What is a one-page website?

What goes on the page

Start with what you want someone to do: look at your work, find event details, book a service, get in touch. Then choose the content that belongs around that task, rather than trying to fit everything you could say about yourself onto the page.

For a portfolio, that might mean an introduction, selected work, a short bio and a way to contact you. For an event, the details and location might take up most of the space, with a link to respond near the end.

Keep the order clear.

A menu can link to sections farther down the same page instead of opening separate pages. That lets you give visitors shortcuts without turning every topic into its own destination, and they can still scroll through the content in order.

But does everything belong there? If a section needs a long explanation before someone can use it, consider giving it a page of its own. There's no need to make the main page carry every detail.

Use these as starting points, not rules.

Think about what belongs on the site itself and what can be a link. An event page can send someone elsewhere to respond. A portfolio can link to work hosted elsewhere. You don't have to bring every destination onto your site.

When it's time to add pages

One page is enough when you can put the content in a clear order and the visitor's next step still feels obvious. You can introduce the subject, show the relevant details and give someone a way to act without sending them through unrelated material.

Length alone isn't the test.

Look at the sections you've planned. Would someone want to open a particular service or project without first going through the rest? Does that section have enough to say on its own? That's a reason to consider another page.

A separate page also gives that subject its own URL. You can share a project page directly rather than sending someone to the top of a general introduction.

And you don't have to decide the site's final shape before publishing it. Start with the content you have. If you're writing a short business introduction now, you don't need empty pages for services you haven't described yet (or a blog you haven't started).

Keep related details together, but don't keep expanding the main page just to preserve the one-page format.

Choosing a builder that fits

Carrd builds one-page sites, and its Basic plan is free. If that's the format you want to keep, it's an option to consider.

Carrd Pro Lite is $9 a year and includes 3 sites, but no custom domain, forms or widgets. Carrd Pro Standard is $19 a year and includes 10 sites, custom domains with SSL, forms, and widgets for Stripe, PayPal, Gumroad and Typeform.

Heya is another option if you want to begin with a single page and leave room for separate pages later. It's a no-code builder, and you sign in with Google to publish.

Heya Free costs $0, with no credit card and no time limit. It includes 3 sites, up to 5 pages per site, all 68 templates and a free yourname.heya.bio address with HTTPS. There's a small Made with Heya badge.

Heya Pro Lite is $3 a month, with 3 sites and up to 20 pages per site. It removes the badge, and links are no longer marked nofollow. For a custom domain, Heya Pro Standard is $6 a month and includes 5 sites and 1 custom domain per account with HTTPS. You bring the domain from a registrar; Heya doesn't sell domains.

Check the tools you need before choosing. Heya doesn't have a built-in store, checkout or form builder: you can link a button to your checkout or store page, link to a Google Form or Tally form, and use the Calendly embed for bookings.

Related guides: Free one-page builders, Homepage vs landing page, Carrd vs Wix and Types of websites.

More from Heya: All guides, Templates and Pricing.