Keeping Users Engaged Below the Fold

The fold is the line separating where you can read on first arrival to a site, and where you have to scroll. This term was first used by print, referring to the fold on the front page of the newspaper. There is a lot of debate whether the fold is still important in web design. Yes, it is important to keep key elements above the fold, but you can also utilize the space below the fold by keeping user’s interest. Your call-to-action doesn’t always have to be at the top of your page. “People will look very far down a page if (a) the layout encourages scanning, and (b) the initially viewable information makes them believe that it will be worth their time to scroll.” – Jakob Nielsen In the above vs. below the fold battle, who wins? The answer: it depends.   You want to keep your audience craving more, not only with images but also with content. After all, content is king.  You want to give your visitors a glimpse of what your site is about, but give them motivation to keep reading.   Take a look at this comparison of the Kia Sorento page compared to the Nissan Pathfinder page.  As you can see, the Nissan page pulls your attention to keep scrolling. I’ve collected some more examples of websites that grab your attention to go beyond the fold. Happy scrolling!