Top space, that is. As in: what shall I do with all that space on the top of my blog? In my quest to make my blog more readable, I try to give as much space as possible between the graphics and words. Am I wasting too much space? Well, it’s not until I read an article about the myths of being “above the fold”, I realize, I may be doing just fine.
The first thing my visitors have to see is the information on what to expect when they read the rest of my content. I have to direct them, either using graphics or words, to see more below. So it’s important to make everything “above the fold” the most interesting. Some folks put large graphic banners to tell us their sites are nice. Some put unique descriptions to make us want to read more.
Unfortunately, there are bloggers who put too many ads in the beginning. Like most people, I will promptly click away. It’s like watching TV and have to sit through 3 minutes of commercials every 10 minutes. Similarly, when I read a magazine I have to figure out the section within the page containing the real article. Very annoying. I just don’t need anyone to tell me what I need to buy. If I want to buy something, I’ll look for it in Amazon or Ben’s Bargains. As a side note, I do appreciate a product review. That’s probably the only time that I will tolerate (sometimes appreciate) advertising – when it is related to the content. I will also mildly tolerate product placement. Who wouldn’t want to wear Nike products when Tiger Woods use them?
Anyway, having enough space to play around with is a Good Thing™. Do you give your blog more space above the fold?
Photo credit: spidermonk
Tags: web
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Being on dialup at home, the slower a page loads, the less I’m inclined to wait. A site that’s jam packed with graphic banners rapidly becomes too chaotic and confusing to me. My eyes go into AD-version mode and ignore all ads. Chances I won’t take the content of the site seriously and I won’t be back.
The only advertisement above my fold is EntreCard, and that took me a while to place there. But then I don’t really blog to make money…
Periapex’s last blog post..Wacky Patient Full Moon Alert.
Your EntreCard is barely above the fold. Just like mine. I am directing people to scan over my Top 10 and/or Recent Posts before clicking on “Drop Yours”.
Figuring out were to put my ads were a major headache. I wanted my readers to have the best experience yet if I have some ads, may as well people see them…
Zhu’s last blog post..An Elephant In My Castle
Hi Zhu. Apart from your huge header banner, your little ads are nicely tucked away on the right sidebar, and don’t get in the way at all. That’s good.
I agree, I don’t want to see all ads and have to scroll to find content. That makes me think the bloggers prime objective is advertising.
Hi Lynne. A lot of blogs prime objective is making money, so it’s no surprise ads are everywhere.