3 Design tips to get visitors to read below the fold
One of the hardest things about designing a website or a blog is creating something that your visitors actually enjoy viewing. Because different visuals appeal to different people in different ways, it makes it especially hard to know what elements to include or exclude in order to find success with your content.
What can’t be denied is that the more you’re able to get someone to interact with your site, the better your chances of making that visitor convert. For this reason, it’s vital that both web designers and content creators find ways to help their visitors feel comfortable exploring their pages.
To help with this, here are three ways you can get visitors to read below the fold when you’re starting a blog.
Make Whatever Is Above the Fold Count Worthwhile
If what your visitor see above the fold doesn’t interest or entice them, the chances of them scrolling down below the fold are pretty low. That’s why, in order to get more eyes on what you have going on below the fold, you’ve got to make whatever you have above the fold worthwhile.
Now, what you actually have above the fold will vary depending on the type of website or blog you’re running. However, Shanelle Mullin, a contributor to ConversionXL.com, shares that one strategy you could employ is promising, either explicitly or implicitly, that whatever is below the fold will be worth seeing without forcing your visitors to take any immediate action in order to view it. This could be a great, non-threatening way to get more people below the fold of your blog.
Ride the Line of the Fold
Another strategy you might want to try, according to Blog Tyrant’s infographic posted on ProBlogger.net, is riding the line of the fold. This means that you either have a visual element or a section of content that straddles the line of the fold. If you choose to use content in this area, be sure you have at least a few eye-catching lines above the fold to entice readers to scroll down. As long as whatever is above the fold seems like it’s worth finishing once you get past the fold, the reader will likely scroll down to see what the rest of that element is about.
Tell Readers to Scroll
While a lot of CRO has to do with subtly persuading visitors to take a particular action, Conversion-Rate-Experts.com shares that actually urging readers to scroll below the fold can be very effective. This could mean designing each page so there’s some visual element that asks readers to continue reading down the page or even a form that has to be scrolled down to in order to complete. Whatever tactic you choose to use, just be sure you’re being clear and direct in your design and layout.
Without the right forethought, it can be hard for a page’s design to naturally encourage readers to travel below the fold and experience all you have to offer. So, to help move them through your content like you want, use the tips mentioned above when designing your next web page or blog.