What is Below the Fold?
Did you ever find yourself in a situation where a headline caught your attention? So much so that you made an effort to read more about it? Well, the minute you decided to scroll down to find out more, that part of the page is called 'below the fold'. A famous newspaper term that is now adopted into the digital world.
The idea of, ‘The fold' plays an important role in three things in the digital world:
1. Web designing.
2. Marketing.
3. Laying out content strategy.
The ‘below the fold’ is a part of the page that is not immediately visible to the customers. It has to have all the key information to give them all the details of that heading that caught their attention on ‘above the fold.’ So ‘below the fold’ requires customers to make a conscious effort to engage further by scrolling down.
Why Should We Care About Below the Fold?
The content on above the fold is what helps in grabbing the initial attention, but it is the content below the fold that holds the attention. So it is important to give it just as much attention to maximise viewers engagement. A popular Google study noted that the ads placed on ‘above the fold’ successfully show 73% viewability, but ads placed 'below the Fold’ only have 44% viewability.
To ensure viewers stay on the page till the end, it needs to be laid out strategically. All the key information and details are placed in, ‘below the fold.’ Moreover, call to action options are also presented there.
Therefore, if it is not laid out correctly, chances are, it might be overlooked and missed. This can have a negative impact on the businesses as they might lose opportunities because of it.
What Are the Challenges of Below the Fold Content?
- Reduced Visibility
Sometimes, due to being placed “below the fold” important information misses the opportunity to reach people since it's not immediately visible. - Engagement Drop-Off
People usually quit after the fold, this results in a sharp drop in engagement. It negatively affects the content such as CTAs, advertisements and essential information. - Varying Screen Sizes
Due to multiple devices with varying screen sizes, the size of the fold remains inconsistent. Each person's view of the fold depends on the screen size of their device. According to a popular Google study, if an ad remains on the user's screen for about one second with 50% visibility of its pixels, then that creates a ‘viewable impression.’ - Load Times
High resolution images and videos placed in below the fold tend to take longer to load, this makes users lose interest in the content.
What Are the Best Practices for Below the Fold Content?
- Prioritize Critical Content Above the Fold
Try to grab the attention of the users by clearly showing all the important information such as headlines and CTAs, in above the fold for clear visibility. - Encourage Scrolling
Drop little hints by showing a few glimpses of images and texts related to the content below. This can spark curiosity and encourage users to keep scrolling. - Optimize for Responsiveness
When you design the fold, keep multiple screen sizes in mind. This way the content will look organised across all the devices. - Leverage Analytics
Understand the patterns of users by using tools like google analytics or heatmaps. They can provide an insight into how well the audience is engaging with below the fold content. With its help, you can refine the placement and presentation of the content. - Implement Lazy Loading
Improve the page loading speed by delaying loading of images and videos until users reach them by scrolling down. This fast loading of page ensures that users stay on it for as long as possible.
How to Optimize Content Below the Fold
- Craft Compelling Introductions Above the Fold
Try to get users hooked from the get go. First impression is the last impression.Use an engaging headline, a thought provoking question, or an eye catching visuals to spark their curiosity and force them to scroll further. - Create a Visual Hierarchy
Using different designs such as arrow icons, gradients, or seamless transactions can signal and encourage users to go from above-the-fold content to below-the-fold content. - Utilize Storytelling
An engaging, storytelling style can keep the audiences invested and interested till the end. They stick to find out the outcome. This can make them stay on the page from start to finish. - Highlight Key Takeaways
Try to communicate the message in a quick and concise way. Break down big sentences and long paragraphs, introduce bullet points and use bold headings to avoid boredom in readers. - Add Interactive Elements
Encourage users to interact with below-the-fold content. Give them this opportunity by using collapsible menus, expandable sections, or engaging videos.
Examples of Effective Below the Fold Content
- E-Commerce Websites
As soon as you open a website, in the above fold you see all the best-sellers, discounts and promotions. Amazon does the same. Once you scroll down to explore more, the descriptions, details, and reviews of the products are given. - Blogs and News Sites
In many websites, The New York Times Website for instance, also uses above the fold to showcase the teasers or headlines of a story. In order to read the full story, users have no choice but to scroll down. - Landing Pages
All the good landing pages quickly grab the attention with clear messages and buttons. This encourages users to take immediate action. Their cause is further supported by additional material provided in below the fold. For example, Companies like Dropbox and Slack excell at guiding their users with what they are looking for and what they need to do for it. - Portfolio Websites
All the designers and agencies put their best designs and projects in the ‘above the fold.’ But, if the major headline caught their attention, they'll scroll down to read full stories and testimonials which are only available in, ‘below the fold.’ This provides a complete insight to the customers.
