(image: https://www.superdream.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/parallax-pic.jpg alt: Parallax Scrolling Web Design)
**In the current digital age, every brand and his dog has a website.**
If you want to stand out from the competition and increase your website visibility, your online presence needs to be more than fit for purpose. It needs to command and capture attention.
Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock for the last few months, you can’t have failed to notice the current trend for Parallax Scrolling Websites.
We’ve all seen them in one form or another – those web pages that appear to be moving as you scroll down or across the page. This faux 3D effect takes visitors on a ‘mini journey’ and provides a great user experience.
Parallax Scrolling – The Marmite of web design
Many developers and marketers have a bit of a love/hate relationship with Parallax though.
In terms of (link: https://www.superdream.co.uk/user-interface-trends/ text: user experience); opting for a Parallax website certainly ensures that you’re remembered by your customers and prospects. But look at it from a (link: https://www.superdream.co.uk/web-design-for-seo/ text: web design for SEO) perspective, and Parallax Scrolling seems to come out worse for wear.
Here then, we’re going to look at the pros and cons of this latest (link: https://www.superdream.co.uk/5-web-design-trends/ text: web design trend) to help you decide whether going Parallax is right for your business:
Pros of Parallax Scrolling
Let’s start with the positive.
Ask any designer, and I’m sure they’ll sing the praises of Parallax. In fact, many developers and even marketers will have some great things to say about these super scrolling sites.
– **They look awesome – **Out of the box, Parallax websites are really eye-catching and look amazing. We’ve already looked at how your customers react to (link: https://www.superdream.co.uk/visual-content-for-business/ text: visual content) and its importance in modern marketing. Having a powerful, interactive image that takes over a computer screen is a sure fire way to make sure your website packs a punch.
– **They’re unusual – **Even though this is a big trend right now, not every website is using Parallax Scrolling. That means you can stand out from the competition; being unique can help you be remembered and this is a great way to do just that.
– **They’re interactive – **We’re all so tech savvy these days we seem to have become desensitized to the World Wide Web. We accept new trends with a shrug of the shoulders and go back to work. Parallax Scrolling allows you website visitors to interact with your website in a new way. This all works towards helping you capture conversions.
– **They’re memorable – **If a visitor doesn’t convert the first time they land on your website. You don’t always have that many options for trying to (link: https://www.superdream.co.uk/advertising/online-advertising/retargeting-and-remarketing/ text: recapture a missed conversion). Parallax websites won’t be forgotten anytime soon, which could really help boost your customer retention.
Cons of Parallax Scrolling
Before you start planning your next website redesign though, it’s important that you get a complete picture of Parallax Scrolling. There are a number of issues with this web design trend that you may want to think about.
– **Not responsive – **Parallax websites aren’t always responsive, meaning that mobile and tablet visitors can’t experience your wonderful website. The (link: https://www.superdream.co.uk/importance-of-responsive-web-design/ text: importance of responsive web design) shouldn’t be underestimated, so it’s important you consider this when making a decision. They also don’t work on a heap of old browsers which leaves many people looking at a broken site.
– **Not SEO-friendly – **Single page websites like these are extremely hard to optimise, meaning they can cause you difficulty in you SEO campaigns. You lose out on vital (link: https://www.superdream.co.uk/seo-jargon-buster/ text: meta data and title tags), end up with multiple H1 tags, and have to rely on people finding your site organically. You can find out more about the SEO issues with Parallax websites (link: http://www.awwwards.com/seo-optimization-for-parallax-scrolling-websites.html text: here).
– **Slow load times – **Parallax websites are built using Javascript or jQuery which can make the page load times really slow. This is because Javascript has to manipulate the position of every element, every time you scroll down the page. This is a source of annoyance for many, and can result in a large bounce rate.
– **Scrolling can put users off – **Sure, you’ve got some clever images on your website that impress you and your team. But many website visitors prefer to see all the information above the fold. Causing your browsers to scroll too much can be annoying, so consider this when choosing a design.
The end result?
While all these shortcomings are valid and should be considered, the argument for interesting and eye-catching website design is often going to win out for many. Don’t believe us? Check out some of (link: http://www.creativebloq.com/web-design/parallax-scrolling-1131762 text: these great examples) to see Parallax Scrolling in action.
The solution here then, is to find the perfect middle ground between functionality and design. You want a website that works, but also that helps set you apart from the competition.
A way around many of these issues is to still opt for separate pages over anchors, or maybe employing the technique on a single page. This won’t distract from the content your customer was looking for in the first place, but will still help you win the battle of wonderful websites.