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Responsive
How much text belongs in a website's first screen?
The first screen should contain at least 60 words of readable text — that's the threshold the audit service applies in the smartphone profile, measured with no scrolling at all. Visitors decide within the first seconds whether to stay; a screen showing only a large photo doesn't answer their question. Search engines and answer engines also read what's at the top first, and prefer to cite from there.
The first screen decides the visit
What visitors see without scrolling is called "above the fold" in the jargon — above the fold, like a folded newspaper at a kiosk. This is where the decision falls: stay or leave. If it states in clear words who you are, what you offer, and for whom, the visitor has a reason to keep reading. If the area shows only a mood shot or a logo, the visitor has to work to find the answer. The same goes for machines: search engines and answer services weigh a page's visible beginning especially heavily, since it should answer a searcher's question fastest.
How the audit service measures the amount of text
The check builds your page in the smartphone profile at 390 pixels wide in a real browser, and counts every visible word in the area seen without scrolling. Invisible text, hidden menus, and empty elements don't count. Measurement runs twice; the higher of the two values counts, so a page that builds slowly isn't put at a disadvantage. If the result is under 60 words, the report states the counted word count and includes a screenshot of the first screen — so you see, at a glance, exactly what your visitors see first.
This content belongs at the top
The best thing at the top is a direct answer in two to three sentences: what the business offers, for whom, and what the next step is. A tax accountant, say, writes which clients they serve and in what city; a trade business names its services and service area. Images can stay — they should accompany the text, not push it out. Promotional filler fills words but answers no question; the 60 words are meant as room for content that actually helps the visitor. Anyone who writes this opening well serves visitors and search engines with the same paragraph.
- Open your homepage on a phone and read just the visible portion: does it answer who you are and what you offer?
- Write the two most important sentences about your offering and put them at the top of the page.
- Check whether a large header image takes up the entire first screen, and have it shrunk if necessary.
- Compare the screenshot in the audit report with the first impression you're aiming for.
FAQ
What does above the fold mean?
The term comes from the newspaper trade: at a kiosk, you only see the top half of a folded paper, so everything important sits above the fold. For websites, "above the fold" refers to the area visible without scrolling. On a smartphone, this area is small, so every word counts there especially.
Is a large photo on the first screen enough?
A photo sets a mood, but answers no question. Visitors arriving via a search want to know immediately whether they're in the right place — and for that, they need text. The audit service expects at least 60 visible words on the first mobile screen. A photo and text don't exclude each other: an image next to two clear sentences satisfies both.
Why does the check count exactly 60 words?
The threshold of 60 words is the measurement engine's benchmark: enough room for a value proposition in two to three sentences that answers the visitor's question. Noticeably less text suggests the top is dominated by image and logo. The better of two measurement runs counts, so slow-loading pages get treated fairly.