There is no fold. Screen sizes vary so widely that the line falls in a different place for nearly every visitor, and people scroll readily when given a reason. What remains true is that the top of the page does the orientation work: if a visitor cannot tell within a couple of seconds what this is and whether it is relevant, they will not scroll to find out.
Where the idea came from
The term is borrowed from newspapers, where the physical fold determined what was visible on a stand. It transferred to the web in an era of broadly similar screen sizes, when a rough pixel line was a reasonable approximation.
That era ended. Between phones of many sizes, tablets, laptops, and large desktop displays, the visible area at load varies by a factor of several, so designing to a specific line means designing for a visitor who may not exist.
Two opposite mistakes
Cramming everything up top
The older error, produced by taking the fold literally. Every message, offer, and link squeezed above an imaginary line, producing a dense, anxious page where nothing is emphasised because everything is.
This actively suppresses scrolling, because a wall of competing elements reads as complete rather than as the beginning of something.
A hero that does not orient the visitor
The more common modern error. A full-screen photograph with three words of copy over it, occupying the entire opening view while communicating nothing about what the business does or where it operates.
The image is not the problem; using the most valuable space on the site without answering anything is. A strong hero image paired with a clear statement of what you do and where you work uses that space properly.
What the opening view actually needs to do
Not sell. Orient. Four questions, answered fast enough that continuing feels worthwhile:
- What is this? A plain statement of what the business does, in the words a customer would use.
- Is it near me? For any local business, the single most important qualifier and the one most often omitted.
- Is this for me? Residential or commercial, the kind of work, the kind of customer.
- What do I do next? Usually a phone number, as argued in phone number placement.
That is achievable in a headline, a line of supporting text, and a visible contact method. It does not require filling the screen, and a page that answers those four things in a compact opening leaves the visitor with a reason to scroll rather than a wall to get past.
People scroll, with a condition
Scrolling is now instinctive and effortless, particularly on touch devices, and the concern that visitors will not scroll is outdated.
The condition attached is that scrolling is an act of continued interest. Someone scrolls because the top of the page suggested there was something worth finding. If the opening view did not establish that, the scroll never begins.
So the top of the page is not where you put everything. It is where you earn the rest of the page.
The false bottom problem
One genuine pitfall worth naming. A design element that looks like the end of a section can read as the end of the page, particularly a full-width band or a large area of flat colour.
The fix is to let something be visibly cut off at the natural viewport edge. A partially visible heading or image is an unambiguous signal that more exists below, and it costs nothing.
The practical test
Open your homepage on a phone, do not scroll, and hand it to someone who does not know your business.
Ask them what the company does, where it operates, and what they would do next. If they cannot answer all three, the problem is not the position of the fold. It is that the opening view is decorative rather than informative.
Frequently asked questions
Does above the fold still matter?
The concept of a fixed line does not, since screen sizes vary too widely for one to exist. What matters is that the opening view orients the visitor quickly, because someone who cannot tell what the site is or whether it is relevant will not scroll to find out.
Do people scroll on websites?
Readily, particularly on touch devices where scrolling is effortless. The condition is that scrolling is an act of continued interest, so the opening view has to give a reason for it. Where it fails to, the scroll never begins.
What should be visible when a page first loads?
Enough to answer four questions: what the business does in plain language, whether it operates near the visitor, whether it serves customers like them, and what to do next. That is achievable in a headline, a supporting line, and a visible contact method.
Are full-screen hero images a mistake?
They can be, when they occupy the entire opening view while communicating nothing about what the business does or where it operates. The image itself is not the problem; using the most valuable space on the site for decoration rather than orientation is.
What is a false bottom in web design?
A design element that looks like the end of the page when it is not, often a full-width band or large area of flat colour falling near the viewport edge. Allowing content to be visibly cut off instead signals unambiguously that more exists below.
How can I test whether my opening view works?
Open the homepage on a phone without scrolling and hand it to someone unfamiliar with the business. Ask what the company does, where it operates, and what they would do next. Failing any of the three indicates the opening view is decorative rather than informative.
West Coast Media Solutions Inc. builds websites for businesses across Canada. Conversion research is heavily context dependent and widely misquoted; where we describe a principle rather than citing a figure, that is deliberate.
Want a second opinion on your site?
We review sites for businesses across Canada and show you exactly where enquiries are being lost, and what it takes to fix it.
Start a Conversation