I’ll keep this short. And it turns out you should, too.

According to research by Jakob Nielsen, user advocate and principal of the Nielsen Norman Group, the typical online visitor reads only half of the content on pages with 111 words or less. That’s a maximum of 55.5 words. If you’ve made it this far, you’re already at 60.

Most users read about 20% of the text of an average page with 593 words. That’s comes out to just 118 words– not a lot of space to make an impression. Photos and videos are the real eyeball magnets these days. Just ask Pinterest and Instagram.

Make Every Word Count

You might think this would be depressing for a writer, but it’s not. I can recognize the same behavior in myself. Nielsen’s research serves as a helpful reminder that every word must engage the reader, starting with word one.

Now, think about your online copy. Is it grabbing readers’ attention? Is your information architecture and page layout helping them get to the good stuff fast? I could go on about how I can help you refine your message, engage your audience and drive sales, but at 200 words and counting, I think I’ve pushed my luck enough already.

Thanks for reading. I mean that.

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