A lot has changed since the days of print newspapers delivered by horse-drawn carriages, but one thing that hasn’t is the need to catch a reader’s attention quickly. “Above the fold,” a term from those newspaper days, has remained an important concept for today’s digital marketers to understand.
What Is Above the Fold?
These days, above the fold, or ATF, refers to the part of a web page that’s shown before a user scrolls down any further. Anything that only shows up after scrolling is called “below the fold.” The fold, in newspaper lingo, referred to the physical fold in the paper, with the biggest, most important headlines above that.
The ATF section of a website varies by site and web design specs, but it’s usually about 600 pixels down from the top of the page and 1,000 pixels wide. The viewing window size, or viewport, affects where the fold is specifically from site to site.
Why Is Above the Fold Important?
ATF content is what many site visitors see first, and it can heavily influence their first impression of the business. Done well, ATF choices can capture reader attention and encourage them to stay on the site. Done poorly, and a user will leave quickly, maybe never to return. In addition, search engines weigh ATF content more heavily, so it can affect SEO rankings more than content lower down the page.
Above the fold content remains an essential part of a marketing toolkit. There’s more complexity these days than with newspapers, and many questions to consider — whether and where to place ads, how often to change the content, how many calls to action (CTAs) to include (if any), and more — but this section of a site is vital to treat with care.
Consider carefully which content you put above the fold, and test often to see what works best. This content should be engaging and useful, and in line with your top business goals. Above-the-fold ads are high-visibility and usually generate more ad revenue accordingly, while CTAs in this section of a site can lead to higher conversions when they’re immediately interesting to the target audience.
How Is Above the Fold Measured?
ATF content is measured at a basic level by comparing its performance against content that’s below the fold or that’s on another subpage. Use common marketing metrics like click-through rate (CTR), leads generated, or conversions made, then compare the results based on site placement.
The amount and experience of above-the-fold content varies based on device, monitor size, screen resolution, and other common factors. So, each business should gather data to understand how users are experiencing their particular ATF content. Most web analytics tools can show you which screen dimensions are most popular for your visitors, along with the breakdown of readers visiting your site on a desktop versus mobile.
If you’re just starting out, or don’t have that information available, you could start with the 1,000 pixels wide by 600 pixels tall web design standard as a baseline for measurement.
Testing ATF Design
The quickly changing nature of modern websites makes it easy to test and learn what performs best for your business in terms of what’s above and below the fold. You can use the same metrics you use across your site to set and then gauge goal completion, likely including bounce rate, exit rate, scroll depth, goal conversion rate, organic traffic increases, and more.
Testing above versus below the fold content will likely include testing copy and images, along with CTAs. If a visitor has already decided to purchase from a known brand, or is leaning toward purchase, the CTA may be a great fit. But, if a visitor is new to a site or brand, the CTA might be off-putting. Test your brand and audience knowledge with varying CTA placements to see what performs best.
There are also free tools you can use to view different web designs, to see above the fold and below the fold content. Try Google’s Chrome extension, called Window Resizer, or tools like FigPii or ABTasty for help.
Best Practices When Optimizing ATF Design
ATF design best practices generally align with other modern web design best practices. Make sure, for example, that you’re using concise copy, attractive and relevant images, and simple navigation so users can find what they need, and act on it, right away. Like any web page, ensure the fastest load speeds so users don’t bounce.
Other best practices for ATF design include:
Use Responsive Design
Users will notice a non-responsively designed site right away, as elements are much harder to see on a mobile device if the page was only built for desktop viewing. Responsive design makes sure that images and copy look appealing and appropriate to the device, whether above or below the fold.
Choose the Right Header Elements
A site header adds consistency to your site and usually includes a logo or other branding that links back to the homepage. The header also usually includes the main navigation as a menu. The result is a smooth browsing experience for users. In a header, you can also include a banner for ads, special offers, or the latest company news, if appropriate. Sign-in links can live in the header, as well as a button to switch languages or locations. It’s also a good place for a search box and shopping cart icon.
Try a Unique Heading
The ATF section of a site is great real estate for a descriptive headline, and can be a good place to experiment with interesting language and angles to see what readers like. Also, remember to use SEO-friendly tags throughout the site, with H1s for the highest-level ATF heading, and include keywords.
Place Ads Carefully
It’ll be up to your business, audience understanding, and metrics or A/B testing results whether you display ads above the fold or not, or only occasionally. Ads can increase visibility and clicks, but can also lead to a poor user experience.
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Considerations When Optimizing Web Design Above the Fold
Experimentation and testing can yield the most relevant information for your particular business and users. These are some other general considerations to keep in mind when designing above the fold:
Mobile
Mobile device popularity means many users are accessing your website from their phone, with a much smaller area than on a desktop computer. Mobile design is also vertical, rather than horizontal, which is essential for designers to consider. Users will quickly leave a site from their phone if the font is tiny or the dimensions are off.
Responsive design uses flexible layouts, images, and cascading style sheets (CSS) so that there isn’t a fixed layout for a page, and content will reflow according to screen size. Understand through your analytics numbers whether your users are leaning more toward mobile or desktop content consumption so you can design for both experiences.
SEO
As search algorithms change, so do best practices, but many remain the same: Use keywords naturally, use page tags accurately, and create high-quality, useful content across the entire website. ATF ads were more popular some years ago, until a Google algorithm update started penalizing companies for ad-stuffing above the fold. SEO metrics are a key part of the ATF equation, so make sure that ads fit naturally and that there’s a balance between ATF content and ads.
Key Takeaways
Above the fold, or ATF, is a legacy newspaper-era concept that still has important applications for digital marketers today. ATF content is what shows up at the very top of your website, so ensure it’s visually engaging and uses concise, compelling copy to keep visitors reading. Make sure to do lots of testing to find the right mix of above-the-fold and below-the-fold ads and offers for your audience.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Should CTAs be above or below the fold?
As with many ATF elements, whether you put CTAs above or below the fold depends on your site and audience. While every landing page should have at least one clear call to action, you should do A/B testing to see whether that CTA is above or below the fold — or both. Place the same CTA above the fold for half the visitors and below for the other half, then implement the one that produced the best conversion rate.
What are some current trends in ATF best practices?
Every site is different, and with such a range of site experiences, every business should implement ATF practices that work for them. The most engaging content on a site should always be above the fold, and should be regularly tested and changed to keep readers engaged. As with other marketing best practices, put your users first.
Is ATF design practice the same for mobile versus website?
The placement of what’s above and below the fold is different on a smaller mobile device than a desktop, so make sure to visualize and test every design for both sets of devices. Put the user first, so that the first thing the user sees is appealing, wherever they’re viewing it. For design teams, creating positive ATF experiences will require analytics on what users respond to and regular testing to see what’s working on which device.
