Above the fold
Whatever is visible on screen before anyone scrolls, the part everyone actually sees.
What it is
Above the fold is the portion of a page visible on first load without scrolling. The term comes from newspapers, where the top half of the front page was what showed on the newsstand.
It matters because many people never scroll. Your main message and main action should be above the fold on both desktop and phone (and the fold sits much higher on a phone).
The large first section of a landing page is often called the hero.
How to ask for it
“People aren't clicking sign up. Make it more noticeable at the top.”
“Make sure the headline, one-sentence description, and "Start free" button all sit above the fold on a 1280×720 laptop and on a 390×844 phone. Move the feature list below.”
"At the top" is vague; "above the fold" with concrete screen sizes defines exactly what must fit before scrolling.
You've seen this in
- MThe headline and "Get started" button on most SaaS home pages
- NThe top story on a news site
- AAn app store listing's first screenshots