A few weeks ago, web usability expert Jakob Nielsen posted a new study that showed web users spend 80% of their time looking at information above the fold. They only give 20% of their time to information they have to scroll down to see. That doesn’t mean they won’t see the bottom part of your website; just that they probably won’t give much attention to it.

So, what does all of this mean for you? It means you need to put your most important information above the fold of your website so that visitors can see it without scrolling or taking any further action.

Here are 5 things I believe absolutely must be above the fold on your website.

1. Strong headline—The headline is your introduction to the customer. It’s the first thing they see, and if it isn’t great, there’s a good chance they’ll just back out of your website. The good news is that writing powerful headlines is actually pretty easy. Just make sure you focus your headline around your USP/main benefit, and keep it clear and to the point.
2. Top benefits of your products or services—In addition to including a benefit in your headline, it’s also good to try to get a short list of your other top benefits above the fold. Bullet lists are most effective because they’re easy to scan and they cleanly lay out the benefits of doing business with you. Just be sure every benefit you list passes the “who cares?” test, and don’t drag your list on forever. Just focus on 3-5 key benefits in your list.
3. Clear call to action—Without a call to action, your entire website falls apart. You need to tell your website visitors what you want them to do. Otherwise, they won’t do anything at all. So, if you want them to call you for a free consultation, put that on your website. If you want them to fill out a short form, tell them to do that. And make sure you put this call to action above the fold so it’ll catch the attention of visitors immediately.
4. Navigation—Web users expect to interact with your website in a certain way. They’ve come to expect your site navigation to be across the top of your website or along the left side. Personally, I prefer placing it across the top as it puts all key navigation links above the fold. This makes it easier for visitors to find what they’re looking for as quickly as possible.
5. Search box—Speaking of making it easy for visitors to find what they’re looking for, a search box could be a good tool for your website. This is especially true if your site has a lot of content or if you have a large inventory of products to choose from. Make sure you put the search box above the fold and label it clearly. Also, check out your search function on a regular basis to ensure it’s still working properly.

Are these 5 elements placed above the fold on your website?

Whether you’re launching a website for your new business or you’re looking to improve your current website, you want to make sure you get it right the first time. A great website gives visitors all the information they need about your business and products, is easy to navigate, and is laid out properly for the search engines.

Which pages should you include on your website?

• Home—Well, duh, of course you’re going to have a home page, but let me give you a few words of advice for getting the most out of your home page. First, don’t ever have an intro page as you’ll instantly lose new visitors. Second, don’t waste your time with a headline that says “Welcome.” Third, keep the navigation simple and the design clean so that new visitors can find what they’re looking for as quickly as possible. And finally, don’t try to tackle every facet of your business on your home page; it will overwhelm and confuse visitors. Keep it simple!
• About Us—The about us section of your website helps give a face and personality to your business. Furthermore, it builds credibility as website visitors can see you’re a real person and a legitimate company they can trust.
• Products and Services—If you offer multiple products and services, break it down into one page for each product or service. Not only does this make it easier for visitors to find the information they’re looking for, but it also allows you to target more keywords for increasing your search engine presence.
• FAQ—I’ve noticed that a lot of website don’t have FAQ sections, and I think it’s a mistake. Here’s why: Your visitors will have questions. Some of them will email you their questions, but many won’t make the effort as they just leave your website. A FAQ section allows you to give them all the information they need, and it can keep you from having to respond to the same questions over and over again.
• Contact—I recommend placing your contact information on each page, but you should also have a main contact page too. You want to make it as easy as possible for visitors to contact you, and you also want to appear as professional and trustworthy as possible.
• Testimonials—This is another page you don’t always see on websites. Look, new visitors to your website aren’t going to trust you right away. Of course, you’re going to claim your products and services are great; ever company does. Testimonials give skeptical visitors an unbiased recommendation of your company from people just like them. Read my post on giving your testimonials more credibility.
• Guarantee—If you offer a guarantee on your products or services, there are probably some restrictions to it. Lay out the fine print of your guarantee on a separate page, and do so in plain language that the average consumer can understand.
• Site Map—The site neatly outlines your website for both visitors and the search engines.

Are there any other essential pages I left of this list? Leave a comment with your tips.

Studies show you have just 8 seconds to convince a visitor to stay on your website. This means you need to do something to immediately capture their attention and to keep them interested. I’ve come up with a list of 10 ways to catch your readers’ eye. Note: these are all based on various usability and eye-tracking studies that show how users view content online.

1.    Keep paragraphs short—No one wants to land on a page that’s just a huge block of text. Using short paragraphs (around 4 sentences each) helps the content be more scannable and less overwhelming.

2.    Use bullet points and lists–Bulleted and numbered lists are effective for a few reasons. First, they immediately stand out from the rest of the content because of their format. Second, lists are more digestible than long paragraphs. Lastly, eye-tracking studies show that online users scan, rather than read, content. Lists with bolded headings (like this one) are easy to scan.

3.    Bold important phrases throughout copy—In keeping with the theme of scannability (is that even a word?) bolding important phrases throughout your website copy helps visitors quickly get an idea of what your page is about. Again, bolding does such a great job of catching the eye because it stands out from the rest of the sea of text.

4.    Show numbers as numerals (15 instead of fifteen)—Usability expert Jakob Nielsen performed a study that found online users prefer numbers that are shown as numerals rather than spelled out. Numbers represent facts, and they just look different from words.


5.    Use powerful, short headlines (8 words or less as a general guideline)—In many cases, the headline is the first thing someone will see when they land on your website. Make sure you have a powerful headline that immediately connects with the reader. The most effective headlines tend to be 8 words or less.

6.    Avoid columns—Columns are terrible for scanning content. Online readers do not want to go up and down, column to column, to get the gist of your website.

7.    Include ample whitespace—White space is your friend. Not only does is help break up the text, making it less overwhelming, but you can also use it to create emphasis around certain key parts of your website…kind of like shining a spotlight on something.

8.    Utilize links in content—Clicking hyperlinks is still the most used feature on the internet. People love clicking forward to find out more about a subject. That’s why you should interlink throughout your content. Just make sure not to overdo it, and also, make sure your links are leading visitors down a logical path.

9.    Make first 2 words of headlines and links count—Another Nielsen study found that online readers tend to focus on the first 11 characters (or 2 words about) of headlines and hypertext links. It goes back to the F-shaped pattern of scanning behavior. What does this mean for you? It means you need to make those first 2 words powerful and descriptive.

10.    Include useful images—Too many SEOs get so focused on building content-rich sites that they forget about images. Images are just as important as text. They break up the monotony of the website, and they can deliver powerful messages. A great image will catch a visitor’s eye, getting them to stick around just a bit longer.