The top of the page is where the decision to keep reading gets made, and it happens in a couple of seconds. You need five things in that space, and nothing else competing with them.
The five
- What it is: the category, so nobody has to guess. "Bookkeeping for restaurants."
- Who it is for: named plainly, so the wrong people can leave and the right people lean in.
- The outcome: what changes for them, ideally with a number or a timeframe.
- The action: one button, with the words describing what happens next.
- A reason to believe: a logo row, a number, a one-line testimonial — something.
Notice that a hero image is not on the list. Images help when they show the actual product or result; they hurt when they are stock photography of strangers shaking hands, which pushes the useful words below the fold.
Test it like a stranger
Show the top of your page to someone unfamiliar with your business for five seconds, then hide it and ask what you sell and who for. If they cannot answer both, the problem is above the fold and no amount of great copy further down will rescue it.
Try it
Screenshot your page at mobile width, crop everything below the first screen, and check the five items against it. Most pages are missing the outcome and the reason to believe — add those first.