If you want to create above-the-fold content that converts more eyes on your website into paying clients, customers and deals… then keep reading.
It can be easy for people not to pay attention to the “above-the-fold” strategy much because most of the clicks happen as users scroll down the page. It is crucial that you don’t discredit the importance of powerful above-the-fold content for your website. There are two major reasons why it is so important:
- It is the user’s first impression. You cannot get another shot at this!
- People make snap judgements.
- Making it easy for the white hot leads to convert.
CREATING A SOLID FIRST IMPRESSION
It is important to impress a positive, powerful brand experience into the user’s mind as soon as they land on your site. Google confirmed that it takes 50 milliseconds (0.05 seconds) for a user to form a first opinion about a website that determines whether they stay or go. And guess what? Those 50 milliseconds are being spent on the above-the-fold of your website!
Your above-the-fold content should include these 4 key components to build a solid first impression:
- Powerful design
- High speed and functionality
- Strategic positioning and messaging
- Clear CTA
CAPTURE YOUR BRAND ESSENCE THROUGH YOUR DESIGN
I like to think of design a little differently. I see design as the way to visually capture your brand’s unique essence. The look and feel of your website is what sets the tone and mood of your site. The colors, the fonts… all of it contribute to a certain “feel” and essence.
Did you know that 93% cite design as the sole reason they do not trust certain websites? If your website has an unprofessional or poor looking design, you are tarnishing your company’s credibility. It’s that simple. Design is important!
MAKE SURE IT’S FAST & FUNCTIONAL
Let’s admit it, we easily lose patience on sites that take forever to load… and by forever, I mean 3 seconds or more. Yup! 40% of users will leave a page that takes longer than three seconds to load. We have shorter attention spans than a goldfish! The sad part is, most websites take upwards of 5 or 6 seconds to load. Additionally, about 88% of users are less likely to return to a site after a bad experience so it is crucial to make sure that your site is functioning properly, loading fast and looks visually engaging.
MESSAGING MATTERS
What is the very first word or phrase in your above-the-fold content that people see when they land on your website? You better make sure it has nothing to do with you. If you have your title (what you do) as the top message on your website, you’ve lost them.
Hear me when I say this: IT IS NOT ABOUT YOU!
When a user lands on your site, it is important that you speak directly to them. Make sure your copy and messaging are speaking to your target audience. It’s about converting them right? So make it about them! It is crucial that you speak into their pain points and/or the possibility you see for them.
An average of 65% of people that feel an emotional connection to a brand say it is because “they care about people like me.” Establish a strong personal and emotional connection with users who land on your site by creating messaging that speaks specifically to them.
You can see an example of a site that does this well if you watch the video above.
CLEAR CALL-TO-ACTION (CTA)
While yes it is true that the CTA buttons on the above-the-fold do not get as much clicks as the one’s below the fold, however do not make it hard for someone to convert who is hot ‘n’ ready to become a paying client or customer! That’s like someone right in front of you writing you out a check, handing it over…and there is no one to take it! Get it?
Personalized CTAs perform 202% better than basic CTAs. Create calls to action that are relevant to what the user is getting when they click that button. And for the love of Pete, stop use “submit” buttons. People are actually less likely to click on generic buttons like this because it causes confusion and doesn’t feel “safe” because they don’t know exactly what they are getting.
At the end of the day, the goal of the above-the-fold is this: entice the interested and convert the already-sold.
If you would like to download the free checklist I have that goes over the rest of the building blocks of a successful website (not just the above-the-fold content), here’s where I talk about my best website tips and how to get more leads from your website. I also created a downloadable website checklist that you can use to make sure your site checks off all of the critical pieces it should have.
I hope you enjoyed this post and that it was valuable for you! If it was, please be sure and leave a comment below to let me know what you got out of it. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask in the comments below as well!
