The Importance of Above the Fold in Web Design and Marketing

Recently, we’ve had a few clients ask us about ‘above the fold’ when it comes to their site designs and how they market themselves.

First, what is ‘above the fold’?

Above the fold in web design refers to the portion of a web page that is visible without scrolling. It’s the area that a visitor to your site can see when they first arrive at that web page, without needing to scroll down.

The main image above shows my blog page, above the fold. Capisce?

Adversely, the part of the page that is not above the fold, is the part of a web page that can’t be seen without scrolling down.

The Stats: 80% of users spend their time above the fold, and only 20% go below the fold.

This makes sense when you get to a website and the first thing you most often look for is the menu or the search box, so you can quickly (and easily) get to the information or product you want.

This also makes sense for the first time visitor to your site, who is making a decision in 3 seconds or less on whether or not they’re interested in staying or leaving your site. I do it, you do it, we all do it… we go check out a site and we quickly discern whether or not it’s something we might be interested in or not.

Don’t get discouraged if your site falls below the fold.

When people get to the page they’re looking for, they scroll. In fact, people are comfortable scrolling and it’s why popular sites like Facebook, Pinterest, Google and blogs fully embrace scrolling! Note: People scroll when they are on pages they want to be on.

The importance of ‘above the fold’.

First off, this is the area you need to be able to show the viewer what you are about. If you make kids clothing and accessories, is this clear? If you design or sell stationery, is this clear? If you decorate home interiors, is this clear? You’d be surprised how many times you can go to a site and don’t know what they do or what they are selling.

Secondly, you want people who are viewing your site to see your most important thing (new products you want to promote, an event, a sale, an award, most recent post, best work) before they click away.

Make sure navigation and search (if you have this), are above the fold. See my main image above – this wasn’t by accident that these items are above the fold.

Here are a few sites and lovely businesses that are great examples of marketing their ‘goods’ + design above the fold:

1. Candy Kirby Designs    2. The Flair Exchange   3.  Paige Simple

Just remember…

-Most important information should remain near the top.
-Clarity (and non-clutter) is the key.
-This is an important area for potential sponsors and/or advertisers to your page.
-People need to know what page they are on, but once they know this, they will scroll to find what they are looking for.

In Summary

‘Above the fold’ is important in web design and marketing, but more important than the fold is good web design and a marketer who understands what’s important to your viewers and how people view sites…so your business succeeds.

Does your blog or website need a marketer to critique it? We can help!