that intention out to the universe, three housesits all within the same county that I happened to be close to, literally fell in my lap - all from difference sources, it was really rather magical!
And that was in November and December 2021. These three were all free sits.
By the time Christmas and New Year came around, I'd had so many more enquiries that I needed to take a moment to figure out what I wanted and where I wanted to take things as I found my rhythm on the road.
Instead of me seeking out free housesits as i'd simply assumed would be the case, instead I realised people were coming directly to me. People trusted me and friends and peers were referring me. So I made it more official. I got insurance, did a Pet First Aid certificate and created a simple Facebook Business page. A page I don't update promote or particularly regularly, but is a useful point of reference for others to share and for me to link to when there is an enquiry.
Since January 2022 all the housesits I've done have been paid and they've all been for wonderful clients, many of them now repeats.
Around the same time in early 2022, I began to get curious if there were other opportunities I could tap into based on my existing skills. Other services I could offer homeowners whilst they were away.
I've got a background in architecture and interior design. I've decorated a couple of friends houses in the past, so why not offer a decorating service?
I have a certification in Plant-Based Nutrition and Health Coaching, as well as catering licenses from my food business days, so why not offer an in-house meal prep service?
Decorating is something I know I enjoy as it's something physical away from my laptop. A lovely contrast to my work online. It's also a huge win for the client as they can simply go away and return to a beautifully decorated room (or two, or three!) without any of the hassle or mess of trades people co-existing in their personal space. With no-one around I can also work to my own timeframes, unbound my the traditional 9-5 day.
So I casually put it out there and decorating work alongside the housesits has organically come through ever since. I charge a standard decorator's day rate on top of my housesitting day rate, so the two elements are still independent.
(I look a scruff in old baggy decorating clothes, but I don’t care!) ;-)
Not once have I had to actively 'market' myself, but I've simply been sharing what I do on my Instagram stories over at jo.vanlife as part of my overall vanlife journey, something my coach calls 'spiritual marketing'.
It just naturally and effortlessly occurs in the course of my day to day.
So was it just luck?
Are there learning points that could apply to other aspects of my life and work?
I think there are a few factors that have fed into the accidental ease of this business evolution and I have summarised them below. I would also love to hear from you! Are there any takeaways here that have helped shift your perspective when it comes to your business?
I started off doing a few free sits to get the ball rolling.
Free/low priced/BETA offers are always a useful kickstart and make sharing easier and gives photos and testimonials to get things started too. It also helped me to get clear on what I needed to refine on my contract when I made it official.
ALL my sits come via referral.
Therefore it has been important for me to make sure my friends, family and people in your circles know that I offer housesits (see also point 3).
Keep people involved in your journey.
I think the above happened because so many people knew I was converting a camper van during lockdown and were invested in my journey. So then when I announced I was house/petsitting as part of the overall travel plan it was an easy association in their minds. I also know a lot of people mention me to others in their circles along the lines of ‘I have a friends who lives in her van’ - I know this as when I meet new people they often say things like. “Oh you’re the Jo that lives in her van” ;-)
Be a little quirky in some way!
Related to point 3, there are a lot of house and petsitter BUT there aren’t many travelling around in their tiny home of wheels house and pet sitting. Also, because I travel my catchment is UK wide instead of just my local area as those who have a more traditional home set up would likely have.
Have some kind of social media platform that you enjoy engaging with effortlessly.
I already had my vanlife Instagram set up independently from my regular business account. It was intended to be a scrapbook for me as I converted the van but has evolved into so much more. I enjoy posting whatever I am up to in the stories, which then ping across to FB stories too.
If possible offer something with a unique edge.
This again relates to point 4. If there are many people that do the kind of thing you do, makes you stand out? When I first started, I called myself The Vegan Sitter to differentiate myself (thinking that a lot of vegans would appreciate no animal products cooked in their kitchen). Now I’ve changed the name to be more generic, but offer a decorating service and I also offer a vegan meal prep option for homeowners to come back to. These kinds of ‘add ons’ help make you more memorable to others and you’ll more likely get referrals because of it (plus additional income!)
Lastly, maybe an obvious one but build good relationships with your clients.
It makes the process itself fun if you have a great relationship and this is what will also bring in the repeat work - be it with the same clients or referrals. I’d say 50%+ of my list are now repeats, and the decorating work is too. In a couple of weeks I am going back to look after a dog and do my third lot of decorating in their huge house. I joke that in the next couple of years there entire house will be fully renovated by me, ha ha!
What would you add to the list and what are you focussing on in your business?
On a side note, last year was very much about my finding my flow on the road with these new income streams and now I have that sussed, this year I will refocussing more attention back to design and copywriting. More to come on that soon, but know that I am here for you - checkout out the Everything page hit me up with any enquiries!
Launching... Coach On Call!
I officially launched a new service last week... did you see it ? :-)
Well, technically it's two new services:
✨ 'Coach On Call' for wellness business owners looking for support in elevating their business.
✨ 'Health Coach On Call' for those looking for support to elevate their personal health and wellness.
When I was initially putting together the copy for the Coach On Call pages. I realised it was very difficult to describe the impact of something that for most people would be an entirely new experience.
I knew this firsthand because the clients I trialled the process with, with whom I'd shared the description on my draft sales page, admitted to me that they hadn't really understood what the point of it was initially.
Yet, by the end of their day working with me in this way, they were filled with so much excitement about how incredible the process had worked out for them.
(Listen to the audio below that shares real-time client voice notes on what the process meant for them, these notes weren’t promoted by me and I only thought to put this audio reel together in retrospect in case it could be helpful for others).
“I've never done anything like this before. This has been absolutely brilliant to focus on my business whilst letting life carry on. I'm still present at home whilst processing ideas and working on my business.” - Linda Goodchild (Creator of the Healthcare Companion)
“Working with Jo for the day was phenomenal. My head was full of procrastination because I really couldn’t see how I was going to move forward. Just having a place to share my ideas and thoughts allowed me to see the step past the ideas. This process has helped me identify my next steps and take action where I once felt overwhelm”. - JuJu O’reilly (Health Food Business Founder)
To put this new service in even greater context, I’m sharing with you my thoughts on what I think the four most powerful aspects of this process are, and why...
1) You don't need to carve out an uninterrupted hour or two.
This is a very different process from what I would traditionally call a 'Power Hour' where we thrash out what it is you're struggling with over the course of an hour. While those sessions can be amazing, this is an opportunity to have a back and forth conversation over the course of a day. These are snippets of time within a much larger timeframe. Life will be happening alongside.
2) There's no pressure.
You won't feel put on the spot, there's no need to come up with answers in the moment. There's zero pressure. This works both ways. I can serve you more powerfully When I don't feel pressure to respond on the spot. It creates much greater opportunity to really think and reflect on what it is that is being shared.
There is no video, so you don't need to do your hair or your makeup. You can even wear your pyjamas if you want to!
This is a very non-pressured and very gentle process. But don't be fooled we'll be digging deep.
I actually think that when you're not 'live' in front of someone, subconsciously the mental barriers drop away and you can actually allow yourself to be immersed in the process more deeply that you would have otherwise. It's a fascinating process.
3) Action-taking is built into this process.
In a traditional 'power hour' or 'discovery session' a lot of the action taking is hypothetical because we're talking through the things you will do after the session ends.
The problem I find with this is that whilst you're in a high energy mode in the moment whilst we're talking and generating ideas, as soon as the call ends and life takes hold and distracts you away, inevitably, the moment drifts.
Maybe the confidence drops. Maybe the clarity or the vision is lost. When hours or days later you look at your notes, you can't recall what they meant anymore.
During Coach On Call, action taking and conversation take place in the moment, all day long.
4) There is time for reflection and processing.
There is time to process and reflect on what is most meaningful to you, how it feels for you, how things are shifting.
Maybe in the middle of the day, you need to make the kids lunch or take the dog for a walk. All these pockets of time during the day when you don't feel as though you're actively working on your business or your project, is all golden time for assimilating information to process where you're at.
That reflection and processing aspect is lost a Power Hour, simply because there's not physically time for it.
So this is a very experiential and very immersive process.
So the fact that…
You don't have to carve out a big chunk of time.
There is no pressure.
Action-taking is inherently part of the process.
There is time to reflect and process everything we're discussing in real-time
…Makes this a really unique and really powerful opportunity to work together.
Feeling curious but still not sure?
I invite you to add me on Voxer (johodson), send me a message via voice or text and i’ll happily gift you a free 15 minute taster session to answer any questions, give you some quick-fire support or simply so you can get a taster of how it could work on the day!