Staying at the top of search engine rankings is important for any website, and an important factor in doing so is readability. If the content isn’t readable to humans, it’s of little use.
Writing with your readability score in mind can help you create sharper, more engaging content. People generally prefer to read content that is simple enough, so it is recommended that you tailor your writing to achieve a 60-70 reading score.
This way, you can ensure that you engage your audience most effectively and keep them returning. Mastering this art takes plenty of practice, but with the right approach, many online writers have successfully created content that meets the readability standards.
The readability score measures how easy or difficult it is to understand written text. It is calculated using several factors, including sentence length, word choice, and paragraph organization.
The most commonly used readability formulas are the Flesch-Kincaid Readability Scale, the SMOG Index, and the Gunning Fog Index.
The Flesch-Kincaid Readability Formula uses two indicators to calculate readability: the average sentence length (ASL) and the average number of syllables per word (ASW).
To calculate the score, the following equation is used:
Readability Score = 206.835 – (ASL) x 84.6 – (ASW) x 1.015
The SMOG Index calculates readability using the number of polysyllabic words in a text. The equation is as follows:
Readability Score = 3 + (√Polysyllables) x 10
Polysyllabic words are defined as words that have three or more syllables.
The Gunning Fog Index is similar to the Flesch-Kincaid Readability Formula but adds complexity ratios and complex words. The formula is as follows:
Readability Score = (Words/ Sentences) + (Complex Words/ Words x 100)
Complex words have three or more syllables and do not include proper nouns, abbreviations, or contractions.
| SCORE | READING LEVEL | NOTES |
| 0-30 | College Graduate | Very difficult (best understood by university graduates) |
| 30-50 | Collage | Difficult |
| 50-60 | High School | Fairly difficult |
| 60-70 | High School | Plain English |
| 70-80 | 8th Grade | Easy to read |
| 80-90 | 7th Grade | Very easy to read |
| 90-100 | 3rd Grade | Easy to understand |
Pro Tip: Generally, you want to keep your web content at a readability score of at least 60-70 on the Flesch-Kincaid Readability Scale. This score ensures that your work reaches and engages the widest potential audience. A score above that indicates that your material is overly simplistic, which will turn off readers.
If you are consistently scoring below 60, fortunately, there are several practical techniques that you can use to increase your readability score and make your content easier to read.
Here are some tips on how to increase your readability score:
Too often, authors try to show off their writing prowess and use big words and complicated phrasing that can make the content very difficult to comprehend. While this may make the writing impressive, it does nothing to increase the readability score. Instead, keep the writing accessible and focused on expressing the ideas in the most transparent, most straightforward manner possible.
Simplifying content can also reduce the chances of a reader feeling overwhelmed or losing interest in the topic. Readers who understand the content easily are more likely to finish reading the text and pay attention to the crucial points.
Long sentences can be intimidating and difficult for readers to follow. That’s why it’s essential to break them up. This increases readability. If you have sentences with more than thirty words, break them up and create multiple sentences. Smaller sentences are cleaner and more direct.
A long paragraph of more than four sentences can be intimidating for readers. It is like too much information all at once. Shorter paragraphs help the reader to follow your argument more efficiently and make it easier to focus on the point you are trying to make.
Another effective tool for shortening paragraphs is the transition sentence. This helps to move the reader from one point to the next – rather than having one long block of text. The transition sentence serves as a bridge, summarizing the previous point and leading into the next one. This helps readers to keep track of the flow of the argument and makes it easier for them to understand.
Short words are generally easier to read since they require less effort to process. Why make it two? If one word can pass the same information, then there’s no need to use more than one word. For example, instead of saying “at this current moment,” say “now.” Not only does this take less time to read, but it requires less effort to process.
Avoid using too much passive voice and opt for active voice instead. Active voice is easier to read and comprehend, making your content more engaging. Using active voice also helps to create a more personal connection with your readers.
Readers are more likely to read content that is broken up into smaller chunks rather than a large block of text.
You can use various techniques to break up your text into shorter chunks. For example, you can use subheadings to break up large text sections into manageable chunks. This helps readers to find the information that is relevant to them quickly. You can also use bulleted points or numbered lists to break up your content and make it easier to read.
When writing, it is essential to use a friendly, conversational tone to connect with your readers and create a more friendly and approachable tone that is easy for readers to relate to. Writing that is too formal and using jargon can pursue your reader from your article because it’s exhausting.
To avoid this, write as if you were speaking to your readers and also add humor and personality into your writing to help you engage with readers on an emotional level. You would write naturally and not as a robot.
Knowing who you are writing to is the first step in writing. The significance of knowing your audience cannot be overstated. Understand your audience and write for them rather than for your score.
Even if it means violating the rules and writing lengthier sentences with complex terminology and larger paragraphs, go for it! Consider the rules to be useful tools rather than oppressive ones.
If you want to write content that engages readers and encourages them to keep reading, increasing the readability score of your writing should be a priority. That’s because readability scores help determine how easy it is to comprehend, understand and engage with the words on the page.
A good readability score can make your writing gratifying, and both the readers and the writers can see its benefits. The result is a website offering attractive, high-quality content that can help propel the site to the top of the search engine rankings.
