All posts in Design
Excellent Articles on Landing Page Design and Optimisation
http://blog.kissmetrics.com/beginners-guide-to-landing-pages/
http://blog.kissmetrics.com/landing-page-design/
http://www.hiddenpixels.com/designer-and-developer-resources/landing-pages/
http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2009/04/06/design-to-sell-12-tips-to-help-your-website-convert/
http://www.smashingmagazine.com/2010/06/24/the-ultimate-guide-to-a-b-testing/
http://www.squidoo.com/how-to-create-a-landing-page
http://www.copyblogger.com/seal-the-deal-10-tips-for-writing-the-ultimate-landing-page/
Designing Above the Fold
When designing any type of website, you need to keep in mind what visitors will see immediately upon arriving at the site. Whatever is visible without scrolling down is said to be “above the fold.” The content and design elements that are above the fold will of course draw the first attention from visitors, and hopefully they will be encouraged to check out the entire page’s contents and navigate through the site. For this reason, pay layout and design should be done in a way that creates a positive first experience by making an impact above the fold.
Different designers have varying opinions on what has the most impact above the fold, so there isn’t a clear cut right or wrong way to design. And the truth is, you never can be 100% sure what each visitor will see above the fold due to different screen resolutions, among other factors
The most basic rule of thumb is that for every site the user should be able to understand what your site is about by the information presented to them above the fold. If they have to scroll to even discover what the site is, its success is unlikely.
Functionality that is essential to business strategy should remain (or at least begin) above the fold. For example, if your business success is dependent on users finding a particular thing (movie theaters, for example) then the widget to allow that action should certainly be above the fold.
Screen height and folds matter for applications, especially rapid-fire applications where users input variables and change the display of information. The input and output should be in very close proximity. Getting stock quotes is an example: a user may want to get four or five quotes in sequence, so it is imperative that the input field and the basic quote information display remain above the fold for each symbol entered. Imagine the frustration at having to scroll to find the input field for each quote you wanted.
Stop worrying about the fold. Don’t throw your best practices out the window, but stop cramming stuff above a certain pixel point. You’re not helping anyone. Open up your designs and give your users some visual breathing room. If your content is compelling enough your users will read it to the end.
An interesting take on the subject:
http://iampaddy.com/lifebelow600/
Another interesting link:
http://blogs.sitepoint.com/2009/12/18/designing-above-the-fold-and-the-google-browser-size-tool/
Google’s Browser size tool:
Best Design/CSS Galleries to Post Your Site In
www.designshack.com (paid and you can also pay for a critique)
Web professional in Malta, Europe. Focusing on building visually stunning websites that are easy to maintain, usually using WordPress as the CMS. Web developing since 1995, loving WordPress for more than 5 years.