When it comes to figuring out the design of your website, aspects such as the template and even the colour scheme usually get the most attention.
But as with most things that look easy, website design can be difficult to get right especially with so many things to truly consider.
One example is the scrolling pattern, which can have a huge impact on how user-friendly a website is, and even how well your pages convert customers.
There are many scrolling options that can be implemented on a website. But for today’s post, we will concentrate on some of the best-known examples.
Long Scrolling
Long scrolling is sometimes referred to as traditional scrolling, as it implies being able to create a page of seamless content.
While there are some similarities with infinite scrolling, the main difference with long scrolling is that there is a definite endpoint to the page. Often, this will be the footer which if done right should offer excellent user and SEO-friendliness combined.
But back to the long scrolling itself, this option is ideal for brand storytelling, or when it doesn’t make sense to divide the content between different pages.
If you are familiar with heat mapping tools such as Hotjar, then you will also know the potential downside of a long scrolling website. That is, unless there is a genuine reason for users to want to keep scrolling, they may simply lose interest and never reach the end of the page. Therefore, a long scrolling website needs to be carefully designed and monitored to measure ongoing user engagement.
View an example of a website with long scrolling
Infinite Scrolling
Infinite scrolling is perhaps best associated with social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram. As the name suggests, infinite scrolling allows users to keep scrolling infinitely, as new content is automatically generated rather than the page having a fixed endpoint.
Most websites don’t have enough content to allow for infinite scroll, meaning it’s not always a viable option. But if a website does have an infinite or even a very lengthy scroll pattern, sticky navigation is essential to ensure users can always find their way back, or jump to specific areas of interest with ease.
View an example of website with infinite scrolling
Parallax Scrolling
If you’ve ever read a storybook as a child that had pop-up elements, parallax scrolling is a similar kind of technique but for web design.
That’s because parallax scrolling means elements of the foreground and background will load at different times. This makes the loading of the page extremely immersive as new elements continue to load individually rather than as one.
Parallax scrolling usually involves a heavy use of media, meaning the website itself may be slow to load. So while the technique is great for presenting a new product or captivating audiences, it’s not the scrolling option if you’re after a simple business website that loads fast.
View an example of a website with parallax scrolling
New To All Things Scrolling Options? – Get A Free Website Consultation From Our Experts!
As a business owner, you might not have the time or know-how to design and build your own website. But given how complicated web design and development can be, why should you?
Allow the website experts here at Imaginaire to help you instead!
Our team is based in Nottingham and works with business owners across the UK and beyond. We’ve built websites in endless niches including B2B, construction, ecommerce, luxury goods and more.
To get your free website review, please get in touch with our team.
You can also give us a call on 0115 697 1158 to enquire about our website design and development services.
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