The average Web site on the Internet doesn’t scroll horizontally, it has vertical scrolling. That means when there is more content on a Web page than there is displayed in your Web browser, the site will scroll down to show you the rest of the content. Web sites don’t have to have a vertical scroll, but it has become the norm.
Another option you have when creating a site is to have it scroll horizontally. This means the site will scroll right to left, instead of up and down. There are some designers who are using the side-scrolling option and it just doesn’t work, but there are also those who are able to use this design method properly. What it really comes down to is whether or not the site you’re working on is compatible with a horizontal scroll.
Not all businesses can benefit from a side-scrolling Web sites. If your Web site doesn’t naturally work with the design, a horizontal scroll is just going to confuse people. One thing that comes with vertical scrolling being the norm is that it’s what most people expect when they are introduced to a new site. If you decide to make your site scroll sideways, make sure there’s good reason for it.
Horizontal scrolling can work for photography sites, Web design and other not-so-business-like sites. If you’re site is supposed to be fun and encourage people to play around with it, then this kind of scrolling can work for you. In general however, a Web site should be easy to use, and horizontal scroll makes it more difficult. If you’re interested in this kind of scrolling, check out some inspirational horizontal scrolling Web sites.
If you decide to go the horizontal scrolling route, make sure to take into consideration that not everyone has the same resolution on their monitor. If you don’t take this into account, it’s much easier to forget to make sure everything is included on the screen that you want there. People with lower resolutions will end up needing to scroll down as well as sideways if you aren’t careful.
