What used car salesmen can teach about designing above the fold
When I think of used car salesmen I can’t help but picture slick guys with perma press smiles, plaid jackets, and gold watches. “So what’s it gonna take to put you in this beauty today?”
The best used car salesmen have the magic touch. They can work an “up” (short for walk-up customer) from “just looking” to “where do I sign” without breaking a sweat. You’d be wise to follow their strategies in your web designs, particularly as you layout the space above the fold.
What is “above the fold”?
Newspapers are folded in half so the only part of the front page people see before they decide to buy is what comes above the fold. In a similar way, the first impression visitors have of a website is what shows up in their browser before scrolling. This window of opportunity is the above-the-fold space.
Here’s what used car salesmen can teach you about using it to full effect…
Branding is key… and lame commercials make it happen
The used car business is all about branding. The goal is to persuade future car buyers to remember a certain lot when it’s time to buy, and nothing’s quite as memorable as a used car commercial. Cheesy graphics, auction-style monologue, and goofy tag lines burrow into the brains of unwitting viewers at every turn. (”If I make a buck, it’s just your luck.” So catchy, it’s scary.)
The same theory works for web design above the fold. The more pages visitors see with prominent branding, the easier it is for them to remember a website. Make sure the business name, logo, and tag line are obvious the moment a page loads.
Luxury sedans and sports cars are the siren song
Nothing says “come on in for a test drive” like a yellow Corvette perched askew on black metal scaffolding. There’s a reason why the hottest cars are always parked in the front row while the clunkers sit out back. Used car salesmen know it only takes a moment of weakness, a daydream about what it would be like to sit behind the wheel of that Mercedes convertible, to lure fish onto the lot. Then they’re hooked.
As you plan your layout, keep the freshest, most interesting content visible above the fold. Better still, match a compelling headline with an interesting photo and visitors will gladly stick around to see what you have to offer.
“The feel of the wheel seals the deal”
This is the used car salesman’s mantra. Once a potential buyer climbs into the driver’s seat, gets a whiff of fake new car smell, and runs his fingers over the supple leather of the steering wheel, it’s over. He’s just a short test drive away from being led back to the box to work out financing.
In web design, the most important call to action for a website should be placed above the fold, whether it’s to prompt ad clicks, start the checkout process, or read more posts. If the site’s content is good and the offer is persuasive, visitors will commit to the next step if you make it simple for them.
Let them walk off the lot on your terms
Supposedly the “walk out” is the car buyer’s best defense. Threaten to leave and sales people are powerless, right? Unless you’ve got a used car salesman on your hands. The buyer might think he has the upper hand as he walks off, but that’s what the salesman wants him to think. “No problem. Shop around and if you find a better deal come on back and I’ll do you one better.” What are the chances the buyer won’t stop back out of sheer curiosity?
Feed subscriptions, newsletter signups, and anything else that encourages visitors to start a relationship with a website should be visible above the fold… and other places, too. The easier you make it for visitors to take action, the better the chance that they will.
How about you? What web design elements do you try to work in above the fold? Or do you think the fold even matters? Let us know in the comments.
About Chet Garrison
Chet is a freelance graphic and web designer with a genuine passion for great design. When he’s not glued to his computer, you can find him in a catatonic state watching re-runs of Roseanne and eating Cheez-It’s.
3 Comments
Some people have done some research into this, and claim that the “virtual fold” doesn’t matter as much as we think it does.
Be that as it may, if I can’t have at least one significant heading of one significant piece of content above the fold, I feel I’m not doing a good job.
It’s all about the PHOTOs! In my designs I always use the first 80-120 pixels for the logo, company name and essential contact details, sometimes a horizontal menu but the rest is reserved for high quality photography, fading slideshows always do the trick. Headlines, text and sidebars go below the “fold”. An image is worth a thousand words.
Great Article as always. Though I see a newspaper everyday, providing mine gets delivered, I never really connect it to web design. Nice post as always