--- title: "Long Homepage Design Part 1: Debunking “The Fold”" description: Down with “the fold”. Come with us as we debunk the fold myth and vouch for long homepage design. image: https://www.market8.net/hs-fs/file-200181158-png/images/the_fold_myth.png --- [![FREE WEBSITE ASSESSMENT](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/23553/17095412-da0a-4db5-acc2-4fc7da740295.png)](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/23553/17095412-da0a-4db5-acc2-4fc7da740295) CALL US +1 (678) 608-0605 [![blog-logo-with_market8-symbol](https://www.market8.net/hs-fs/hubfs/images/theme/branding/blog-logo-with_market8-symbol.png?width=296&name=blog-logo-with_market8-symbol.png "blog-logo-with_market8-symbol")](https://www.market8.net/b2b-web-design-and-inbound-marketing-blog) [THE MARKET 8 BLOG](https://www.market8.net/b2b-web-design-and-inbound-marketing-blog) # **Long Homepage Design Part 1: Debunking “The Fold”** Posted by [Eduardo Esparza](https://www.market8.net/b2b-web-design-and-inbound-marketing-blog/author/eduardo-esparza) on Jun 20, 2013 in [Inbound Marketing](https://www.market8.net/b2b-web-design-and-inbound-marketing-blog/topic/inbound-marketing) and [B2B Web Design](https://www.market8.net/b2b-web-design-and-inbound-marketing-blog/topic/b2b-web-design) 0 0 0 Before addressing long homepage design, there’s a very important hurdle we must cross first: The Fold. Those vertical 600 pixels at the top of a website are thought to be prime real estate for content since no one ever scrolls below. In this article, I’ll go through where this myth came from, why it’s not true, and show you some analytics to back my claims up.   ### The Origin Of The Fold I’ll make this lesson brief. In the newspaper industry, the papers are **folded** in half and stacked up atop each other. In an effort to increase readership, newspaper editors would put the most interesting headline above the fold-line so that people would be compelled to buy the paper and read on. This idea was adopted into web design. The principle itself holds water. It’s true that you should put your most captivating headline at the most accessible location, but the mutation of the principle has gone out of hand.   ### The Mutation Of The Fold  Instead of using the top 600 pixels for compelling content, companies opt for compressing all of their content together to fit in a tight spot. Instead of using that first impression as an inviting entrance to more interaction, they cram in images and copy and links and CTAs so much so that it becomes a turn-off. They do this because of a stubborn belief that people don’t scroll.   ### But People Don’t Scroll… Do They? Surprise surprise, **they do**. Clicktale has conducted[ studies about web-page scrolling](http://blog.clicktale.com/2006/12/23/unfolding-the-fold/) and here is the summary of what they’ve found: 1. 76% of the page-views with a scroll-bar, were scrolled to some extent. 2. 22% of the page-views with a scroll-bar, were scrolled all the way to the bottom. While the 22% seems like it’s a small number at first, you have to keep in mind that returning viewers who have already scrolled all the way to the bottom are not likely do so again if they visit the website later. You also have to keep in mind that these 22% who stuck around till the end are **qualified leads**. These are people who are legitimately interested in what you’re offering, and they scrolled over the entire page to receive information. If you can capture **22% qualified leads** just from a homepage then you should take the day off and treat yourself to a nice dinner. In fact,[ ContentVerve](http://www.contentverve.com) has proved that CTA’s placed above the fold don’t always convert better and those placed below the fold. In this study, they split test the same CTA placed at the top of the page or at the bottom of the page. ![the fold myth](https://www.market8.net/hs-fs/file-200181158-png/images/the_fold_myth.png?width=600&height=478&name=the_fold_myth.png)   Yes, you’re reading the numbers right. The bottom CTA[ generated a 304% lift](http://contentverve.com/how-moving-the-call-to-action-below-the-fold-generated-a-304-lift/) in conversions. This doesn’t mean that placing CTA’s at the bottom is always the right way to go.   ### Which Brings Me To The Tips The golden question is: **how do I get people to want to scroll?** It’s the same way you get people to pay attention to anything, entice them! Use that first impression to [leave an impression](https://blog.market8.net/how-to-write-an-awesome-value-proposition) and make them want to learn more.   **1. Have some kind of logic to the way you present information.** Really think about how the messaging flows across the page. If it is fluid and logical, people will stick around. If it’s choppy and confusing, people will bounce. [Free The Chicken](http://freethechicken.org) presents their information in an amazing way. They let the story unfold as you scroll further along the page   **2. Less content above the fold will encourage exploration.** If you lay down all your aces in the first 5 seconds, I have no reason to stick around your website anymore. But if you slowly lure me in, playing your cards one by one, I’m going to keep exploring to see what’s going to happen next. [cxpartners](http://www.cxpartners.co.uk) teamed up with[ Bristol Airport](http://www.bristolairport.co.uk/) to perform some eye tracking work on their website. The image below shows two different treatments of the hero slot. In the image on the left, more information was crammed above the fold, which discouraged viewers from scrolling down. The image on the right had less information, which encouraged viewers to explore further. ![bristol airport](https://www.market8.net/hs-fs/file-200182120-png/images/bristol_airport-resized-600.png) **3. Present the information when the time is right.** When people are scrolling, you get to control when they see certain information. This is why sometimes a CTA placed at the very bottom of the page [might convert better](https://blog.market8.net/b2b-web-design-and-inbound-marketing-blog/How-the-Customer-Lifecycle-Affects-your-Marketing-Strategies). People are more ready for the offer after they’ve read a bit about your company. Other information needs to be presented first because it is essential. John Polacek attempts to explain [responsive web design](https://www.market8.net/Inbound-Marketing-and-Branding-Blog/bid/94999/Responsive-Web-Design-No-Longer-a-Luxury) Using an[ interactive website](http://johnpolacek.github.io/scrolldeck.js/decks/responsive/). He allows the information to flow in and out exactly when he wants it to.   **4. Avoid false bottoms**. False bottoms make people think that there is no more content below when in fact there is. Large, stark, horizontal lines would do that. If you want to fill the page with a color or an image, make sure to include directional cues so that your visitors don’t get lost. [Meet The Pros](http://www.meetthepros.com) and [Free The Chicken](http://www.freethechicken.org) have the right idea. They do have false bottoms but make up for it by directing you to scroll down. ![meet the pros](https://www.market8.net/hs-fs/file-200137035-png/images/meet_the_pros-resized-600.png)![free the chicken](https://www.market8.net/hs-fs/file-200190434-png/images/free_the_chicken-resized-600.png)   In our next article, we’ll dive into the **conversion analysis of long homepage designs** so stay tuned.   #### Next Posts: Part 2 - [Conversion Analysis ](https://www.market8.net/Inbound-Marketing-and-Branding-Blog/bid/99288/Long-Homepage-Design-Part-2-Conversion-Analysis) Part 3 - [Design Considerations](https://www.market8.net/Inbound-Marketing-and-Branding-Blog/bid/99289/Long-Homepage-Design-Part-3-Design-Considerations) [![eight-b2b-website-design-essentials](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/23553/cd8bc0f5-3e6b-42fd-8574-19909d12bb99.png)](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/23553/cd8bc0f5-3e6b-42fd-8574-19909d12bb99)   ### LIKE WHAT YOU READ? Subscribe to the Design & Function blog to receive updates about: - Web Design Trends - Conversion Research - Actionable lead-gen advice ![Eduardo Esparza](https://www.market8.net/hs-fs/file-1387711362-png/images/authors/eduardo-esparza.png?t=1409516810325) [ Eduardo Esparza ](https://www.market8.net/b2b-web-design-and-inbound-marketing-blog/author/eduardo-esparza) [Twitter ](https://twitter.com/Market_8) [LinkedIn](http://www.linkedin.com/pub/eduardo-esparza/24/789/7a3) [Facebook ](http://www.facebook.com/market8.vanguardmarketing) [Email](mailto:eduardo@market8.net) Eduardo drives the branding and communications strategy discovery process for Market 8 clients. His broad experience includes leadership positions in strategic planning, operations, finance, business process consulting and marketing for several multi-billion dollar companies across many industries, including the luxury home design, manufacturing, and industrial distribution industries, among other. Eduardo is a holistic thinker who finds extreme joy in merging the power of strategic thinking, customer centric design, and analytics to drive results; a passion that gave birth to Market 8. Eduardo, a father of 2 young children, Andrea and Rafael, enjoys the arts, photography, mountain biking, and declares himself an audiophile. Please enable JavaScript to view the [comments powered by Disqus.](http://disqus.com/?ref_noscript) [comments powered by Disqus](http://disqus.com) [![SAAS Website Redesign eBook](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/23553/6d630093-6109-44ec-af2f-e13fe4baed45.png)](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/23553/6d630093-6109-44ec-af2f-e13fe4baed45) ### About market8 Market 8 is a team of web, usability and conversion experts that will turn your website into your best salesperson. We create research-based websites that shorten sales cycles by aligning exactly to the way your buyers want to buy. 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