So what is this space called ‘Above the fold’?

Fold a newspaper in half and it’s the space at the top of the page! Just as you see newspapers for sale displaying the headlines with the hope that you will buy to read further.

So what has the term ‘Above the fold’ got to do with us? We deal with the on-line world, the Internet, not folded newspapers!

We equate the space above the fold as the part of a web page we see before scrolling! Webpage space below the fold is space that we need to scroll down to. The dividing line is sometimes known as the web page fold.

The ‘Above the fold’ concept was first voiced in the nineties by Steve Thompson in WEB terms and gained an avid following. He advocated that all content should be in this space.

You can read more about the history of the term ‘Above the fold‘ on Wikipedia

What Google said about above the fold advertising.

This short video by Google on web page placement of advertising is interesting purely from the perspective of the importance that Google placed on the space above the fold.

So how do we use the space above the fold?

The old adage is that we only have a few seconds to capture the attention of a visitor. Is it still true?

Extensive split testing when optimising from an on-page SEO perspective has shown us that the adage holds true but has also demonstrated that visitors do scroll down a page providing their attention has been initially captured.

So what are the lessons we have learn’t about using the space above the fold?

Firstly, it is virtually impossible to judge where on a web page the point of having to scroll down is without exhaustive testing on the numerous devices that are web enabled nowadays. So we have to make a judgement as to where the space above the fold ends!

Google made an algorithmic change some time ago to look at how the space above the fold is used. This page has a useful tool which demonstrates the point of where you need to scroll on a web page.

However we can maximise this space above the fold by reducing the size of web page headers. We can move advertisements into a wider sidebar for instance. We need to grab the web page visitor’s attention and need as much space as possible above the fold to do that.

Don’t cram all of the content into the above the fold space. It is not necessary and detracts from the doesn’t make the web page easy to read.

• Use the space above the fold to capture the reader’s attention. Make sure that the search term you are optimising the page for is prominent in a tagged title, include a graphic if appropriate. Ensure that at least the start of a benefits statement is visible above the fold.
• As you scroll down the page, build up the benefits in the order of importance ensuring that they are easy to read and not crammed! Use LSI keywords in the benefits statements. Depending on the purpose and type of page, you could also add testimonials, interim calls to action or guarantees.
• Finally include the call to action whatever that may be! Every web page should have a purpose.

In summary, use the space above the fold wisely and reap the rewards!

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