Above the Fold

Often in online marketing you may hear the term – above the fold, but what does it actually mean?

Good question.

Definition – Above the fold: the content shown to a user when they view your webpage, without scrolling down the page. So generally this would be the header of your site and some space below that header. This term is also sometimes referred to as above the scroll.

Many have speculated that Google may soon be looking to penalise ad heavy pages with little content above the fold. I have just analysed my site and I have 6 pieces of content Above the Fold, with 1 possible image they could consider a banner. I think I am safe here that content and user experience is getting a high priority on my site.

There is always a catch 22 though, advertisers want banners showing above the fold as almost every user will see this, even users that bounce (ie visit your page then leave after no further action). This area is also good for putting your main call to actions, in my case – email subscription, social media follow buttons, link to my latest stats article etc.

So today, have a look at your website or blog – is your most important information above the fold and easy to find?

Do you have lots of ads above the fold? You may need to reconsider your user experience and how search engines view your webpages.