Q: Chris, how much text is too much at our website? We’ve got a lot to say and want to communicate effectively. Our website designer says “too much text isn’t good,” and “people don’t read lots of text online.”
A: Great question. My answer is: communicate what you MUST in order to turn a website visitor into an inquiry. Also, find a new website designer. One that understands the concept of CONVERSION – turning people who visit your website into inquiries and sales.
If you feel you have have a lot of text, “chunk” it in short paragraphs with no more than 5 or 8 sentences in any paragraph.
People do not read online like they do in print, but they will ALWAYS read good marketing content. Key Point: well-written, engaging, informative marketing content. Plus, keep in mind, many people visiting your website will be doing so from their smartphone.
Finally, Google likes text. It reads EVERY. SINGLE. WORD. on your pages. Google uses page text to formulate RELEVANCY to the search performed by a user. Without a doubt, fewer words on a page directly impacts that pages ability to rank well with Google. To be clear, it’s not the only factor Google looks at, but it does play a significant role.