What is Above the fold?
Above the fold” refers to the part of a web page that is immediately visible to the users without scrolling. In contrast, content that is located below this immediately visible area and is only visible after scrolling is called “below the fold.”
What is the origin of the terms ‘Above the Fold’ and ‘Below the Fold’?
The term “fold” originally came from the newspaper publishing industry. It represents the folding of the newspaper in half on the newsstands so that only the top half of the front page is visible. Any content on the top front page was called “above the fold.” Newspaper editors would put the most compelling content there to entice readers to buy their newspaper.
With the advantage of the internet, this term has transferred to Website design and SEO, and any content that loads immediately on the top section of the website came to be known as above-the-fold content.
Why is Above the Fold important?
Above the fold area is very important for web design and SEO because for users it shapes the first impression of the website. Here are some important aspects of it:
- It’s the first section visitors see on your website, so it influences their first impression of what you offer.
- If visitors don’t find what they’re looking for in the above-the-fold section of the website, they may leave the page, which is bad for SEO as it increases the visitor bounce rate of your website and negatively affects its ranking on Google.
- Search engines like Google prefer content at the top of a page and rate it as more important for search results.
Which content belongs on the Above The Fold Section of a webpage?
There are no hard and fast rules regarding the ideal placement of elements on a page. However, in general, the following applies: The most important content appears at the top of the website. It should be catchy and to the point. However, this part of the page shouldn’t be overloaded with too much information as it can overwhelm the users.
How does Above the Fold affect SEO?
In 2012, Google released the Page Layout Algorithm Update (Ads Above The Fold) and started punishing websites that excessively advertise in the above-the-fold area. Such websites offered a low user experience, as users had to scroll through ads to view the actual content of the webpage.
That’s why it’s important to balance the ratio of content and advertising banners in the Above The Fold section of the website with more focus on content to achieve Google ranking.