What’s showing above the crease on your blog? What am I talking about? Simply the most valuable piece of real estate on your blog. That section of your blog that is visible in the browser window when it first loads. Referred to as above the fold or crease. And unlike the unlucky fellow in the photo above, I hope what’s showing above your crease is attractive, appealing and important!

It’s about first impressions and priorities. There are some things that should definitely be above the crease for both reader appeal and usability. Even advertising gets some consideration when it comes to this area.

-So here is a list of the top 5 things that should be there:

1. Attractive relevant header image and/or the name of your blog – this one is obvious, but let’s say it anyway. If you use a header image, it should be a professional looking graphic that has something to do with what your site is about. If it’s a car blog you don’t use a floral header image. Of course you should include your blog title in or above your header image. Make sure your header is not too large. How do you know? If it’s larger than one third of the above the fold area then it’s probably too large.

2. Easily discernible navigation menu – you probably have different sections to your blog. At the bare minimum you should have an about page and a contact page. You should have a clear easy to find and use menu so that people can readily access the other pages associated with your blog. This should be very near the top in placement, that is where users expect to find navigation menus.

3. Prominently displayed connection alternatives. By this I mean things like your RSS feed reader subscription and your RSS to email subscription options. And yes you should provide both options, some readers prefer one over the other and you may loose a valuable subscriber if you offer only one. You should also include other social sites that you use to promote your blog, such as Twitter and Facebook.

4. Site search box – if it’s at or near the top of your page and visible upon load the reader will likely remember where it is. So later, when they are halfway down the page and they are struck by something further that they want to find on your site they won’t have to scroll all over the darn place trying to find your search box. Likely they will remember that it is at or near the top of your page in the above the crease area.

5. Last but not least – your content. At the bare minimum the title and the first few lines of your latest post should be easy for the reader to spot. No matter what your blogging goals are you must ensure that the reader finds what they consider the most important thing. And that is the content that they came for.

After you get your blog set up so that the above 5 things are above the crease, then you can consider what else you want up there. With a well-designed template, you should still have room. If you don’t, you might want to consider changing your blog template for a roomier one. Three columns minimum and go for a 960 pixel wide design.

Some, but not all of your advertising should be above the crease. So if you have products that you are promoting consider which ones are likely to be the most appealing and profitable. These are the ones you should situate above the crease if you have room.

I also like to see the categories list for a blog above the crease or at least not too far down on the page. This let’s readers quickly figure out exactly what they can expect to find on your blog.

If you are going to use a recent content list or a featured content slider, it too should be above the crease. Just don’t sacrifice any of the major 5 to include it.

All in all, you have about 850 pixels of height to play with. Not a lot when you consider all the things you need to include above the fold. The real trick is do it in an attractive and uncluttered manner. So avoid blog toys at all costs. I mean, skip the useless widgets, counters and badges. No one comes to your site to see the shiny things you are prone to hoarding.

Well there you have it my 5 things that must be above the crease on your blog and a few extras to consider too. Ensuring your blog meets these requirements will help your readers navigate easily through your blog and connect readily with your site as well.

Does your blog adhere to the top 5 list? Do think I should have included something else to place above the fold? Please leave a comment with your opinions and ideas. After all we can all learn from one another’s point of view.

Blog Angel – out.