Website Design: Page Fold Is No Barrier for Online Browsers

The phrase “above the fold” originated in the newspaper industry and referred to the relative importance of a story according to the position it was placed on the page. This typically referred to the traditional broadsheet style but could also be used with a tabloid. A story that was printed above the fold was more likely to be read than one printed beneath, most specially when the paper was folded up and not in use!

In a somewhat arcane reference to this, webmasters sometimes refer to an item that does not appear on your screen when you first view it as being below the “page fold.” They contend that if visitors need to scroll down to see any content it is less likely to be viewed as often as if it were above the fold, thereby inferring that all your important information, graphics, links or buttons should be treated appropriately.

However, time and again this has proven to be incorrect. Almost everyone is used to the concept of scrolling up or down and many people surf with their hand on the mouse, finger poised to scroll at any time! In any case, given the dimensions of the typical browser screens and monitor layout it can be all but impossible to get your message across with style and composition otherwise.

Some webmasters advocate that you should design your page to encourage people to scroll. In other words, keep your hard hitting statements or graphics higher up, leaving a crumb trail for people to follow as they scroll down.

There are certain key points to remember:

• Try and avoid significant horizontal lines or bars, especially if they are at or around the natural “fold” position. If visitors can see the bar at the bottom of the screen it may well suggest to them that this is the footer and they may stop right there.
• Try and avoid the use of frames on your page, with scrollbars included. At the least this can be confusing and somewhat annoying to the visitor if he or she has to use the main browser scrollbar as well as your in-page scrollbar.
• Always try and break up your page and encourage natural exploration. Content management system style layouts are ideal for giving visitors a tidbit of information at a time and showing them that you have a variety of different areas for them to explore.

By referring to web heat maps we can get an idea where our visitors typically scan. Reference has again shown that screen size is not a barrier for scrolling. We’re not advocating that you hide all your “gems” beneath the fold, but rather take into account some of the tips in this article and make your webpage composition enjoyable to behold.

We would love you to share your web design tips.

Matthew Toren