Pay-Per-Click Advertising: The Importance of the Fold

On a website, the “fold” is the area of screen available to anyone who visits that site without them needing to use the scrollbars. Essentially, “above the fold” is the area that can be seen without using the mouse or the keyboard to navigate through the site – and it usually includes things like the header or the logo. “Below the fold” is the subsequent content, that you need to use the mouse or keyboard to reach. The “fold” appears at different levels depending on screen size, and it’s a surprisingly important aspect of choosing where to locate pay-per-click (better known as PPC) adverts.

Most Internet Marketers who use PPC systems are aware of the importance of the fold, but it isn’t something you want to overlook. While providing good content that people want to read is an essential aspect of internet marketing, that doesn’t mean everyone will read the content when visiting through a search engine results page. Some people will click through a link, having a quick glance around and never bother the scroll down to read the actual content. You can even view how often this is happening with your stat counter, which should display a “time spent on site” for each visitor.

If you rely on PPC methods as part of your monetisation strategy, these visitors are a waste if you only use PPC adverts in the content. To ensure as many people see your adverts as possible, try and have one banner ad in the ‘header’ section of the page, above the fold. That way, even those visitors that only last a couple of seconds will see some of your adverts – and hopefully, will click on them, too.