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One Page Wonders Websites

When Richard mentioned I should broach this topic, my first thought was “huh?”. [Thought if she doesn't know, many more people don't know. And, boy, did she learn some wonderful things by researching this topic - Richard]

So, a one page wonder is one of those websites that have just one page. I know, ground breaking news for most of you – remember, I am a “noob”. It can be a very loooong page, and usually contains a person who relates to YOU, friend, and is selling a ground breaking book / miracle pill / exercise program / something. It usually contains testimonials of people who are just so thrilled to have had the opportunities / miracle healings provided by this product... you know exactly what I’m talking about by now I’m sure.

One page wonders can also be great for those small companies or individuals who do not have a lot of information, yet still would like to have a web presence. A small one page website would be perfect for these people.

So, what does this mean for me, you ask (friend)

If you want to get your product or yourself known, the web is a great place to advertise. It reaches a hunormous audience. It ranges from cheap to ridiculously cheap to get online. And with how things work today, most clients look for stockists / suppliers online before consulting the phone book.

You need to decide what kind of online presence will suit you.
Noupe gives four questions that you should ask yourself:

Do I have a lot of content?
Am I trying to sell a specific product?
Are you comfortable with Ajax and JavaScript?
Is my content all related?

Noupe goes in depth to these questions and shows examples too.

But is it wise?

Let’s face it... how often do we read through part of a loooong page and think we need to buy whatever miracle it promises? Not often. Those one pagers are associated with shysters (to use the phrase used by SEOMOZ to describe them. People who want money (probably too much) for a product (probably not that great) with an enormous amount of free-bees to go with it.
However as an online business card, fabulous!

When you are the searcher looking for a product, keep in mind the following: these looong one page wonders are the web equivalent of infomercials on the telly. They promise a lot, and most of the time the actual product is weak.

There are many sites out there that say you can make money by creating multiple one page websites. And there are so many out there, that I have to agree! Personally, would I make a bundle of these sites? The answer is probably no. Because I do not feel comfortable submitting others to pages I wouldn’t want myself to be submitted to.

[ Richard begins his rants

For the record, we're not knocking OPW, we're not talking them good, either. I just don't always trust a website that only has one page. It don't always trust a webmaster who doesn't have the skill or doesn't want to learn the skill to develop or manage a proper website. Most of these websites you download the framework for or has been sold to you already. You just need to plonk in your product and put up a domain name.

My rule of thumb: Not all single page sites are OPW, but if reading a website gives you the same 'taste' in your mouth as an infomercial, it's probably a one-page-wonder.

More importantly, and other, these bloody things work. They DO generate money. They do pull feet. But not by themselves. You need to spend money to attract the visitors. Some sites use SPAM (grrrr...), some sites use AdWords (could be expensive), some sites use referrals (cheap and effective, but lowers your profit margin), etc, etc, etc.

Also, not all OPWs are only one page. Some of the owners have gone and made them three, four and sometimes five pages. Removed the testimonials and put them on one page, put the contact us on another, put the "what you get for free" in another.

Some examples of One-Page-Wonders (infomercials types):

I'll be putting up some OPWs just to prove the concept. I'll download the content, sell them through PayPal and be marketing them on the ITPiMP.Network ad spots (If the missus allows me of course).

OK, now for some legitimate OPW (more single page websites):

And, my last piece of advise: Just because it's a OPW doesn't mean their products are not relevant, usable or real.

But, always use caution and common sense. If they say "This sounds to good to be true"... it usually is!