Sgt_Kickaxe - 8:19 am on Mar 6, 2012 (gmt 0)

How exactly are Google judging "above the fold".

Only Google knows for sure but I have worked with sidebars above the main content and sites with sidebars below the main content within the code. Short answer is that it made no difference where in the code the sidebars are.

It appears Google is using visual cues to judge what is above the fold, as in an actual screen capture of the page, instead of relying on source code. Again, only Google knows for sure.