Above The Fold

Any area of a web page that is viewable without the viewer having to use the vertical scroll bar. Ad space in this area is usually more expensive since it is more likely to be viewed by the visitor. The term “above the fold” comes from the newspaper industry where headlines and advertisements placed above the horizontal fold are known to attract more reader attention.

Internet marketing for a B2B and B2C site today requires the same key concepts that were once only in the news print industry. Deciding what to place at the top of the web page may be the most important marketing decisions to make. First, it is important to understand that someone will arrive at a website in one of two ways. The first is they know your website by name. The second is they found your website through a search engine, web directory, or reference link. Each of these has its own set of variables when deciding what to place above the fold.

What do real estate web sites do to waste this valuable screen area? A few areas of concern are:

# large format logos at top of screen;
# large photos of home(s);
# large images of area or attractions;
# space consuming agent or team images; and
# multiple rows of navigation buttons.

For mediation websites, above-the-fold content you might choose include:

* Your business name and your name.
* A professional-quality photo of you. Forget the stock photos of people shaking hands–it’s been overdone on ADR websites and screams vanilla.
* A sign-up form for your e-zine or blog.
* Links to content you believe will be most compelling to the kinds of clients you’re trying to attract (your niche) with your online marketing.