Above the fold is a term that is mostly used in the newsroom. It refers to the top section of the newspaper that’s visible after folding. This is the section that contained the most important headline of the day.
In web design, above the fold refers to the top section of your website that the user immediately notices upon visiting without having to scroll down. This section is important because it’s the part that leaves the biggest impression on the visitor.
If the visitor doesn’t like what he or she sees in this section, then the site will be abandoned. So, it’s quite crucial to make the above the fold section of your site as appealing as possible. Here are several tips that will help you do that:
Write an Attention-Grabbing Headline
One of the easiest ways to grab attention is an interesting headline. This is the tactic newspapers traditionally use. Some of the most successful websites today, like Britain’s Daily Mail, use catchy headlines in giant fonts to grab attention. The user can’t help but stop and read on sites like Daily Mail. You can use a similar tactic on your website regardless of the industry. You may also want to purchase a web theme that allows writing giant headlines in a manner that prevents the visitor from looking away.
Feature an Interesting Tool on Top
SEMRush sells an SEO research tool. When you go to the company’s website, you are greeted with this wonderful tool. There are no images or even a headline. The user can get to know the product right away. The popular web analysis blog Quick Sprout also uses a similar tool that immediately engages a visitor with the website. Engaged visitors rarely leave. So, depending on your business, you should consider featuring an interactive component above the fold to keep visitors interested and browsing.
Use an Unforgettable Image
Images can grab attention even better than text. Take, for example, ConversionXL, the official business website of the conversion rate expert Peep Laja. It features a memorable headline “your website is leaking money.” Next to it is an unmistakable picture of Peep Laja. This images and the text is placed on a largely empty background so the users can’t help but notice it. It’s a great combination for retaining visitors. If your target audience is more swayed by images than text, don’t hesitate to use a tactic similar to this.
Create a CTA Button Offering Free Stuff
Another reason Peep Laja’s website is so successful is that there’s a CTA button above the fold offering a free eBook in return for the email address. Even if the user is not impressed by the headline or the image, the free item will grab attention. In general, do not put CTA buttons below the fold. They should be on top to grab attention and engage visitors without missing a beat.
You can also use a unique layout to make visitors interested, like Men with Pens does with its site layout. Think considerably about the above suggestions, and learn from the examples given so your website can retain traffic.
Originally posted on March 13, 2017 @ 3:35 pm
