Above the fold: Is it a Myth?
July 30, 2007
Many people (mainly marketing people) are familiar with the phrase “Above the fold”. For those of you who aren’t familiar with what “Above the fold” means, it refers to keeping a clear marketing message in a place where people see it when they first open an email from your company or go to your website. As Milissa Tarquini states in her definition of “Above the Fold’…
In web design, the term “fold” means the line beyond which a user must scroll to see more contents of a page (if it exists) after the page displays within their browser. It is also referred to as a “scroll-line.”
Source: Boxes and Arrows
You can tie analytics into this by using stats to see the percentage of what visitors have a certain screen resolution and tailor it to the majority of your viewers. Getting back to the concept of “Above the Fold”, many people (marketers) either believe in it or do not. Both camps, on this thought, have their reasons
Myth 1 – Users won’t Scroll
Many people in the “users will never scroll” world believe that people by and large will not scroll into an email or web page because…
- It’s just too much work
- People are dumb
- The mouse scroll button doesn’t work (okay that’s a joke but still)
… Whether you are nodding your head in agreement or shaking it in disbelief it is something that factors into whether or not you think “Above the Fold” will work. The best way to think of page layout in terms of design starts from concepts of print design. Recently I heard someone describe laying out the main page of a web page and seeing a main web page like a magazine cover. It is the best analogy I’ve heard in a while because the main page of a website ties the whole site together, setting the tone for the rest of the site.
Myth 2 – I have to cram all the important things “Above the Fold”
Do you want to see a bad web page design or email newsletter? Follow this myth if you would like to. You can drive yourself crazy trying to fit in everything you think is important “Above the Fold”. If you have a clear message above the fold this is usually recommended because it is a simple and clear way to communicate to your audience. When you cram 5 messages above the fold it has a way of making whatever you want customers, viewers or your audience in general confused and leave them running away.
Have you ever been to a restaurant that served 50 main course items? Cramming the top of your email or website with 5 messages. When you are faced with more choices you tend to also become more indecisive. So try to remember the simple adage of K.I.S.S. (Keep It Simple Stupid)
How can I see how people are my site at different resolutions?
Obviously testing resolutions and seeing what of your campaign and marketing efforts is “above the fold” means that you need to view it in different resolutions. A simple way to do this is by adding the following JavaScript code into the Firefox Browser then go to “Organize Bookmarks”, “New Bookmark” and in the “Location Field” and give the bookmark a name of course and type…
Javascript:resizeTo(browser width, browser height);
Do you believe this is a myth or reality? Why not test it out in your online marketing efforts today and decide for yourself.
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