"Put the CTA above the fold." [DEPENDS]

"Put the CTA above the fold." [DEPENDS]

It spread as a corollary of fold-worship: if the top matters most, the button belongs there.

The boring truth: CTA placement should follow the persuasion curve, not the pixel ruler. For a cheap, understood offer, a top button works — intent is already high. For a considered purchase, a button shown before you've built the case asks for commitment before desire exists. Studies repeatedly show the best button position is after the argument that earns it, wherever on the page that lands.

Asking too early reads as pushy. Asking too late loses the warm.

What the advice skipped: place the CTA at the moment of conviction, then repeat it. There's no rule that says once.