What does "above the fold" mean, and why does it matter?
By Max & Daniel · Updated 23 September 2026
"Above the fold" is the part of your website people see before they scroll. The name comes from newspapers, where the biggest story went on the top half of the front page. It's the most valuable space on your whole website.
You've got a few seconds
When someone lands on your site, they decide very quickly whether they're in the right place. If the first screen doesn't tell them, many won't scroll to find out. They'll go back to Google and click the next business.
What we put above the fold
On a trade or local business site, the first screen needs to answer:
- What you do, in plain words ("Electrician in Dee Why", not a clever slogan)
- Why you ("licensed, local, 5-star rated")
- How to get in touch (a big call or quote button)
- Something real: a photo of you, your van or your work
What we leave out
Long welcome paragraphs, sliders that rotate through five images, and anything that makes people wait. Those push the important stuff down the page, where fewer people see it.
Phones make it even more important
A phone screen is small, so there's even less room above the fold. That's why your mobile site might look different from the desktop version: we reorder things so the most important bits show first on a phone.
Curious what your business would look like above the fold? We'll build it and show you.