What is Above The Fold? (ATF)

Above the fold is the part of a page people see before they scroll.

How does above the fold work?

The fold is the bottom edge of the screen on first load. Everything above it gets seen by default. Everything below it has to be earned. One catch: every device puts the fold somewhere different, so treat it as a zone, not a line.

Why does above the fold matter?

Attention is front-loaded. Nielsen Norman Group found people spend 57% of their page time above the fold. If your value proposition hides below it, most visitors never meet it.

Where did above the fold come from?

Newspapers. Broadsheets fold in half, and only the top half shows on the newsstand. Editors put the biggest headline above the fold to sell the paper. Web designers borrowed the term for the scroll line.

How do you use above the fold well?

Put one clear message and one call to action up top. Don’t cram everything above the line; give people a reason to scroll. Then A/B test your hero section until it earns its spot.

Bottom line: the fold is where first impressions happen. Win the top of the page first.

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