What writers & others say
“The portion of the website that is above the fold is still the most valuable real estate on a website and the user experience should reflect that.”
— Alex Caldwell, creative director, Brolik
“DYK? The human brain judges attraction in one-fifth of a second.”
— @AnswersDotCom
“Clap your hands twice. The interval between claps is one beat. That’s how long you have to command attention on an AOL screen.”
— “How to Talk AOL,” Fast Company, July 2002
“Instant gratification takes too long.”
— Carrie Fisher, late American actress and writer
“Everything above the fold helps your visitors decide whether your site is worth reading at all.”
— Shanelle Mullin, content & growth, Shopify
“How long will users stay on a web page before leaving? It’s a perennial question, yet the answer has always been the same: Not very long.”
— Jakob Nielsen, “king of usability”
“The material that’s the most important for the users’ goals or your business goals should be above the fold.”
— Jakob Nielsen, “king of usability”
“What appears at the top of the page vs. what’s hidden will always influence the user experience — regardless of screen size.”
— Amy Schade, director of user experience, Nielsen Norman Group
“Users don’t scroll for fun. They scroll for a purpose. So if talking about the fold puts the focus on what’s first on the page, let’s continue the conversation.”
— Amy Schade, director of user experience, Nielsen Norman Group
“The job of the above-the-fold content is to engage people enough to get them to take some action — something other, that is, than clicking the back button.”
— Michael Slater, co-founder, Webvanta Inc.
How can you reach readers where their eyes are?
Web visitors spend 57% above the fold, or on the first screen of a webpage, according to the Nielsen Norman Group. They spend 74% on the first two screens.
Learn how to find out how to reach visitors where their eyes are at Reach Readers Online — our web-writing workshop.
There, you’ll learn how to stop dropping the best-read element on your webpage … how to avoid getting your head cut off on smartphones … how to get found with Ann’s simple tricks and tools for SEO … and how to overcome the obstacles to reading on the screen to get the word out on mobile devices.
