One of the most notable trends in modern website design has been the shift to Parallax. If you aren't sure what Parallax designs are, it's probably because you haven't heard the name, but chances are that you have seen a Parallax site. These types of sites use scrolling in place of the standard navigation style. This way, a user can see the entire site simply by scrolling down. To see examples of Parallax sites, check out the Apple or Lexus websites.

The big question, however, is whether or not you should switch to a Parallax design. The design has its pros and cons, but its usefulness relies heavily on what type of website or business you are running. We are not here to break down the pros and cons of Parallax in general, but instead we want to focus on which websites are/aren't well-suited for the design.

Large E-Commerce Websites

If you run an E-commerce website that focuses on selling hundreds of products, you may want to steer away from using a Parallax site. Firstly, the key to any large E-Commerce site is making it as easy as possible for your customer to find what they are looking for in your sea of product offerings. Parallax sites are notoriously confusing for first-time visitors because the design is so new. Secondly, the design does not work well with categorizing and organizing multiple elements into an easy-to-navigate manner. If your user is browsing, a Parallax site might work well for keeping them navigating throughout the site, but if they are searching for a specific category or product, the design may cause confusion and frustration.

Blogging or News Websites

Even though Parallax might not mesh well with large E-commerce websites, it has the opposite effect for blogging or news-based websites. Check out this free parallax theme designed for bloggers. You can see that navigating through the website is an experience. Many users may want to keep scrolling to see the new animations pop up. The reason Parallax works so well for these sites is because their goal is to engage users and increase the time spent on the website which is precisely what this design does well. If your blog or news website focuses on a specific industry, the shift to Parallax could bring a new level of user engagement to your site. If you focus on general news, however, then this design is less useful.

Small E-Commerce Websites

We talked earlier about large E-commerce sites, but what if you only sell a handful of products or services?  You can tell that the simplicity of the site makes it easy for users to compare products in a fun, interactive way. For a site that sells three to five distinct products or services, a Parallax design could work well.

With that being said, your website's design should reflect your company culture. There are Parallax designs that work amazingly for large E-commerce sites like this one. If you believe your site could use a fresh coat of paint, contact MAXtech Agency online or by phone at (800) 367-2570.