DC web design news

In 2011, SEO is truly a mainstream marketing practice. Nearly everyone doing business online has at least heard of it, and an ever-increasing number of businesses are proficient with it.

But when it comes to converting traffic, SEO is only the beginning. Even after you’ve optimized your titles, placed peripheral keywords in your headings, and started building backlinks to your pages, there’s still plenty of work to do.

A lot of that work has to do with site design. After all, even if you can get traffic to your site, visitors won’t hang around very long if what they see isn’t pleasing to the eye.

Or if your content doesn’t entice them to keep reading.

So don’t neglect “the fold.”

Keeping a page’s most important content above the fold is one of the simplest design elements you can implement. It’s also among the most critical – especially if you’re trying to sell something.

By “the fold,” I’m talking about the area that is immediately visible on every page. It’s what appears on your site before a visitor has to scroll down to continue reading.

And it’s where 80% of your traffic will spend its time.

On all of your content pages – foundational marketing copy, blog posts, etc. – you want to be sure that whatever you’ve published will grab and hold a reader’s attention. Make sure what you’ve written is compelling, that your headline pulls the reader into your page, and that you’re not just assuming visitors will immediately understand the benefits of your product or service.

Communicate these things to readers. And make sure you’re doing it above the fold – where they can see it.

You’ve already used good SEO tactics to get this traffic to your Website. Why not complement all of that hard work with design and copy that get your message to readers in a clear and immediate fashion?

The same goes for sales pages.

While great business Web design will certainly display your message above the fold on all content pages, don’t forget about those “other” pages on your site. Sales pages (or landing pages), for instance, must also make careful use of your above-the-fold space. If you’re selling something, always make sure your offer is both clear and visible.

And make the offer soon! Lots of visitors will never stick around long enough to read the offer if it’s below their field of vision.

If you have ever tracked clicks in an email newsletter containing lots of links, you have probably seen this aspect of “the fold” in action. Almost without exception, a majority of readers will follow the first few links in an email.

That is, they’ll click on the links they can see – the ones above the fold.

As you’re optimizing your pages for search engines, remember that what readers see when they arrive to your site is just as critical as getting them there in the first place. Don’t make visitors scroll down just to get to the point. Very few of them will make it there.

Adam Green is copywriter. He writes about enterprise fraud detection and helps designers, SEO’s, and Web entrepreneurs drive new business through effective content marketing. Follow him on Twitter @AdamGreenMedia.