"Put everything above the fold" is dated advice

"Put everything above the fold" is dated advice
Old 2012 wisdom, still repeated. The top unit isn't automatically your best earner anymore.
I heat-mapped a long-form post: the unit that printed money was the one AFTER the first subheading, where people actually pause and decide if they'll keep reading. The very-top leaderboard? Banner blindness, garbage CTR.
Tried this: moved my anchor budget into a unit between intro and first H2. RPM +14%, top unit untouched.
Viewability matters more than fold position now. Place units at attention breaks, not at pixel zero.