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Multipage or Multipanel - which to choose?

The SEO debate - multipanel or multipage?

Which is better? We explain multipanel sites vs. multipage sites.

Planning a website? It’s worth considering that there are 2 known types. These are the two types we do here at TLD – where we specialise in custom WordPress designs. But, if you wanted to use a theme site like Wix or Squarespace, it’s worth also knowing about the 2 types.

This decision affects a lot – the cost, the planning, the future.

The choice is to have either a “multipanel” website with anchor links to each section (panel), or a multipage site where people leave the homepage and a new page is loaded up. Both have panels but only multi page loads of whole new pages. And you may have been clicking through sites without even knowing you’re on one or another.

Now, you can start to pay attention!

First, lets define “panels”.

Panels

Panels are what we call each layer or section of a longer scrolly site.

We have panels on multipanel websites and multipage websites.

It’s the modern way to design – if you look at the way older sites are designed, they look like postage stamps in today’s big screen resolution.

Examples of what that can fit into a panel (for multipanel or multipage sites)

  • 150 words and a picture
  • or a set of 4 short bullet points
  • 3 boxes across, each with 10 words.

Below you can see for the website we created for Red Mirror, how we’re define Panels.

And certainly, we can always add more text to a new page and have a read more button to get people there. You’d consider the new page if you have more to say than a panel’s worth of information.

For clarity, below are the differences between these two approaches:

Multipanel Sites

Multipanel sites with anchor links linking to each section are scrolling pages that have all of their content on a single pages. These are separated into different sections with internal anchor links. We call these “panels”.

Aside from the fact we can do this type of site and make it look very impressive for a “starter” investment, this approach is popular because it allows users to easily navigate through the content without having to load different pages.

Examples of multipanel sites from the TLD portfolio

https://www.infantsuccess.co.uk
https://www.hintonrose.com

Additionally, it is often believed that this approach is better for SEO because all of the content is concentrated on a single page. For that one page, if that’s where you want people to go, it acts as a super duper page chock full of keywords. You’re considering the homepage as the page to optimise in this case.

And if you work with great designers (like us), It doesn’t have to look cluttered as each “panel” can be its own perfectly designed area.

Using a tabulated approach, more keyword-rich text can be available in openable/closable areas.

Multipage Sites

Multipage sites, on the other hand, are websites that have their content separated into multiple pages. This approach has been the traditional way of designing websites for many years. As mentioned above, multipage sites allow for more content to be added without overstuffing the panels with too much information on a single page.

Examples of multipage sites

https://www.red-mirror.com

https://www.tandem-property.com

https://www.atlas-translations.co.uk

https://www.tantallon.com

Which one is better – multipanel or multipage

The answer to this question is not black and white. As mentioned earlier, it heavily depends on the specific website and its goals.

Multipage is great when you can see a finite amount of information that can be conveyed at a glance. We have many clients who do just find with these for years.

Multipage sites are better for websites that have a lot of content and want to organize it in a way that is easy for users to navigate. Some of our clients just need this.

We present to you: The TLD Hybrid option!

We’ve been doing these quite often – where there are only one or two sections that need their own page. it keeps the investment affordable but we can really go for it with the extra pages, and think of them as landing pages that can stand their own ground.

Try this to see, and click around!

https://www.josephjebelli.com

That’s one of the best things about doing custom websites – we can do things like this, and really plan ahead.

SEO Considerations

When it comes to SEO, both approaches have their pros and cons. While it is true that multipanel sites with anchor links concentrate all of their content on a single page, this can also be a disadvantage. Search engines may have a harder time crawling the site and understanding what the content is about. Conversely, multipage sites are easier for search engines to crawl and understand the content on each page as sub pages are quite focused on one main message.

A large factor depends on the site:

The decision on which one to use should be based on the specific website and its goals.

If the website has a limited amount of content and wants to keep users engaged on a single page, then a multipanel site may be the better choice.

Conversely, if the website has a lot of content and wants to organize it in a way that is easy for users to navigate, then a multipage site may be the better choice.

Additional Resources

For more information on this topic, check out the following resources:

Subdomains vs. Subfolders for SEO: What’s Best?

SEO & UX: How Your Main Navigation Affects Rankings

Keyword Research for SEO: The Definitive Guide

We hope this article was helpful in guiding you toward the right approach for your website’s design and we welcome to get in touch or book a discovery session to discuss your own unique needs.

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