Make your value clear and undeniable as soon as your page is opened

Sara says: “If your value proposition is not instantly clear, above the fold, your SEO efforts won't pay off.

A lot of websites look good from an SEO point of view – you’re getting traffic, the rankings are there, etc. – but if people land on the site and they cannot immediately understand what makes you different, they will just leave. Then, all that SEO work doesn't translate into results.”

How do you define what's above the fold nowadays?

“Above-the-fold is everything that a user sees on the screen before scrolling, especially on your home page, and it’s basically the same concept across all devices.

However, when you design your above-the-fold section, you must double-check how it looks on multiple devices, not just on desktop and mobile. You need to check different screen sizes and tablets, even if you don’t normally see much traffic from them.

For all the devices, you should make sure that your above-the-fold is well-placed, you don't cut off any key elements, and the information that you show on desktop is consistent with the information that you show on mobile.”

How do you articulate what you do, so the user understands your business and your proposition?

“You need to answer three questions: What does your business or product do? Who is it for? Why should someone choose you over the alternatives? If this is not clear, especially in competitive landscapes like insurance or courses for very mainstream topics, people are going to bounce.

It's very important that you can answer these three questions right away, as the first thing that users see when they land on the page – and the data supports this. The Nielsen Norman Group found that users spend about 57% of their time above the fold, and the content that is placed in that space gets 84% more attention than what's farther down the page. People also leave quickly, usually within 10-20 seconds, unless the page shows clear relevance and value.

Without clarity above the fold, you're going to see higher bounce rates, weaker engagement, and fewer conversions, even if your rankings look strong. That's why, in 2026, SEO isn't only about traffic or AI; it's really about clarity, trust, user experience, and making sure that your value is impossible to miss in those first few seconds.”

Is there testing software you can use to establish what your website looks like above the fold, and evaluate the elements that you have to improve?

“There are usability tests that you can do, like the five-second usability test. Basically, you show your page to a user for just five seconds, and then you ask them, ‘Did you understand what this page was about?’ They have only seen the page for five seconds, and you want them to tell you what you do and what stood out to them. If they cannot explain it clearly, that means your value proposition isn’t strong enough above the fold.

You can do this test in person, but you can also do it online. You could be sharing the screen with the user and asking them, or you can do it offline.

Other things that you should definitely look at are checking the data. Look at bounce rate, dwell time, and conversions on those key landing pages. Collaborate closely with brand teams and user experience teams to make sure that it's consistent across your pages, and that all the teams are aligned on this value proposition that you want to highlight right from the start.

Also, if you're not doing it already, I would suggest that you use behavioural analytics (scroll maps, heat maps, session recordings, etc.) to see whether people are engaging with what’s above the fold and are clicking through. If you see that's happening, it's a good sign that the message is working.”

What do great business value propositions look like?

“I don't have a specific example, but it’s important that you get rid of vague or fluffy headlines and use plain, benefit-driven language.

This could be something like, ‘Market coverage that saves you up to 40%,’ ‘no-code dashboards for startup founders,’ or ‘one-on-one coaching with certified advisors.’

First and foremost, clarity is key.”

If someone clicks through from the SERP and only spends a few seconds on your website, how do you measure the impact that's likely to have on future rankings?

“The impact this will have is that you're going to see your pages converting. You might be doing well ranking-wise, but conversions may not be happening.

It's important that, apart from bounce rate and dwell time, you also check the behavioural analytics that I mentioned regarding how people are interacting. I also bring in qualitative insights, like the usability test that I just mentioned, but also user interviews to see whether the message is relevant, it feels trustworthy, and people understand what you do and what makes you different from the others.

Something else that is important is that you don't just stop at the above-the-fold section. You also need to check the drop-off points in the user flow. If people understand your offer on the homepage but get lost on the product or pricing page (or other key business pages), it means that clarity is not being carried through the user journey.

It's important that you make sure your users can move smoothly from that first impression all the way to a conversion.”

Can you carry out split tests to determine the phrasing that communicates your value most effectively?

“Absolutely. You can track the conversion rate before and after you make changes. Make sure that you have the data from before available as well, so that you can compare to see whether it's working or not.

Something I always highlight when testing a change is, don't change a lot of things at the same time, because you're not going to know what’s working and what's not. It's better to test one or two changes at a time and see if that has an impact, before you continue rolling out changes, instead of totally changing everything at once.”

Is there any particular software that you prefer to use?

“AB Tasty is a piece of software that you could use. VWO and Optimizely are good options as well. Some companies have their own built-in A/B testing tools. Depending on the business, you may be more comfortable using one tool or another.”

Should SEOs become expert headline writers, or does that skill set belong to content writers and other experts that you would outsource to?

“We should work closely with content writers, copywriters, and brand teams. You don't need to be those experts per se, but it is important that you ask yourself the three questions I mentioned before: What does your business or product do? Who is it for? Why should someone choose you over the alternatives?

You need to be able to see whether you are providing that value, the message is clearly understood, and you are clearly showing how you are different from your competitors. You need to understand whether what you are offering is clear or confusing, but you should definitely partner up with those other teams as well.”

Is it still important to incorporate keyword phrases within headings, or can search engines now understand what a page is about regardless of what’s in the H1s?

“I've often had these discussions when working with brand teams, product marketing teams, and copywriters because some teams want more marketing headlines and SEO – even though we now rely less on H1s and H2s than before. Google is able to understand what a page is about, even if you don't repeat the keywords throughout.

It's important to find the sweet spot. Obviously, it's important that those headlines sound appealing, but the main keywords that you care about definitely need to be there. I highly encourage that you keep including them.”

Does this have to be done for all the main pages on the website as well, including product pages?

“Yes. In fact, I had a recent experience with a pricing page where the word ‘pricing’ was not included in the H1, and that page was not receiving any traffic. It was a very well-crafted page. All of the options were explained, and the different pricing plans, but the word ‘pricing’ was not in the headline. It was there further down, but the page was not performing. We made the change, and then we started to rank.

So, it's still important. We shouldn't encourage keyword stuffing (that’s a practice that we, as SEOs, haven't done for a long time), but for key business pages, these key terms should still appear in the H1, not just on the page itself.

At the top of the page, show those key terms. It's possible that you might not need to do it as much for tools that have less competition or businesses that don't rely so heavily on organic traffic, which do still exist. However, I would highly encourage you to keep including those terms.

Of course, as SEOs love to say, it depends. However, from my experience, including the key term ‘pricing’ really made a difference.”

Sara, what's the key takeaway from the tip you shared today?

“In 2026, SEO success is not just about visibility and AI, it's also about clarity.

Make sure that your value proposition is instantly clear above the fold: what you do, who it's for, and why you're different. If you can do that, then the traffic you're working so hard to bring in will actually convert.”

Sara Fernández Carmona is a Freelance International SEO Consultant. Find out more over at Sara-Fernandez.com.