Have you ever started reading an article only to give up halfway through because it was just too hard to follow? Yep, you’re not alone. That’s how important readability is.
It’s the reason why I put together this guide on how to increase readability score of your blog.
Because in today’s fast-paced digital world, we all want content that is easy to digest and instantly engaging.
Even when we are looking for specific technical information, we tend to favor content that is easy to skim and understand. Dense, jargon-filled text can be overwhelming. And let’s be honest, no one likes to read that.
Instead, we all like articles with clear headings, bullet points, and concise explanations that help us quickly find and absorb the information we need.
So it’s pretty simple: A readability score shows how easy it is to read a piece of writing. Basically, it tells you if your writing is clear and simple enough for your readers.
However, good readability isn’t just about shorter sentences or simpler words. It’s an art that blends clear communication with a well-organized, inviting layout.
The truth is, whether you’re writing a blog, crafting an email, or creating social media posts, the readability of your content can make or break its success.
So how can you improve the readability score of your blog post? Let me show you… 🙂
1. Write with your audience in mind
Understanding your audience is key to writing readable content. Consider your audience’s reading level, preferences, and expectations.
Write at a level that your audience can easily understand. For most general audiences, aim for a readability level equivalent to a U.S. 8th grade. This doesn’t mean that you write for kids, it just means that the content is easy to digest.
Humans love stories, especially those with a clear start and ending. Even when we read a blog post, we like to follow sequential information or a series of events and ideas in narrative form.
Lead your readers smoothly from point A to point B to point C without jumping around multiple ideas. If your reader has to zig-zag to make sense of your content, they’ll quickly lose interest.
Tailor your content to meet their preferences and expectations. Use a tone and style that resonate with your audience. For example, if you’re writing for a professional audience, use a formal tone. If you’re writing for a younger audience, use a more casual tone.
2. Simplify your language
The first step to increase the readability of your blog post is to simplify your language. Use common words that your audience can easily understand. Avoid jargon and technical terms unless absolutely necessary.
I am a licensed veterinarian (surprise! 🙂 ) and my second blog, vetcarenews, is focused on pet health. It’s always a bit of a challenge to find the right balance between “medical” and “normal” language.
When you do need to use a complex term, you can always provide a simple explanation.
Here’s how you can simplify your language:
- Use shorter sentences. Long sentences can be hard to follow.
- Choose simple words over complex ones. For example, use “use” instead of “utilize” and “help” instead of “assist.”
- Avoid jargon and technical terms. If you must use them, explain them in plain language.
In this era of AI generated content, you can usually spot a low quality blog post written by AI right away.. Non-personalized, untrained AI often uses complex terms (for example, embark on a journey, ensure that…, in this world…), passive voice, and very long sentences.
When using tools like ChatGPT, Koala Writer, Jasper, or any other AI to assist in content creation (which is totally fine, btw.), treat the output as your initial draft. Use it as your base, then edit it to make it more readable. Don’t forget to add your personal touch.
Ultimately, people want to read what you wrote; otherwise, they could have just asked ChatGPT themselves for the answer.
3. Use active voice
Using an active voice makes your writing more direct and easier to understand.
In an active voice, the subject of the sentence performs the action. In passive voice, the action is performed on the subject.
William Knowlton Zinsser (an esteemed American writer) once said
Verbs are the most important of all your tools. They push the sentence forward and give it momentum. Active verbs push hard; passive verbs tug fitfully.
An active voice is usually clearer and more concise. Here are some examples:
- Passive: The report was written by the team.
- Active: The team wrote the report.
To use the active voice:
- Identify the subject of the sentence.
- Make sure the subject is performing the action.
- Rewrite passive sentences to make them active.
Again, AI-generated text often relies heavily on passive voice. And I mean a lot. If you’ve ever read a piece of text that seemed good but felt slightly off, it was probably due to the excessive use of passive voice.
4. Leverage readability tools
Readability tools can help you identify and fix issues in your writing. Here are 3 great tools I like to use (and they all have free versions!):
Hemingway App:
Hemingway app is an awesome readability analysis tool that highlights complex sentences, passive voice, and hard-to-read phrases. This is the first tool I use after my first draft.
It gives your text a readability grade based on U.S. school grade levels. A lower grade means your text is easier to read.
Grammarly:
If you don’t have Grammarly yet, I highly recommend you sign up for it 🙂 It’s a comprehensive writing assistant that checks your grammar, punctuation, and style. It also provides readability scores and suggestions for improvement.
Grammarly’s readability score is based on the Flesch-Kincaid formula, which considers the average sentence length and word difficulty. The tool will give you suggestions on how to improve your text.
They also offer desktop apps, Chrome and Safari extensions, and even free grammar checkers for your phone! And they are adding free AI features that can greatly reduce your editing time.
And once you download the extension, you will get spelling and grammar corrections directly in your WordPress Gutenberg editor while you’re writing your post!
Quillbot:
Quillbot is similar to Grammarly, but it’s AI-powered. You have the free grammar and punctuation checker, but they also offer a great tool called Paraphraser. As a blogger, I also highly recommend checking out their Quillbot Flow tool.
It also offers different modes, like Standard or Fluency, to tailor your writing style.
It’s a bit hard to explain; you just have to try it for yourself ☺️
Note: Automatic grammar checkers provide suggestions, but sometimes they may not make sense in your context. Use your judgment and decide for yourself whether you want to accept them or not.
Yoast SEO:
Yoast SEO is a WordPress plugin that helps you with the SEO of your blog. One of its many features includes suggestions on how to improve the readability of your blog post. It monitors the use of passive voice, keyword density, and paragraph length.
So now that your text is polished and personalized, let’s focus on the next step.
5. Break up large blocks of text
Large blocks of text can be overwhelming and hard to read. The content feels cluttered. When you land on a post like this, it’s very hard to stay focused.
Breaking up your content into smaller, more manageable sections makes it easier for readers to follow along. Here are some ways to do this:
- Use short paragraphs. Each paragraph should focus on a single idea. Aim for 2-3 sentences per paragraph.
- Use headings and subheadings. These help organize your content and make it easier to scan. Use clear, descriptive headings that tell the reader what to expect in each section. And they’re good for your SEO 🙂
- Use bullet points and numbered lists. These are great for breaking down complex information into bite-sized pieces.
Tip: After publishing your blog post, check it on your mobile phone. What looks good on a desktop might not look as good on mobile, especially the paragraph length.
6. Optimize formatting and layout
Good formatting and layout make your content look polished and more readable.
How can you optimize it?
- Use plenty of white space. White space helps separate different parts of your content and makes it look less cluttered.
- Highlight key points with bold or italics. This draws attention to important information and helps readers quickly find what they’re looking for.
- Use readable font size and style. Choose a clean, simple font and use a font size that’s easy to read (this one is size 19).
Before the internet, you had to pay for space in a magazine, so you crammed in as much information as possible. In the digital world, the white space on your blog page is yours. It’s free. Take full advantage of that.
I mean it.
Use it.
A lot.
It grabs your reader’s attention.
See? 😛
7. Use visuals effectively
Visuals can break up text and make your content more engaging. They help illustrate your points and make complex information easier to understand.
Then there’s also the picture superiority effect. It refers to the phenomenon in which people are more likely to remember pictures and images than text and words.
How to use visuals effectively:
- Add images, infographics, and videos to break up the text. These can make your content more visually appealing and help explain complex ideas.
- Use captions and alt text for better accessibility. Captions provide additional context for your images, and alt text helps visually impaired readers understand your visuals.
- Create relevant and high-quality visuals. Poor-quality images can detract from your content and make it look unprofessional.
Beautiful visuals and infographics will enhance your writing and make your site look professional. And they are great for sharing ☺️
I’ll say it again: Always check your blog post on desktop as well as on mobile to make sure everything looks good. Don’t rely just on the WordPress preview function, as it’s not always accurate. Check the live version of your post.
Improving readability is about making your content clear, engaging, and easy to understand. I hope these tips help you create content that resonates with your readers and keeps them coming back for more.
Happy blogging! ☺️
