Above the Fold is the term given to the portion of a webpage that is displayed to a visitor before they begin scrolling down. Above the Fold content is regarded as crucial for web users, who will take this content as a sign to keep scrolling, to find another page, or to exit the URL altogether.
How does Above the Fold content affect SEO?
The main impact of Above the Fold content is on user experience. For instance, webpages that show only images or advertisements when loaded on mobile devices are likely to drive away web users. In 2012, Google also added that these pages may not rank as highly, suggesting Google’s algorithms take the quality of content Above the Fold into account when ranking pages.
Click-through rates are also impacted by the quality of both Above the Fold and Below the Fold content.