Below the fold means the part of a webpage that is not visible in the initial viewport and appears only after a visitor scrolls. The exact boundary depends on the screen and how the browser displays the page; it is not a fixed pixel line.
What does “below the fold” mean?
Google AdSense defines below-the-fold content as “the portion of the page that is viewable only after a user scrolls down.” Google AdSense Help
The paired term, above the fold, refers to what a visitor can see without scrolling. The distinction is about initial visibility, not whether content is important or whether anyone will read it.
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Why is there no universal fold?
The fold is a metaphor for the lower edge of the first screenful, not a standard screen coordinate. The amount of a page visible at first changes with a visitor’s screen size and browser presentation. As a result, the same page content may be above the fold for one visitor and below it for another.
Where did the phrase come from?
The phrase borrows from newspaper publishing. “Above the fold” described the upper part of a broadsheet’s front page visible when the paper was folded on a newsstand. Web publishing carried the expression over to screens, where the scroll boundary took the place of the paper fold. Google AdSense Help
Does the fold matter for usability?
It matters as a visibility and organization consideration, not as a rule that visitors never scroll. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Research-Based Web Design & Usability Guidelines advises keeping homepages to one screenful where possible and cautions that visitors may miss information they do not initially see. It notes that older users and novices may be more likely to miss below-the-fold information. The guidance says, “Some users take a long time to scroll down ‘below the fold,’ indicating a reluctance to move from the first screenful to subsequent information.” HHS guidelines
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That is a reason to prioritize essential orientation and actions where they are easy to find, make it apparent when more content follows, and organize longer pages so readers can locate what they need after scrolling. A 2007 National Library of New Zealand discussion quotes Milissa Tarquini: “The key is the content – if it is compelling, users will follow where it leads.” National Library of New Zealand
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What does the 80% above-the-fold figure mean?
In a 2010 article, Jakob Nielsen reported that web users spent 80% of their time looking at information above the page fold, with the remaining 20% below it. That figure describes the result reported in that dated article; it should not be treated as a current or universal measure of how people use every website. Nielsen also described early usability studies from 1994–1996 in which sites often failed when important information was placed below the fold because users commonly did not scroll. Nielsen Norman Group, March 21, 2010
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