What is Below the Fold? Strategic Content Placement Guide

"Below the fold" is an expression originating in newspaper publishing. It's whatever's on a webpage that you have to scroll down to check out. In newspapers, when the 16-page document was "below the fold" it was more difficult to see. In digital marketing, this concept determines what content of yours that your users will see immediately and what they will have to look for by scrolling down the page.

The fold is still one of those digital marketing buzzwords, and with good reason. New studies indicate that 80% of users' focus is above the fold. But some of the most lucrative conversion optimization tests ever have taken key elements below the fold and produced spectacular results. Here's the thing: When and why you should put content below the fold can be the difference between a drawn-out crappy campaign and one that changes your business for the better.

This comprehensive guide covers everything you need to get better at optimizing your below-the-fold content, from its humble old newspaper days to the latest in conversion optimization. You'll find out why the generally accepted advice about where to put folds is so often wrong, see real working life examples of how to make conversions work better and learn tips you can use right away.

How 'below the fold' migrated from newspapers to become today's most popular media form

The tale begins in 1951, when Merriam-Webster first cited "below-the-fold" in a description of newspaper articles placed in the bottom half of broadsheet papers. It wasn't long before publishers discovered that stories that appeared above the fold — the upper half visible at newsstands — attracted many more readers and were far more lucrative.

When the web was born in the early 1990s, the only right thing to do for websites was the same as for newspapers. Jakob Nielsen's seminal study in 1994-1996 discovered that only 10% of users scrolled on navigational pages; 90% chose from the above the fold information. This study demonstrated that position is a factor in how much attention or interest someone pays to an object.

But here is where things get interesting. In 1997, Nielsen reversed himself on not letting users scroll pages because he perceived they were acting differently. "By 1997, when scrolling-length pages became the norm, who didn't know how to scroll?" he said. But the attention of people paid was the same: content above the fold remained the most read by users.

Fast forward to today and Nielsen Norman Group's most recent data indicates that 57% of viewing time is remaining on content in the first screenful. This is lower than the 80 percent who said that in 2010, but still a strong majority. This decline demonstrates that people are getting more accustomed to scrolling (and scrolling has become a more intuitive behavior, especially on mobile devices), but the fold continues to have a major impact on behavior.

The surprising reveal of how people scroll today

The truth is, this is more in line with how most people engage with web content today. 76% of users of modern web sites scroll to some extent, however there is still a huge (84%) difference in how users treat content above the fold and below the fold. It's not just that they're lazy; they're also overwhelmed by the mental work and time they must invest in decisions.

Recent data from multiple eye-tracking studies reports that 68% of users' focus on mobile devices is concentrated on the center and top half of the screens, and 86% of their attention on the top two-thirds of the screens. The dynamic is even more pronounced on desktop, where each desktop visitor spends 77.8% longer on visits than mobile visitors.

The psychology behind this behavior has been termed "information foraging theory" by researchers. The value of that content above the fold is the "information scent" that users evaluate before deciding to scroll further. For the most part, users are also not going to scroll down if what's above the fold doesn't show them that they will see clearer value below.

Desktop and mobile devices now fall at 64% of global web traffic so it's still important to use it as the rule of thumb for maximising the above the fold content. Digital Silk study finds that less content is visible on fold on mobile screens. This only makes it more important to curate content in a smart way. Mobile users expect pages to load fast and to start getting information immediately, with only about 10 seconds passing before they begin to scroll.

What does your fold strategy have to do with SEO, and why will Google give a hoot?

Google's attitude about content below the fold has changed quite a bit since the early-2000s. It's not that they "don't have a strong preference," like John Mueller from Google has said, but that's a more nuanced answer.

Google's Page Layout Algorithm, in service since 2014, in particular penalizes sites for having too many ads above the fold. The algorithm finds sites that have many ads in the visible viewport but little content. It favors sites where the content is accessible immediately, without scrolling past ads.

And most critical of all, folding of the web page also directly impacts the 'Core Web Vitals' (CWV), which is the single most important thing for ranking on Google. Mostly, the Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) score is about content taking a long time to load above the fold. That is exactly why folding optimization is crucial for technical SEO. According to Google's official documentation, pages scoring an LCP of below 2.5 seconds are ranked higher in search. Elements which are above-the-fold are usually your largest contentful paint elements.

With the roll out of the mobile-first indexing update, Google's mobile-first indexing considers mobile viewport optimization. Your mobile fold strategy is therefore extremely important for mobile and desktop rankings. Your responsive design needs to ensure fold optimization is the same across devices.

Government sources, such as usability.gov emphasize the need for strategic positioning of content in their Web design guidelines. Federal websites, for instance, need to have some information that is unique and valuable, available above the fold. Search engines appreciate this rule, because it is grounded on broader usability principles.

Real-world instances that challenge our thinking about the fold

It gives us real-world testing and the strongest proof that a fold is optimized, and often goes against what people assume. Here are 5 detailed case studies that demonstrate how the location of a fold correlates to conversion performance in a complex way.

Case study 1: ContentVerve's 304% jump in conversions

Michael Aagaard, a Senior CRO Consultant at ContentVerve, raised serious doubts about the assumption that CTAs should always be above the fold. For a B2C service landing page, he experimented with comparing a traditional above the fold CTA placement with one "way below the fold."

And the results surprised everyone: Only by moving the CTA under the fold, they increased conversions by 304%. The treatment that worked best had an action button that appeared beneath a lot of scrolling, which is contrary to best practices.

As Aagaard's intense analysis showed, the breakthrough was a simple news flash:

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"There is a correlation between the complexity of the product/offer versus where the optimal placement of the CTA is. For complex services requiring explanation and trust building, users needed substantial information before they were ready to convert."

— Michael Aagaard, Senior CRO Consultant at ContentVerve

Case Study 2: Ceramcor's strategy to reduce banners

Ceramcor, an American cookware company, lost a significant number of visitors from their site because large ads created product content below-the-fold. It didn't make any sense to them, of course, but they decided to try reducing the size of the banners instead of eliminating the promotions altogether.

This one tweak resulted in a 20% boost in conversions and a significant reduction in bounce rate. By surfacing products above the fold (but still including promotional messaging) they found a way to meet their marketing objectives without diminishing the user experience.

Perhaps the most obvious take away from WebFX case studies is that people had come to shop, not watch commercials. When ads dominated above the fold, it created issues that negatively affected conversion rates.

Case Study 3: How Thinkific nailed its landing page

Consider Thinkific, a SaaS platform generating more than $100 million in annual revenue, accrued more than 700 custom landing pages over two years by way of strategic fold optimization. For the various stages of the user journey and types of campaigns, they positioned the folds differently.

The all-in-one plan worked like a charm: It doubled the company's growth, generated over 150,000 conversions, and demonstrated a 50% conversion rate on webinar landing pages. Thinkific Pro attracted 600 new customers from one campaign.

They were able to win by aligning their fold strategy with what users wanted. Event landing pages had differing fold behaviours compared with product feature pages, and promotional copy had differing fold behaviours compared with educational content.

Case study 4: The transformation of the home page of the triple crown corporation

This American business solutions company increased conversions by 49.73% with a complete homepage redesign that put important content top and below the fold.

According to WebFX conversion analysis, the redesign has improved all the website analytical metrics, making the information hierarchy more coherent and the navigation more straightforward. Above-the-Fold Content On this screen, they clearly communicated the value propositions, while below-the-fold illustrated more as a story and built trust.

Case study 5: Making Vegetology's product page stronger

Some specific examples of brands Who (don't) add much information above the fold for their visitors: Vegetology – a health stack provider that operates in the US saw their Conversion rate increase by 6% when they moved product features and testimonials to above the fold and left the rest of the information (alot of details, even) below the fold.

The themed pairings of benefit communication and social proof above the fold and detail below came up with a nice progressive disclosure handshake to ensure that trust is established while keeping people interested.

The value of understanding below-the-fold optimization

Most of your competitors don't understand this, but knowing how and when to use below-the-fold placement can give you a massive competitive advantage.

1. Progressive disclosure enhances user experience

Strategic under-the-fold placement enables you to form information hierarchies that support users in making difficult decisions. Rather than overwhelming visitors with a ton of information right off the bat, use above-the-fold content to grab their attention and gain their trust, then give them more below the fold for those who do want to learn more.

This approach is particularly effective with B2B services, complex software products, and big ticket purchases where demand requires people to learn a lot of information before they can make a decision. Research shows only 32% of users read the fourth paragraph; 80% read the first. This also means that you should push specifics down the fold to your eager users.

2. Improved mobile conversion and engagement

Well, considering 64% of web traffic is mobile, and below the fold is where you need to optimize above all else for mobile CRO, it's critical. Mobile devices' above-the-fold real estate is naturally constrained due to screens being much smaller compared to desktops, according to Digital Silk's traffic analysis; hence, content demands to be the priority.

Mobile and desktop users notice different things. As an example, they focus on the top two-thirds of mobile screens 86% of the time. By strategically placing this content below the fold, you're able to keep mobile experiences clean and lightning fast, all the while providing users with all the information they need to be enticed.

3. Sophisticated methods for boosting conversions

Running beneath-the-fold ads just opens up a number of more sophisticated testing options than most of your competitors bother even considering. A/B testing where CTAs go and even what they look like based on where the traffic comes from, what type of users they are and what level of understanding they have of your product can give you improvements that just dumping all of your CTAs above the fold in a big, generic bundle won't.

For example, the ones that are just above the fold CTAs might be worth running if you can determine whether they attract "repeat" visitors who already know what you do. New visitors, on the other hand may be best served by above-the-fold educational content before they are offered a chance to convert.

4. Position yourself so you are unique and different from your competition

Sure, the rule of thumb for marketers is to stick to the limitations above the fold, but smart below the line optimisation can make you stand out and gain users your competitors miss. For more complex products and services explanation and trust is often required, above the fold doesn't always cut it.

A perfect case study for this kind of thing is ContentVerve. By placing their CTA in the body of the page and below detailed product descriptions, they saw a whopping 304% improvement vs. the old above-the-fold approach.

Frequently Asked Questions About Below the Fold

What's under the fold?

Anything on a Web page that is not visible unless you scroll down is below the fold. It changes its exact location a lot depending on what and the size of the display! On desktops, it's generally 600–800 pixels from the top, and on mobiles it's 550–650 pixels. RWD, on the other hand, means that your fold line is based on viewport, so you use adjustable optimization, not fixed size.

How to track "Below the fold" content performance correctly?

To monitor the amount of user interaction with content below the fold, implement scroll depth tracking. Google Analytics documentation shows by default it's 90% which is why only 90% of the page would be tracked. Still, enhanced scrolling tracking at the 25%, 50%, and 75% thresholds provides better insights. Microsoft Clarity (free) and Hotjar are a pair of heatmap tools that reveal how users interact with content and views at different depths on a page.

Is below the fold content affecting SEO rankings in reality?

According to John Mueller, Google treats everything the same regardless of its position on the page. But stuff that appears above the fold should offer original, valuable information, and not be overwhelmed with ads. According to Search Engine Journal's research, The Page Layout Algorithm penalises ad ratios above the fold that are way too low. This means ad placement matters for SEO.

Do you place calls to action above or below the fold?

The positioning of a CTA varies based on what the user needs to do and how complex the product is. Existing (aka "pre-sold") customers and returning readers often react more positively to CTAs that are above the fold. On the other hand for those visitors who are uncertain, they may need below the fold information first. According to research by Michael Aagaard, complex products perform better with the CTA below the fold, following value building.

What's different about folding when you're folding with a phone in your hands?

Folds are even more critical to the user experience on mobile screen sizes. Phone users are known to scroll but want important information to be easy to find. Responsive design needs to ensure that content shifts in the right manner while maintaining the strategic information hierarchy on every device.

Who even reads below the fold?

New research finds that 76% of users will scroll when the proper design enables them to do so, and most others will scroll when prompted by a call to action. But as the research cited in UX Myths notes, content above the fold gets 84% more attention than content below the fold. There are a few factors that really influence how users scroll which are the quality of the content, the page design, and the informational scent.

How do you make sure that the above-the-fold and below-the-fold content is as compelling as it can be?

Have a visible information hierarchy with compelling above the fold content and more value below it. Provide for progressive disclosure to aid in decision-making. Experiment with different approaches based on your product's complexity and the people you are trying to reach. Review the scroll depth analytics to understand how users are reacting to the way you position and space your content.

Tools and methods to quantify fold optimization

To succeed at below-the-fold optimization, you need to measure things accurately and you have to keep testing things. These are the top tools and tactics pros use to increase conversions.

Google recommended tools to quantify performance

PageSpeed Insights assessment provides a comprehensive overview of a loading performance below the fold—finds the Largest Contentful Paint (LCP), among other things. This free tool demonstrates both lab and field data, which can be used to work on the Technical side of the fold elements.

Google Search Console reports provide you with real user data that displays how well your fold optimization does across different devices and in different contexts. Monitor LCP performance on a monthly basis to ensure elements above the fold are loading in under 2.5 seconds, as it's what Google has recommended.

The Performance tab of Chrome DevTools lays out a timeline of when fold elements load by time. This allows you to discover and optimize individual above-the-fold resources that are impacting your site's performance.

Instruments to analyse the behaviour of professional users

Microsoft Clarity heatmaps offer you free click, scroll, and attention heatmaps without restricting the number of sessions. The full-sized scroll heatmaps will show you exactly where users drop off from scrolling, so you can figure out the optimal fold placement for your particular audience.

Hotjar's advanced features give you more advanced features that help you see heatmaps, record sessions and keep track of how far down the page you go. The free plan includes 1,050 sessions a month, sufficient for a first cycle of fold optimization tests.

These tools reveal patterns of behavior among users that analytics cannot. They reveal the difference between what your users say they do and what they actually do when they interact with your content.

More sophisticated methods of turning thoughts into action

You can measure engagements above and below the fold differently by creating custom Google Analytics 4 events. This allows you to check how various fold strategies perform and adapt based on data from actual user behaviour.

To get real insight on how users are using your content, use scroll depth tracking at different levels (25%, 50%, 75%, 90%). This is the information that helps decide where to place content and tactics to engage people further.

In conclusion

Below-the-Fold Optimization One of the most underrated opportunities in digital marketing is below-the-fold optimization. Most people assume that you must have everything important above the fold, but real-life tests prove that putting things below the fold in the right spot can do wonders for your conversion rates.

But the greater lesson to learn is that the context is even more important than the convention. It's more about the best folding principles than best practices and it really depends on how complex the product is and what the user wants and how savvy the audience is. By testing past what was believed to be true, companies like ContentVerve, Thinkific, etc all had some amazing wins.

Today, people scroll, and 76% of people will look at what's below that initial landing point — provided the top of the page encourages further viewing of the content below the fold. But the probability mass concentration is still pretty high towards content above fold, so positioning well becomes really crucial for achieving higher conversions.

Rather than assuming, you should be testing next. Establish good mechanisms for measurement, monitor scroll depth and test a variety of different fold strategies for your audience and product in an organized manner. The best internet marketers understand that below-the-fold optimization isn't about checklists; it's about understanding your users and implementing changes that fit their habits and expectations.

The bottom line: What is clear from that experience, however, is if you want to excel at optimizing below the fold, you have to test rigorously, measure precisely and continue optimizing using real user behavioral data rather than broad best practices.

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"Below-the-fold optimization isn't just about scrolling—it's about understanding human psychology and decision-making patterns. After two decades in digital marketing, I've seen countless campaigns fail because marketers assume users behave logically. The most successful strategies I've implemented leverage below-the-fold placement to create natural information hierarchies that guide users through complex decision journeys, particularly for high-consideration purchases."

— Tessar Napitupulu, CEO of Arfadia and Digital Marketing Expert

Related Terms

Above the Fold - Content visible on webpage without scrolling, critical for conversion optimization
Landing Page Optimization - Process of improving website and campaign elements to increase conversion percentage
Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO) - Systematic process of increasing percentage of visitors who convert
User Experience (UX) - Overall experience person has when interacting with product