Above the fold
- The part of a web page that is visible as soon as it loads, before the visitor scrolls. The term comes from the top half of a folded newspaper.
- What sits there helps decide whether a visitor stays: a clear heading, a sentence saying what you offer, and an obvious next step. It matters less than it once did, because people are used to scrolling, but there is no fixed fold: it is in a different place on every screen, and on a phone it comes very early. The aim is to make the very first screen clear, not to cram everything into it.
Example The offer and the call-to-action button both appear above the fold, even on a phone.
See also Call to action Responsive design White space