Above the fold, Below the fold & their meaning to a website
The terms 'Above The Fold' and 'Below The Fold' refer to the visibility of content on a webpage. They have a significant impact on user experience, so it's important to understand their meaning and plan your content accordingly. Let's get started!
What is Above the fold?
"Above The Fold" refers to the visible portion of a webpage when it first loads, without any scrolling. The term originates from the days of physical newspapers, which were often folded in half at newsstands. "Above The Fold", literally meaning "above the fold", referred to the top half of the front page of a newspaper. It featured the newspaper's name, the most important headline, and sometimes a portion of a photo illustrating the lead article.
An example of Above the fold, which is the upper half of a folded newspaper.
Above The Fold is a critical area. It must capture the user's attention, as not everyone will scroll down.
What should you include Above the fold?
The goal of the Above The Fold section is to capture the user's attention. We should encourage them to stay on the page and engage further. The content "above the fold" must be compelling enough to make the user want to scroll down.
The Above The Fold section is also the face of your website. It must make a good impression and be visually appealing. If the user sees an unattractive page, they will quickly leave. This increases the bounce rate, a key metric in SEO that should be as low as possible.
The Above The Fold section is essentially a promise of what the entire page offers. Therefore, a captivating headline must align with the content below the fold. Otherwise, the page will be categorized as clickbait and lose credibility.
What is Below the fold?
As you might guess, Below The Fold refers to the part of a webpage that becomes visible when a user scrolls down. In other words, it's everything that isn't immediately seen without scrolling. Generally speaking, only users who are interested enough to scroll further will see the content below the fold.
What should you include Below the fold?
Above the fold & Below the fold as a whole
The Below The Fold section should deliver all the information promised in the Above The Fold section. Both sections complement each other and cannot exist independently. The only exception is when a page is so short that it doesn't require scrolling. In such cases, all content is visible within the browser window, and the division into top and bottom naturally disappears.
It's worth considering how to divide content on your own website. Each website has its own unique requirements, depending on the industry, type of content, and presentation style. Don't include too much content Above The Fold. The goal is to encourage the user to scroll. Therefore, the Above The Fold section should grab attention, while the Below The Fold section provides detailed information.
Finally, let's look at a few examples of how content can be divided into "above and below the fold" for specific websites.
Above the fold & Below the fold - practical examples
Ophthalmology office website
Above the fold:
Below the fold:
News website
Above the fold:
Below the fold:
An article on growing tomatoes on a gardening blog
Above the fold:
Below the fold:
➡️ Read also: Evergreen content - what is it and how to create it?
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Jan Wojciechowski
Content Marketing Specialist
Content Marketing Specialist with several years of experience. Studied Marketing and Management on the University of Warsaw. In his work he tries to combine his writing skills, content knowledge and passion for new technologies. Privately he likes to do sports, read books and illustrate them.