Above The Fold
When you first navigate to a website the content you see on the screen is called above the fold content.
On any device, loading above the fold content first, and the rest of the content later, will speed up the rendering of the website by the browser.
To improve website audit scores, web developers 'inline' above the fold code.
That means they extract above the fold CSS and JavaScript code chunks from the files that contain them and embed them directly in the HTML page.
Then then they 'defer' the below the fold code so it loads after the web-page renders.
This can raise the web-page's audit scores by a significant margin.
Have a look at how you can audit pages from your website in this post.
Should I Hire a Developer to Inline My Above The Fold Code?
That depends on how important it is to you that Google likes the performance of your website.
Does Page Speed Affect SEO?
"The simple answer is that page speed does affect SEO. Page speed is a direct ranking factor, a fact known even better since Google's Algorithm Speed Update. However, speed can also affect rankings indirectly, by increasing the bounce rate and reducing dwell time."
[Source: cognitiveseo.com]
Better performing websites rank better on Google, and that means potential customers, clients, and viewers are more likely to find your website if you have your above the fold code inlined.
This might not matter to you if you run a coffee shop on a busy street and don't have the capacity for extra customers, but it can be very important if new customers typically find you on the internet, as is the case with a lot of e-commerce stores.
How Much Should I Pay To Have My Above The Fold Code Inlined?
That depends on the size of your website's footprint; the number of pages it serves to the internet.
It also depends on the content management system your website was built with, and the complexity of your JavaScript and CSS code and architecture.
Some web shops offer assessments and that is the case with our shop, Build Hello.
We offer a one-time SEO Report that includes an estimate for inlining above the fold code.
Feel free to have a look at our prices here.
If you'd like to know about anything else website related, give us a call, send over an e-mail or fill out our form below.
We'll get back to you in a snap and book you in for a free consultation.
