There’s a relatively new web design rule – 2 clicks or less. This rule states that if a user has clicked two times or more and has not found what they need, you’ve lost them as a visitor.
The previous rule here related to “above-the-fold”, in other words, everything important needed to be viewable on an average sized screen. If they had to scroll you lost them. If it didn’t fit on one page, make another page.
“Above–the-fold” is already outdated due to two simple facts – users are less patient and more savvy. “Above-the-fold” implied that a user wasn’t savvy or informed enough to know to scroll. As time goes on and Internet adoption goes up, we’re finding this less and less true.
In addition, the Internet is getting faster and faster. Clicking to another page means loading another page. Which means time. Time is more and more valuable, and people are more and more impatient.
When you’re deciding on what content people need to see, and how they’re going to see it, you need to keep in mind that people are incredibly impatient, informed, and intelligent. Forget that, and you’ll watch them drop off like flies.