Above the fold. Huhhhh. What is it good for? Absolutely everything, say it again!
What is above the fold?
Above the fold content is the part of a web page a visitor sees before scrolling.
Where did “above the fold” come from?
Newspapers! ‘Above the fold’ was a term coined for the content that took up the top half of the front page of a newspaper. This was because when the newspapers hit the newsstands, they would be displayed folded in half, so the headlines and big stories needed to be “above the fold” to grab attention.
Why does it matter?
This is your prime website real estate! Just by viewing this content, a cold visitor (someone totally new to your website) should be able to tell within seconds what your store sells and who your products are for. And inspire them to stay a little longer and take a look around!
Common Above-the-Fold Issues
- Not enough information
- Confusing hero banners (Why are there flowers when you sell dresses??)
- Too cluttered (takes up valuable space and can be difficult for users to navigate)
Golden Optimization Tips for Above The Fold
The content you place above the fold should:
- Be aligned with your business goals
- Grab attention
- Speak to your target audience
Considerations for mobile
Because visitors will be viewing your website from a variety of different devices, with different screen sizes, it’s best to use responsive web design. Responsive web pages react or “respond” to the browsing environment so content reflows to a screen of any size.
Go beyond your homepage
It’s NOT just on your homepage that you want to consider above the fold - product and collection pages should be a focus, too.
(Can you fit the variants and add to cart above the fold on mobile, for example - it’s tricky, but with a bit of coding love or the right theme, it can be done, it’s not required, but if you are really looking to squeeze as many conversions out of your visitors as possible, this can help!)
Too much empty space?
Be cautious with excessive empty space (unless that’s part of your brand, of course!)
Where's your search bar?
Make sure to enable predictive text to make it much easier for visitors to type into the search bar and quickly find products they are searching for. If they enjoy the experience, they are more likely to convert!
We hope this little guide will inspire you to make the most of the MOST important space on your website - the part everyone sees first!
