Above-the-Fold

Above-the-Fold is a term that refers to the top portion of a web page that is visible without scrolling. This concept originates from the newspaper industry, where the term refers to all of the content that’s visible in the top section of a folded newspaper.

Why Above-the-Fold is Important

Content that is above-the-fold is the most important content on your website because it’s what visitors first see when they land on your website. It’s the area of your website that’s going to give your visitors their first impression of your brand and it’s often the most-seen part of your site. Many visitors won’t make it to all of your webpages or even to the bottom of your homepage so what they see above-the-fold is what will influence the rest of their navigation around your site.

What’s above-the-fold is prime real estate on your website, so use it wisely.

Usually, website owners put their most important navigation links above-the-fold as well as their logo, a few words that describe their unique selling point, maybe their slogan and definitely a strong call-to-action. Visitors engage heavily with the content that’s above-the-fold so you want to use this space to direct visitors to your most important webpages or pieces of content.

You also want to ensure that your best and most appealing attributes are shown above-the-fold to provide a favorable first impression and to encourage visitors to scroll down to see the content that exists below-the-fold. If you feature unimportant or irrelevant content above-the-fold, your visitors may leave your webpage without scrolling down to see the rest of what your site has to offer.