Above the Fold

I recently attended a 3-day conference dealing with Search Engine Optimization, Internet Marketing, and Website Design techniques.  One thing that struck me the most was how much the professionals concentrated on what was above the fold of a website.

What does above the fold mean? When you look at the front page of a newspaper, whatever is show on the top fold, as in, what is seen at a newsstand, is referred to as above the fold.  For websites, this is what shows on the computer screen without the user moving down the home page.

So, why is this important? Because you have about 3 seconds to capture a web user’s attention.  That’s the average time someone spends on your site before they ‘bounce’ and go elsewhere. That’s the average of course, unless they see something they like.

The professionals at this conference concentrated on the website ‘above the fold’ because the main point and call to action for your business must be in that area.

What are the other implications of this?

• People don’t have time to read extensive text copy in 3 seconds.  Have images, or short quips above the fold that entice someone to click to the page that contains more information.
• The function of your business must be apparent to someone in 3 seconds.  Also, remember that more and more people in the future will be looking at your site on their small-screened mobile device.
• What is your call to action?  Are you trying to sell something?  Are you trying to gather emails?  Are these options available in your ‘above the fold’ area?

When these professionals were working with site designers, the professionals would ask where such and such was on the website.  The designer would say – “well, if you click here and scroll down and then click there…..”  If you are saying that and having to justify where your most important information lies on your website, that should tell you something.

Keep your most important information short, have your call to action clear, and keep the design clean, all above the fold.