Definition
Above the Fold
The portion of a webpage visible without scrolling. Placing key trust signals and CTAs above the fold typically increases engagement and conversions.
What does Above the Fold mean?
Above the fold refers to whatever content a visitor sees on a screen before scrolling, a term borrowed from newspaper layout where the top half of a folded page carried the most important headline. On the web the exact pixel boundary varies by device and browser, but the concept still marks the first impression zone of a page.
Why does Above the Fold matter?
This zone matters because most visitors decide within seconds whether a page is relevant and trustworthy enough to keep reading. A headline, hero image, or trust signal placed here gets seen by nearly every visitor, while content further down is seen only by those who scroll, so above-the-fold real estate carries outsized influence on first impressions and bounce decisions.
How is Above the Fold applied in practice?
Teams measure what's above the fold using scroll-depth tracking and heatmaps segmented by common viewport sizes, then test whether moving a review count, star rating, or CTA into that space changes engagement. Because viewport height differs across phones, tablets, and monitors, optimization usually targets the most common breakpoints rather than a single fixed line.
Go deeper
Related terms
Where this fits
Above the Fold sits in the conversion rate optimization part of the NotiProof resource network.
Read the Conversion Rate Optimization guide