subject: The Profits Up Above: Maximizing Your Sites Upper Fold To Get What You Want [print this page] Nearly all browsers are built in the same manner: there are main menus positioned on the upper bars, all of them containing more functions that you can find by clicking on the main function names. There are buttons containing icons that can allow you to quickly navigate the Internet, search for web pages, or save them. There is an address bar to show you where your browser is currently resting, and what page you are viewing. Your main browser window occupies only about sixty to eighty percent of your screen, depending on your browser. This window will show only a portion of a site: perhaps its main banner and title, or its paid advertisements.
This part of the site is known as its upper fold, or its above fold. It is of great importance to webmasters, simply because it is the first and only part of the website that visitors will see without having to scroll down. An above fold should be attractive and informative enough so that website visitors will be forced to stay on the site, look at its content, and read through it. The above fold, moreover, should reflect the aim and content of the entire site, and should tell the viewer, at a glance, how useful the site is.
How large the above fold is depends also on the monitors resolution settings, which are set by a website visitor. At lower settings, such as those in the 640 x 800 pixel range, the fold will be relatively high, and will show very little of a website. At higher settings, however, such as those in the 1280 x 1024 pixel range, a larger part of the website is visible. Webmasters and website designers often debate on what graphics and text should be placed above the fold, and what should remain below the fold. The decision boils down to the minimum target resolution, or the resolution that the designers believe most of the website visitors will have.
Advertising Space Way up There
Many webmasters prefer to place advertisements on the above fold, since advertisers look with favor on those who engage in this practice. Their advertisements, after all, are the first to be seen, and may be the first to be clicked. In banner exchange programs, webmasters post each others site banners on the above fold, and only on the above fold. Such programs can be advantageous to affiliate sites, where product providers, suppliers, and even avid customers alike can cooperate in advertising each other and contributing to each others marketing success.
Banner exchange programs, however, can only go so far. For instance, some banner advertisements are not saved on a site, and are generated by an advertisement server. If this server is overworked, or down, by any chance, then the banner will not load, leaving an unsightly red X on the above fold. This can make the banner useless for the banner owner, and it can draw visitors away from even the most well designed websites.
The key to choosing a banner exchange program is to look for members that have the same aims as your website, and that have reputable websites themselves. Moreover, choose a banner exchange program that has a well-maintained banner server, so that you do not have to worry about losing commissions or impressions because of poorly displayed advertisements or lost banner ads.
Optimizing the Above Fold
Unlike search engine optimization, which involves tweaking text so that keywords appear at a certain favorable density for search engines to correctly index the site, optimizing the above fold involves both visual and intellectual creativity. In search engine optimization, or SEO, your site needs only to please the search engine robots, which operate by reading text files. Your above fold requires judging, and human judges, with their vast differences in taste and preferences, can be harsh critics.
Aside from placing a few advertisements in your above fold, make sure that your sites banner is small but attractive, with graphics that can make the banner stand out while showing the aim and offerings of your website in their entirety. Make sure that your top banner, moreover, contains colors that not only correspond to your background, but are easy on your readers and visitors eyes. There are many tools available online to check the contrast of your colors, so you may need to employ these tools as you check the integrity of your websites colors and the attractiveness of your banner.
Your main menu, or at least a large portion of it, should be visible in your sites above fold. If you are in doubt, consult with your friends and colleagues by having them visit your site and make suggestions on how to improve it. Your above fold is important, and it should reflect the identity of your entire site while being attractive enough to win you more visitors and keep all those who have always been loyal to your offerings.
