Websites are shrinking

This comes at a time where I have observed an interesting - and annoying - trend. Websites are "less" ... they are becoming thinner and less informative.

Little wonder then, that some of us have questioned if "less is more" is true for websites too.

Bolthouse Productions… and that’s it.

Just last week I was looking for information on the hot Brent Bolthouse, a seasoned DJ turned entrepreneur based in Los Angeles, California. Brent owns Bolthouse Productions, a massively successful events agency - and one I have come to trust. So, when I was researching something about our events landscape here in South Africa, I went to his company website to search for information that could be useful. Instead, I was met with a clean ONE PAGER with basically a black and white logo and a physical address. Unbelievable! Not even an e-mail address. How arrogant.

The same incident would repeat itself only two days later as I was looking to prove a point to a colleague about a PR related matter. To give credibility to my argument, I boldly referred to a New York-based PR agency, Command PR. The website would undoubtedly serve as my proof and victory. The disappointment!

And this is Command PR for you.

NO mission, NO vision, NO 'about us', NO 'our services' and certainly NO CLIENT LIST. Just a logo and an e-mail address.

Bold confidence?

Perhaps, it's a bold confidence in their abilities displayed by both Bolthouse and Command PR through their websites.

Think about it. By the time I had done a search on Brent Bolthouse productions as well as Command PR to begin with, I knew exactly who they were and what they do. And I have known their specialities for some years too. Their reputation led me to visit their websites.

Why then, should they tell me about their mission and vision? By attempting to research something relating to these companies, surely to a degree they have successfully managed to articulate their vision without spelling it word for word on their websites? If I can regard them as industry champions then, goal achieved ... Right?

It's a brave assertion on their part -It's as though, through these one pagers they are saying: "You have heard about us, you know what we do, and that is why you are on our website. So why then, should we repeat what you already know?" Cheeky. But true.

There are two types of one-pager sites and it is important to differentiate.

There's the one-pager, and then there's the other 'one-pager'

A one-page website can be defined as a single page website that uses only one HTML page. When clicking on navigation links, the user scrolls down the page or jumps to that particular content's section. Generally, they use a drag and drop editor to create usually attractive and visually appealing websites.

Then there is a static one-page website, which cannot scroll up or down. This is the type of one-page website to which I am referring.

You see, the one-pager that can scroll up or down, still has relatively sufficient information about the company or product, while the one pager I am referring to usually has no more than a logo and an e-mail.

But is this for everyone?

Probably not. I mean, just off the cuff, a one-page website could never work for say... a medical scheme. Some service-based companies can get away with a one-page website, relying on other factors such as word of mouth and reputation. A medical scheme that wants to remain competitive needs to communicate as much information as possible. That cannot be achieved effectively on a one-pager.

The same can be said for unknown companies. There are thousands of businesses trying to survive in the online community, each owner must make a conscious effort to make his or hers stand out more than the rest, many companies turn to SEO efforts to achieve this.

And according to Rebecca Gill, "The average website (if optimised properly) doesn't have only one or two keywords as a focus. It probably has twenty or maybe fifty or two hundred. How on earth can you adequately target and optimise twenty or fifty keywords with only one single page?

You can't."