Why They Call It Web Surfing

Web content managers: Do you wonder whether it makes sense to manicure your splash pages? Choose every word with care? Well, the jury is in.

It makes enormous sense.

Web design consultants have long advocated brevity. Many words make for glazed-over eyes and short visits. But now a scientifically reliable study “Not Quite the Average: An Empirical Study of Web Use,” demonstrates the limits of readers’ tolerance for verbiage. And is it low.

With the authors’ permission, the noted Web usability consultant Jakob Nielsen analyzed over 45,000 page views of 25 users who were above average in intelligence. No shortage of attention span in this group.

Nielsen plotted time spent on each page against number of words on the page. He got a remarkably straight line. After they spent about 25 seconds orienting themselves to the page, its contents and navigation, the time that readers spent with 100 words was about 4.4 seconds. Adding a second 100 words to the page bought another 4.4 seconds of reading time, and so forth.

Can you absorb 100 words in 4.4 seconds? Not really. As a general rule, Nielsen figures, a literate person reads 250 words per minute. A 100-word chunk takes 24 seconds to read. The 4.4 second finding reveals that, for every 100 words you add to a Web page, you average visitor is reading 18 percent of your new content.

Should his findings motivate you to shorten all your copy? Nielsen himself doesn’t plan to. His articles run into the thousands of words. However, he points out, he targets a small, elite readership with a commitment to usability.

You may have different goals. If you want to reach a broad readership and persuade them to take action – buy something, give money, call their Congressman – you might take another look at your Website. Do you really need all those words?