Above the fold – what it is and why it matters for websites and SEO

Definition

Above the fold refers to the content that is shown immediately when a page loads, before the user scrolls.

Above the fold is everything a visitor sees once the page has loaded, before they scroll. It forms the impression of the first few seconds – and often decides whether the visit continues or ends there.

Where does the term come from?

The expression comes from newspapers. A daily paper was folded in half, and whatever appeared above the fold was what people saw on the news-stand – it had to sell the copy. On the web, the metaphor lives on for the content you can see without scrolling.

Does the fold even exist any more?

This is where it gets tricky. A website has no single fold. Where the line falls depends on screen size, resolution, browser, any toolbars, video and other moving content, and whether the visitor is on mobile or desktop.

So trying to squeeze everything important above an imaginary line is the wrong approach. The idea that people do not scroll has also been disproved – Nielsen Norman Group has shown that users are happy to scroll, as long as they first see a reason to keep going. Its research also shows that attention is unevenly distributed: much of the viewing time is spent at the top of the page.

What should be above the fold?

The answer is not to cram more in, but to be clear about what matters most:

• What the page is about – a headline that confirms the visitor has come to the right place.
• Clear context for the page's primary search intent.
• A natural next step – a CTA or content that invites the visitor to scroll.

The area above the fold should set the direction, not carry the whole message.

Above the fold and loading time

The technical link matters. Google's Largest Contentful Paint (LCP) metric measures how quickly the largest visible element loads – and that element is almost always above the fold.

A heavy image or a slow hero section therefore drags down your LCP score and the first impression in one go. What is seen first must also load first.

Above the fold decides whether the rest is discovered

This is where the area really matters. It does not make a page good on its own, but it decides whether the visitor stays long enough to read the content that actually converts. A weak opening makes the rest of the page irrelevant – nobody gets that far.

Curious about what conversion rate optimisation (CRO) could do for your page? Try our conversion rate calculator.