Above The Fold

Recently I’ve found myself using these three words on an hourly basis, each and every day, in my discussions with business owners and web developers. If you’re unsure what “above the fold” means then stop what you’re doing right now and complete this simple exercise.

Open a website on a desktop or laptop (preferably a website you manage or own). Now here’s the important part.  You must overcome the overwhelming and completely subconscious urge to click or scroll. Stay exactly where you are. Don’t move down the page. Not even a little bit.

What you’re looking at right now is the “above the fold”. This is the most valuable real estate on the page, so it’s so important to get this right. Now without moving at all I should be able to answer these 3 questions using only what I can see “above the fold”.

  1. Who Are You?

Are you a Brisbane Plumber, Sydney Electrician, Melbourne Panel Beater or Gold Coast Nutritionist?

  1. Why Should I Choose You?

What is your unique selling point?  You might only capture my attention for seconds, so why should I pick you over your competitor?  If I can’t see one I’m going to assume you don’t have any.

  1. What Do You Want Me To Do About It?

Do you want me to call? Send an email? Like you on Facebook? Follow you on Instagram?  (The correct answer is not “all of the above) Choose the most valuable action to you and prioritise it. If the answer relates to a phone call, then make the phone number prominent, make it stand out. If the answer is “Send an email” then add a contact form above the fold.

Unfortunately, this is something that is so often ignored despite its importance. All too often people look to have attractive websites that ‘pop’ and forget about the strategy.  If you’re looking at your site as you read this and realise you have a problem, there is a silver lining. You can increase the conversion rate of your site dramatically with some simple corrections that don’t need to cost the world.

I don’t have to install Heatmap Tracking to your website to know that more traffic is seeing your header than your footer. If you know you have a problem with your “above the fold” section or have completed this and want to know what else you can do to improve your website’s conversion rate give Kick Media a call today.

Joseph Wheeler

Digital Marketing Manager

Joseph is Digital Marketing Manager & Digital Strategy Innovator at Kick Media. With a background in e-commerce management and a creative approach to data driven ROI he’s quickly making a name for himself both within and outside of the industry as an expert in PPC Strategy & Implementation.