Important Info Above The Fold
Posted by administrator on Tuesday, December 22nd, 2009
Putting your message where people are likely to see it is Advertising 101. Since the use of printer's ink to spread the message, this principle has been in active use. For example, a newspaper company will put the most important news story on the top of the front page. Most newspapers are folded in half horizontally, so the most widely read section of the paper is the front top half of the page (the celebrity gossip section is a close second). Editors use the term "above the fold" for referring to this prime printing real estate.
For a website, it's similar. You want to put the most important information "above the fold" -- in other words, in the first screenful. Your website needs to be designed and structured in a way that people can gather immediately what your message is without needing to scroll down or click on other pages.
We have recently been using a tool called Browser Size to help us make decisions on where to put content on a website. This tool gives insight into what sections of the site visitors are more likely to see based on data collected from visitors to Google's home page (such as web browser screen size). This has helped us make decisions on where to place links, how large to make banner graphics, etc. on the websites we design.
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