What does above the fold mean?
Above the fold means the part of a page a visitor sees before scrolling. The phrase comes from newspapers, where the top half of the front page was what showed on the newsstand. On the web there is no single fold line: a phone, a laptop and a large monitor each show a different amount, so it's better to think of "the first screen" on each device, starting with mobile.
It matters for three reasons. The biggest element in that first screen is usually the one measured by Largest Contentful Paint. What loads there shapes whether the page feels fast. And it's where visitors decide whether the page answers their question.
Loading the first screen fast
The rules for above-the-fold content are the opposite of the rest of the page:
- Don't lazy-load it. Lazy loading delays images until they near the viewport, which is right for images lower down and wrong for the hero image; see lazy loading.
- Prioritize the main image.
fetchpriority="high"tells the browser to fetch it early. - Keep render-blocking CSS and scripts small, so the browser can paint the first screen quickly.
- Reserve space for images and embeds, so nothing jumps as they load; see cumulative layout shift.
WordPress helps here. Since version 5.9 it skips lazy loading for the first content images, and since 6.3 it adds fetchpriority="high" to the image it judges most likely to be the LCP element. The rules behind that are in wp_get_loading_optimization_attributes.
Ads and pop-ups in the first screen
Google has long objected to pages where the first screen is mostly ads; in 2012 it announced a change aimed at pages with too many ads above the fold. Its page experience guidance also calls out intrusive interstitials that cover the content on mobile. A cookie banner or age check required by law is fine; a full-screen newsletter pop-up on arrival is the kind of thing to avoid.
Answer first
For content pages, put the answer or main point in the first screen. Many WordPress themes spend it on a large featured image, a long title block and breadcrumbs, pushing the first sentence below the fold on phones. Check a key page on a real phone: if the opening screen contains no useful text, shrink the header or move the image below the intro.
Common questions
Where exactly is the fold on a website?
There isn't one fixed point. It depends on the screen size and browser window, so check the first screen on common phone and desktop sizes.
Should I lazy-load images above the fold?
No. Lazy loading them delays the images people see first and usually worsens Largest Contentful Paint.
Does content above the fold rank better?
Google doesn't rank words by screen position. But a first screen dominated by ads or pop-ups creates a poor page experience, and burying the answer hurts readers.