People often wonder if there is an optimal length for various types of online content.  Two words set the parameters more than any others:  concise and clarity.

The most common answer you’ll find to the question of how long online content should be is “as long as it needs to be”.

This vague answer is meant to indicate that you shouldn’t be thinking about length, but should be focused on fully developing your ideas.

There is a better answer.

With respect to the digital reader, there is no doubt that not just being concise, but breaking your content up into short, easy to digest pieces improves readership.

Reading on the internet is not linear.  People rarely go from beginning to end.  They skip and scan over the web, looking for what’s important to them.

In this environment, you have to be clear.  Your main idea must stand-out and be the focus of your entire piece.

You also must be concise.  It’s essential that you edit out deadwood and fluff.  Even if you have SEO goals for your content, be as concise as possible – which aids clarity.

To paraphrase Eisenstein:

Make your business website content as short as possible, but no shorter.

Know your purpose, of course.  A white paper will obviously be longer than a product description.

But for a business website with sales goals – built around calls-to-action – develop content into short, single-topic bursts.

Drawn-out analysis and introspective tangents undermine persuasion.

The most important consideration is that your main idea is clear.  State everything necessary to make your argument.

Then cut everything that doesn’t support your main idea or persuasive goals.  Don’t be afraid of short copy or videos.  Volume doesn’t count.

If you’re blogging and you have another idea you want to develop, turn it into another blog post.

Clear and concise.  Enough said.