SEO Glossary: Above the Fold

What does Above the Fold mean?

Even before the Internet, the term "Above The Fold" was used. When newspapers were put on paper in a print shop, they were folded in the middle. The crease line in the middle represents the "fold". Above The Fold therefore means "above the fold line".

 

Journalists were thus concerned with arranging particularly important content and attention-grabbing headlines above the fold, or Above The Fold, as much as possible.

 

It's a similar story with the design of Internet pages. When users open a web page, they immediately see the top section. This content is called Above The Fold. Depending on the end device and screen resolution, this area and the associated content will therefore vary.

 

What is the significance of the Above the Fold area?

It is still the case that content Above The Fold attracts 80% of a user's attention. So if website operators want to attract attention, they should use targeted content in this area.
The goal is to arouse the greatest possible interest. Therefore, not too much superfluous information should be placed in Above The Fold.

 

Rather, the benefits of the website that a user receives should be listed here, for example.

 

Depending on the type of content, it has become a real challenge to place specific content in a targeted manner. Because, as we all know, this can be quite diverse.

 

How is the right design done for different devices?

Nowadays, users not only surf the internet on computers, but also on smartphones and tablets. The content is displayed in responsive design, meaning it always adapts to the screen size. Accordingly, the fold line is always arranged differently so that viewers see certain content in a different position.

 

Possible factors:

 

• Screen resolution
• Size from screen
• The user has enlarged the display of the page
• The user uses additional toolbars and add-ons

 

So, as you can see, there is no exact formula or guideline for where content is optimally placed. However, website owners should make sure that the most important content is displayed Above The Fold as much as possible to attract the most attention.

 

Also GOOGLE ANALYTICS can help to learn more about your visitors. A look at the subcategory "Browser and operating system" offers, among other things, the option "Screen resolution". This item serves as a rough guide to how content can be arranged.

 

Moreover, it is helpful to view your own website in different resolutions. Useful add-ons such as Window Resizer help to view one's own page in any resolution.