What is Above the Fold?
Above the fold refers to the area of a website that is immediately visible without scrolling. The term comes from newspapers where headlines were placed "above the fold". In web design, this area is crucial for first impressions and bounce rate. Best practices: Clear value proposition, primary call-to-action, no autoplay videos or pop-ups, fast loading time for this area (critical CSS). Challenge: "The fold" varies greatly depending on screen size and device. Desktop: ~600px height, Mobile: ~500px. The myth "everything above the fold" is outdated - users scroll if content is interesting.
Key Points
- Visible area without scrolling
- Crucial for first impression
- Place value proposition + CTA here
- Varies by device (desktop ~600px)
- Critical CSS for fast rendering
- Users scroll - if content interests them
Practical Example
“Our A/B test showed the CTA above the fold got 30% more clicks than below the fold.”