In newspapers, “above the fold” refers to the content that’s on the top half of the front page. That’s the material the editors deemed important enough that they want it visible to entice people to buy a copy of that edition. Websites have an above-the-fold area too. It’s the part of a webpage that’s visible to a viewer without any scrolling. And as with a newspaper, your website’s above-the-fold area is prime real estate.

What do you most want your website visitors to see immediately? Keep in mind that studies show you have about 1/20 of a second for a visitor to decide whether or not to stay.

For mediation websites, above-the-fold content you might choose include:

• Your business name and your name.
• A professional-quality photo of you. Forget the stock photos of people shaking hands–it’s been overdone on ADR websites and screams vanilla. I’ll be writing more about this in a coming article.
• A sign-up form for your e-zine or blog. If you don’t know how to do this, check out my article series on autoresponders.
• Links to content you believe will be most compelling to the kinds of clients you’re trying to attract (your niche) with your online marketing.

If you use one of those huge flat-screen monitors, keep in mind that “above the fold” means different things to different monitors. My sole computer is a little 2-lb. Dell Latitude X1 that I take with me like some of you might take your current paperback. What I see when I first visit a website is different, then, than someone using a 17″ or 19″ monitor, and you should aim for the what the smallest screen is able to see.

Copyright © 2006 by Tammy Lenski. All rights reserved.