4 Basic Design Principles Every Optimised Page Needs

A CRO Framework For Simply More Conversions

Read Length: 5-10 Mins | Author: Courtney Pullen

Introduction: Users Are Impatient And Above-The-Fold Clarity Is Non-Negotiable.

It’s time to ditch the myth that ‘users will scroll anyway’. Above the fold is the decision territory. This is where users make a snap judgement about whether to stay, scroll or bounce. 

Great design is able to communicate, prioritise and reduce cognitive strain, which leads to more engagement and higher conversion rates. We’re going to breakdown the essential design rules every conversion-focused page must follow, with a focus on: 

1. Maximising above-the-fold utility

2. Clear prioritisation of essential trust and action elements

3. Simplicity to reduce cognitive overload

4. Designing for how people actually use their phones

1. Maximise Above-The-Fold Space 

This is the space where users decide whether to engage with your page, or abandon it. You need to deliver purpose, credibility, and a path forward within the first seconds of someone arriving on your page. 

Your messaging hierarchy must guide the eye with intention: relevance first, value second, action third. 

Practically, this means designing your hero section to fit within one visible screen:

1. Desktop hero height should typically stay within ~600–800px

2. Mobile hero sections should resolve fully within ~800–850px (iPhone 12 Pro baseline)

3. If your headline or CTA is cut off on first load, your hero is too tall

Visual design does the heavy lifting here, which means that spacing, contrast, typography, alignment, and button styling must actively reinforce reading order, not decorate it.

To help you with your messaging hierarchy, here are practical elements you should include above the fold, without scrolling:

1. Headline: Clear value proposition with strong message match

2. Subheadline: Who it’s for + what problem it solves (max 2 lines)

3. Primary CTA: High-contrast, dominant, immediately visible

4. Social proof: Logos, trust badges, or a short testimonial placed near the CTA

5. Time/effort cue: Micro-copy such as 'Takes <60 seconds' or 'No credit card required'

CTA rules that really matter are:

1. The primary CTA colour should not appear anywhere else above the fold

2. Button copy should describe the outcome, not the action (e.g. 'See my rates' instead of 'Submit')

3. You should always test changes to your CTA, it can heavily influence your conversion rate 

Here are some common mistakes that you should look to avoid: 

1. Oversized hero images pushing content down the page (e.g. a full-screen photo of a laptop that forces users to scroll before seeing what the product does)

2. Placing the first CTA below the fold (e.g. 'Sign-up for a demo' only appears after a long intro paragraph or giant lifestyle image)

3. Unclear or decorative headlines (e.g. 'Reimagine Possibility' instead of 'Automated invoicing for small businesses')

4. Showing branding instead of value (e.g. headline reads 'Welcome to Acme' with a generic logo and no relevance or benefit communicated)

Above-the-fold testing impacts bounce rate more than almost any other page. The clarity of a first impression feeds into relevance and trust, which are by far the two strongest conversion drivers. 

2. Must-Have Elements Above The Fold For Trust And Engagement 

The elements that you include relate directly to the user's decision-making process.

Each element is there to remove psychological resistance:

Headline

Your headline should instantly answer the user’s two subconscious questions

• Is this for me? 

• Why should I care? 

You achieve this through explicit message matching to the search criteria or ad language with a clear, outcome-focused benefit. Your headline is there for expectation management and to filter for qualified visitors. 

Effective headline design rules include: 

1. Aim to communicate results rather than adjectives

2. Keep line length to ~8–12 words per line for readability

3. Use legible font weights, ultra-thin typefaces reduce clarity and trust

CTA

Your CTA needs to make the next step obvious, and feel low-commitment. This means: 

1. Clear language that sets expectations (e.g. ‘See pricing in 30 seconds’)

2. High visibility through contrast and size (e.g. one primary CTA in a high-contrast colour, 44–56px button height on mobile)

3. Low perceived effort (e.g. avoid verbs like ‘Submit’)

CTA placement rules that convert:

1. The primary CTA must be visible when the page loads

2. Repeat the same CTA immediately after the hero section

3. Avoid introducing secondary CTAs above the fold

Social proof

This provides immediate credibility, which is crucial to encourage users to invest effort. Above the fold this should be:

• Fast to process (logos, short testimonials, star reviews)

• Directly relevant to the users identity or use case 

This will eliminate any insecurity around whether ‘will this actually work for someone like me?’. 

Further design guidance for social proof that convinces: 

1. Logos should be muted and presented in a single static row

2. Testimonials above the fold should be one sentence and outcome-focused

3. Try to avoid sliders or carousels as they slow information flow

Time element

These are micro-cues that will reduce perceived effort. Examples include:

• Takes <60 seconds

• No credit card required

• 3 steps → personalised quote

The best placement and design for time elements include: 

1. Directly under or beside the primary CTA

2. Smaller font than body copy, but still legible

3. Lower contrast than the CTA, higher than surrounding text

These elements serve to answer the question of how much perceived effort you’re asking of your users. The higher the perceived effort the less likely people will engage and/or commit. 

These elements directly map to the 4 question every user asks themselves:

1. Is this relevant? 

2. Do I trust this?

3. What will I get?

4. How long will this take? 

Small improvements based on above-the-fold content often outperform deeper funnel changes, and will directly impact your conversion rate. 

3. Keep It Simple: Avoid Cognitive Overload 

Simplicity feels like safety, which is why avoiding complexity is the best thing you can do. By keeping things simple you improve how people understand what you’re saying, which improves perceived trust, and trust is everything. 

Users rely on fast, intuitive thinking when they’re deciding whether or not to continue. In order to ensure engagement and conversion you need to capitalise on this. Because, keeping things minimalistic means removing decisions, not content.

To support this, your design should:

1. Use one dominant headline and one primary CTA  (e.g. 'Compare mortgage rates in seconds' & a single CTA: 'See my rates'. No competing buttons)

2. Group information into clearly separated visual zones (e.g. 3 short bullet points with icons: 'Fast approval · No credit card · Personalised results' instead of long paragraphs)

3. Use white space intentionally to reduce visual fatigue (e.g. separating headline, benefits list, and CTA into distinct visual zones rather than stacking dense text)

Make sure to avoid the following mistakes with your page design:

1. Presenting multiple paths or offers at once (e.g. demo, pricing, ebook, chat, and video CTAs all competing above the fold)

2. Overuse of colours, fonts, or motion (e.g. gradients, banners, animations, and multicoloured CTAs creating visual noise)

3. Walls of text with no structure (e.g. long uninterrupted paragraphs that make users scroll right past key value)

In conversion rate optimisation cognitive effort = friction, which is why minimising cognitive load results in more conversions. Not only this, but simplifying pages often improves scroll depth and CTA engagement. The aim here is to remove decisions and improve the efficiency of how people process your page. 

1. Mobile Experience Is A Non-Negotiable Priority 

Mobile now dominates traffic and therefore conversions. Most businesses can expect mobile traffic to make up a minimum of 50% of traffic, in reality it is often over 75% of total traffic. You need to design for the device users actually convert on, which means you need to offer a mobile-optimised experience. 

Real constraints matter: 

1. A phone screen only shows a small slice of your page (e.g., an iPhone 12 shows roughly the first ~840px before scrolling)

2. A desktop monitor shows much more space (roughly the first ~1,000px of the page is visible before scrolling)

Your hero section should be designed to fit comfortably within one screen. Users should immediately understand what the page is about, without needing to scroll.

Here are some mobile design rules that actually convert:

1. Primary CTA must be visible when the page loads

2. Buttons must be large, thumb-friendly tap targets

3. Place CTAs in the lower-middle third of the screen (i.e., the ‘Thumb Zone’)

4. Show product or outcome instead

Make sure to avoid doing the following:

1. Shrinking desktop design to mobile 

2. Hidden CTAs until user scrolls down 

3. Endless hero section making users scroll 

4. Large sale or promotional banners that push key CTAs below the fold

Mobile users are even more impatient than desktop users, which makes having an optimised user experience even more important for conversion. On top of this, due to limited space on mobile devices the need for above-the-fold clarity is amplified. By testing mobile-first changes you will often yield faster conversion wins. 

Conclusion: Design For Action, Not Aesthetics 

Conversion-first design is about speed to understanding and speed to action. High-converting pages make the right choice feel instant and effortless. They communicate what matters most before a user even has time to reconsider.

Here are the non-negotiable essentials every optimised page must deliver:

1. Above-the-fold clarity

2. Headline, CTA, social proof, and time cue

3. Minimal visual noise

4. Reduced cognitive friction

5. Mobile-first prioritisation

High-performing pages use design as a tool for directing behaviour where visuals serve purpose before aesthetics. Once you understand this, you can start leveraging design to increase your conversions.