Above the fold
Above the fold is the part of a page a visitor sees before scrolling, on whatever screen they’re using.
Area
Websites and conversion
What it means in practice
The term comes from newspapers, where the top half of the front page showed on the newsstand. On the web, the fold moves. A large monitor shows far more than a phone, and the browser window changes it again.
The first screen usually holds the headline, a supporting line, the main call to action and a visual, such as a product shot or a diagram. Its job is to tell visitors where they are, what the company does and what to do next. Most people decide right there whether the rest of the page deserves their time.
The first screen only has to earn the scroll. Long pages work fine when the top gives people a reason to keep going.
Why it matters for B2B and AI teams
Most B2B buyers land on a homepage or landing page after a quick look at a link, a post or a search result. If the first screen doesn’t say what the product is and who it’s for, many leave before scrolling.
Technical and AI products have it hardest, because the team wants to explain everything at once. The usual result is a headline full of abstract words and a visual that could belong to any company in the category.
On a phone, the first screen is much smaller, so the headline and the button carry more of the weight. Designing for the phone is a good test of whether the message is clear.
How we approach it
Our tagline is “Make your product easier to understand”, and the first screen is where that gets tested hardest. We write and design the headline, supporting line and main action together. Then we check the first screen on desktop and on phone, because the fold sits in a very different place on each.
For a quick read on your own first screen, try First Screen Fix ↗, a free tool we built for B2B and AI founders.
FAQ
A headline that says what the product does and for whom, a supporting line, one main call to action and a visual that shows the product or its result.
Yes. They scroll when the first screen earns it. A clear first screen and well-ordered sections below it do more than squeezing everything into the top.
Yes, so ready buyers can act straight away. Repeat it further down for people who need more before they decide.
Keep exploring
Related terms
Landing page
A landing page is a web page built for one audience and one action, usually the destination of a campaign, ad, email or launch.
Call to action (CTA)
A call to action (CTA) is the prompt that asks a visitor to take one specific next step, such as booking a call, starting a trial or requesting a demo.
Value proposition
A value proposition is a short statement of the specific result a buyer gets from your product, and why they should believe you can deliver it.
Messaging hierarchy
A messaging hierarchy is a ranked structure of what you say about your product, from one main message down to supporting points and the proof behind each.
Conversion rate optimization (CRO)
Conversion rate optimization (CRO) is the work of increasing the share of visitors who take the action you want, such as booking a call, signing up or buying.
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