Do I have to put everything in the top of my web site?

It should be canon in web design by now, but let’s say it again: You don’t have to put everything above the fold (in the first screen) of your web site.

Everyone scrolls.

Here is some excellent usability research on the topic by Huge. The takeaway is that even with no prompting at all, 92% of web site users scrolled and reached the bottom of the page.

What this means is that in designing the web page we can stick to the age-old premise of the introductory paragraph or executive summary: We summarize what your user will get from this part of your site and then place the supporting points further down the page.

This gives your designer more room to say what you need to say, and more time for the user to understand it.

Then, everyone wins.