Quick & Easy Fixes to Increase Your Readability Score
One fantastic tool and 5 tips to make your content more readable.
Way back when I first transitioned from full-time communication consultant to web content creator, my biggest hurdle was editing my work to make it more readable.
I didn’t understand what the word meant. Some people may mistake it for dumbing down your words, but that’s not true.
My thoughts were clear, even if I used big words and long sentences to show my expertise. Little did I know that is EXACTLY what I was not supposed to be doing.
And it took me time to start writing so that my content was readable.
I want to show you how to make your content readable within minutes with some tips and a great tool that can help.
Why readability is so important
Before we understand how to make our text more readable, we must know why it is essential.
Remember that your content is going into a giant library (the internet) where readers will be scanning and deciding in a few seconds whether it is worth reading more or clicking back to find something else that is easier to understand.
Your content must be delivered quickly in the most concise way.
Your readers don’t have time to figure out what you are trying to say.
They have a question and will move on if you can’t answer it. Your content must come up with answers in the beginning and in a straightforward fashion.
5 ways to score high on the readability index
A readability index tells you how difficult your text is to read. It uses several tests to do this, and it’s a little complicated.
But generally, if you score your text in webFX and it’s above 60, that is a good readability score.
Here are four solid tips and one tool to help you get that score.
1. Short words = happy readers
Shorter and simpler words will increase your readability index. Now, when we say short, we mean count your syllables. Anything that is above three will bring down your score.
Find synonyms and use the shorter ones.
It is also important to avoid jargon and technical terms. This applies even if you may be writing about something technical. Find ways to explain it in simple language, and always spell out acronyms when they are first used.
2. Avoid long sentences
This sometimes doesn’t happen in your first draft and comes with practice. Break up sentences so they are shorter and easier to understand.
There is no definite rule, but avoid using more than 20 words per sentence. Focus on making your writing clear. You can dedicate each sentence to a single thought. This way, by default, your sentences will be shorter.
One thought = One sentence.
3. Avoid adverbs
Adverbs are our enemy. Avoid them when you can. Why? They take away from your writing and add to the time readers need to comprehend what you are trying to say.
They also may clutter your text. When we delete the adverbs and read what we wrote aloud, our writing becomes more direct and confident. Try it.
4. Change sentence length and rhythm of the text
One of the hallmarks of boring writing is when you have sentences that are of the same length. Varying the length of sentences helps to change your rhythm. A great way to test this is to have your text read aloud.
Try speechify and hear what you have written to test the rhythm and sound of your text. This is also a fun way to proofread your text and catch commas or grammatical errors. There is a nice weirdness to having Gwyneth Paltrow read your blog.
5. Tools to help you make your content readable
There are a few tools out there that you can use to help you make your content more readable, but I have yet to see any as comprehensive as Readable. It not only tells you how readable your content is. It also suggests where you can make changes and suggests synonyms for longer syllable words. It will even tell you everywhere you have used an adverb. It covers everything I just listed above.
The downside is that it is not free - $4 a month, which is not bad.
Or, for free, you could follow the tips above and remember them every time you write.
Before you know it, getting a score of 60 will come naturally.
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Aim for human readability
I wanted to make a point about SEO and ranking content since that is what most people aim for nowadays. It is crucial, along with that, to make sure your content reads and resonates with humans.
If it is SEO optimized but not clear or coherent information, it will not do anyone any good.
Remember: Use SEO to get the click, then deliver on your promise with human-quality content. Your content should cater to your readers and contain the information you claim in your title.
That is as important as the rest of the readability tips I listed above.
Because at the end of the day, you are building a relationship of trust with your reader, and the last thing you want is to lose that.
