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Video Summary

Content readability refers to how easy your content is for your audience to read and understand. Readable content is clear, easy to comprehend, and can be quickly skimmed. On the other hand, content that is hard to read is unclear, difficult to understand, and challenging to skim.

People stay on your website longer because they’re more likely to read beyond the first sentence, and they might even click to other pages to learn more about related topics and what your business offers. And they begin to trust your business as a source of valuable information.

And readability is not just for humans. It’s also important for SEO. Search engines are becoming smarter and can tell when content is good quality. They focus on what people want to read. So, if you focus on creating content that is reader-friendly, it can positively affect your rankings in the search results too.

So, I have 5 simple tips for you to make your writing more reader-friendly…

Video Transcript

Hello, my name is Jeffrey Kirk.

So why did the content writer get fired? Because his content was unreadable! Of course! And now I have to ask, is your online content readable?

Creating Content

Investing in your own blog and creating content about your business not only establishes your authority in your industry, but also connects you to your target audience. This connection begins when searchers find answers to their questions on your website. And what part of your website is great for providing answers? It’s your blog. That’s why having a blog is important.

If you don’t have a blog for your business, then you’re missing out! Head over to my video called, “How to Start a Business Blog” and start yours now.

When you create good content, that creates value. And value can come in the form of education, or inspiration, or entertainment. And quality content keeps your audience on your site.

But if people don’t consume your content, then the content is useless. So, how can you create content that your audience will actually read? The answer is simple: Make it more readable.

Sure, you might be watching this as a video on YouTube. And maybe that means you prefer to watch a video than to read something. And that’s fine. But most content on most websites is written content even if it has photos, other images, and even videos built in.

Wait a second! If you like watching videos, then please like this one! And subscribe to my channel! That would be great! And if you click the little bell icon, you can be notified each week when I release a new video.

Okay, back to readability. This is a crucial factor that determines everything from who engages with your content, to how much value they get from it, and whether they will ever come back for more. But what exactly is content readability, and how can you make your content easier to read?

Content Readability

The main difference between readable and unreadable content is the amount of value your reader gains from each. Readable content effectively conveys information, enabling your readers to learn something new, make a discovery, or solve a problem.

Unreadable content, on the other hand, fails to do this. Your readers can’t learn anything from it because the words and sentences don’t make sense to them. And that’s a key point. The content must make sense to your audience. You don’t count. Just because it makes sense to you, doesn’t mean it makes sense to them.

Why is Content Readability so Important?

If it’s readable, your site visitors don’t have to work hard to understand it, so they can find answers to their questions faster.

On the other hand, if your content is difficult to read, people get frustrated and they leave your site. It’s kind of like reading a book – if the first chapter is hard to understand, you might not finish the book, but if it’s easy to read and you like it, you will finish it. And then you might want to read more from the same author.

And readability is not just for humans. It’s also important for SEO. Search engines are becoming smarter and can tell when content is good quality. They focus on what people want to read. So, if you focus on creating content that is reader-friendly, it can positively affect your rankings in the search results too.

So, I have 5 simple tips for you to make your writing more reader-friendly…

Tip #1 – Keep it Simple

Using complicated language and filling your sentences with jargon makes your content harder to read and understand. And that makes your writing less approachable. Readers might leave your site to find information elsewhere.

How complex your text should be depends on your audience. If you’re writing for a specific group with specialized knowledge, you might get away with more complex language. The truth is, in most cases, you don’t need fancy words to get your point across. Simple language usually results in the best content.

Most of us want to reach a broader audience and not leave anyone out. So, it’s better to keep your content less complex and more accessible to everyone. Two factors affecting complexity are sentence length and the use of complex and uncommon words. Longer sentences and complicated words make it harder for your readers to understand what you’re trying to say.

So, keeping your sentences clear and using simple words will improve your content’s readability.

Tip #2 – Divide Your Text and Keep It Short

To make your writing easier to read, structure it well. This means breaking your text into smaller paragraphs and using headings to divide it into sections. This makes your text easier to scan, and it allows readers to take breaks between paragraphs.

Nobody likes a huge block of text without any clear subtopics. Readers might feel overwhelmed and not want to continue. Too many words can seem like too much work. But don’t worry, the solution is simple.

Use clear headings and subheadings to break up your content into smaller parts that people will actually want to read.

Headings also help readers locate specific information quickly and they facilitate skimming. Oh, and watch out for long sentences, too. Long sentences can hurt your readability and waste your reader’s time. Plus, they may cause your message to lose focus.

To improve readability, aim for sentences that are around 14 words or less on average. This makes your content much easier to understand and keeps your readers engaged. Since most people just scan digital content, instead of reading it thoroughly from top to bottom, do these 3 things to make it easier for them:

Use informative headings and subheadings
Use bullet points to list content
Highlight important numbers and keywords

Tip #3 – Write In Active Voice

Using too much passive voice makes your writing sound distant and less clear. Let me give you an example. Here’s active voice: “I ate pizza.” Passive voice is like this: “The pizza was eaten by me.” Passive voice tends to make sentences longer and more complicated, but most of the time, it’s simply not necessary. It adds no value.

Usually, using active voice is better for clarity and readability compared to passive voice. Therefore, remember to prioritize active voice when you’re editing your content.

Tip #4 — Use Legible Fonts and Spacing

Picking the right font is important for making text easier to read. Consider things like size, spacing, color, and contrast when choosing a font. It should be clear and easy on the eyes to keep readers engaged. Avoid using fonts that are too thin or too small a size.

Color contrast is also important for readability. It helps people read the text more easily. So, make sure there’s enough contrast between the text and the background. Also keep in mind that some colors might affect people with different vision impairments differently, so choose a color palette that works for everyone.

And don’t forget about your spacing. Proper line spacing breaks up dense text, making it easier to scan and find information. It also makes the text look more professional and it’s more pleasing to the eye.

Also use whitespace effectively to enhance visual clarity and focus. Whitespace, or the empty space between elements, improves visual clarity and readability. Allow sufficient whitespace around text blocks and paragraphs to create a sense of visual balance.

Tip #5 – Proofread and Read Out Loud

Take the time to proofread your content for grammatical errors, typos, and awkward phrasing. Edit your content to improve the overall flow. Another simple way to check how easy your content is to read, is to read it out loud.

It might feel strange doing this, especially the first time, but you’ll notice how different it sounds when spoken out loud compared to reading it silently in your head. When you speak the words, you’re more likely to stumble over complicated sentences and paragraphs, and you’ll notice when your words become confusing.

When you find these tricky parts, try to rewrite them in a simpler way. Make the text flow better and easier for people to read. Then, before you publish anything, here’s one last tip: get someone else to read what you’ve written.

When you’ve worked on something for a long time, it’s easy to miss typos, repeated words, and other errors because you become too familiar with the text. That’s where another person’s fresh eyes can be super helpful. So, as part of your regular publishing process, have someone competent check everything.

And Tip #6… Just kidding, I said there are only 5 tips today!

So remember, when your content is easy to read, your audience gets more value from it. They can learn, find the answers they need, and discover new things. But if your content is difficult to read, they won’t get these benefits. Instead, they’ll get bored or frustrated. And when your audience is bored or frustrated, they will leave without connecting with you or your business.

So, focus on improving the readability of your content, and you’ll see better online results. But this is only the start of what you can do to improve user experience and improve your rank in the search results.

Every week I bring you a video on another topic to help your business online. Be sure to subscribe to my channel.

Also, join me on an upcoming webinar where I will show you a way to optimize your business and make sure it shows at the top of the search results! Look for the link here and join me soon.

Your business deserves to be seen online, and I will help you get there.

Thanks for watching and have a great day!

5 Ways To Improve Content Readability