Visitors decide whether to stay on your website in roughly five seconds. They make that decision based entirely on what they see without scrolling. For a Triad service business, the home page above the fold is the single most important piece of marketing real estate you own. Most owners waste it on a logo, a stock photo, and a "Welcome" letter no one reads.
What "Above the Fold" Means in 2009
Most monitors in the Triad in 2009 display roughly 1024 by 768 pixels, with browser chrome taking up the top 150 to 200 pixels. That leaves about 550 to 600 pixels of vertical space visible without scrolling. Everything that matters for the first decision needs to fit in that space.
The Five Elements That Belong Above the Fold
- →A benefit-driven headline. Not "Welcome to ABC Company." Something like "Greensboro's Most Trusted Family Dental Practice for 25 Years" or "Same-Day HVAC Repair in Winston-Salem and the Triad."
- →A subheadline that adds specificity. Who you serve, what you do, and what makes you different in one sentence. "Personal injury, family law, and estate planning for High Point families since 1987."
- →A visible phone number in large text. Top right corner is the convention. Make it big enough that someone can read it from across the room.
- →A primary call to action button. One verb, one outcome. "Request a Free Estimate," "Schedule Your Consultation," "Get Your Quote." High contrast color so the eye finds it immediately.
- →A trust signal. An association logo, a Better Business Bureau rating, an "Established 1992," or a customer count. Something that says you are a real business, not a fly-by-night.
What Should Not Be Above the Fold
- →A Flash intro animation. Skip buttons do not save you. Visitors leave before they appear.
- →An auto-rotating image carousel. Visitors do not wait through all the slides. Pick the strongest visual and commit to it.
- →A five-paragraph "Welcome" letter from the founder. No one reads it. The founder feels good. The leads do not arrive.
- →An enormous logo that takes up half the screen. Your logo is not a benefit to the visitor. Shrink it.
Headline Formulas That Convert
- →[City]'s [Specialty] [Service Type] [Differentiator]. "Greensboro's Award-Winning Personal Injury Law Firm." Specific, local, and credentialed.
- →[Outcome] in [Timeframe] for [Audience]. "Same-Day Plumbing Repair for Winston-Salem Homeowners." Clear promise, clear audience.
- →[Number] [Audience] Trust Us With [Outcome]. "5,000 High Point Families Trust Us With Their Smiles." Social proof and outcome together.
After rewriting the above-the-fold area on a Greensboro accounting firm's home page using these rules, conversion rate moved from 0.7 percent to 4.1 percent inside 30 days. Same traffic, six times the leads.
Read the companion pieces on why brochure websites do not produce leads and stock photos vs. real photos of your team, or have our digital marketing agency rewrite the above-the-fold of your home page.