The connection between content readability and SEO is constantly being overlooked and if you’re not exactly familiar with the two, it’s likely that you’re unaware of the fact that they go hand-in-hand with each other. So, you might be wondering, what makes a piece of content “readable”?
Characteristics That Make a Piece of Content “Readable”
First and foremost, in order for content to be reader-friendly, it should be rather effortless for your audience to consume. The sentence structure must be fluid and the copy needs to be fully understandable, written at appropriate lengths, and should feature an array of descriptive –– yet uncomplicated word choices. Two of the strategies that I find most effective when constructing transparent copy are as follows:
- Strong Impressions Go a Long Way – Remember back in elementary school when you were taught about “hooking” the reader in? However you elect to start your post, the introduction should reflect what the rest of your content is about. By doing so, you ensure that your readers have found the page that they’ve been searching for and will keep them engaged in your work.
- Organization Is Key – One of the most effective ways to make a piece of copy readable is to break up the content with a variety of formatting techniques such as headings, bullet points, bold or italicized font, hyperlinks, etc. A couple of things to keep in mind going forward is that people enjoy reading clean, organized copy. They don’t, however, appreciate reading the same things over and over, so it never hurts to be unique when structuring paragraphs.
Appealing Content Can Directly Affect SEO
It’s somewhat self-explanatory but when content is easy to digest, there’s a much greater chance that your audience will continue reading. This, in turn, yields a longer dwell time on the site, improves bounce rates, and should allow a landing page to rank higher in search results. If you’re building a question and answer type of blog, for example, be sure to answer the question towards the top of the page. If a reader doesn’t find the facts they’re looking for right out of the gate, it will significantly increase the chances that your audience seeks information elsewhere.
While creating reader-friendly content, be sure to keep these principles in mind. If the data indicates that you are not producing the results you were hoping for, it may be time to revisit some of your writing and see what you can improve upon. You can do this by simply restructuring your sentences and paragraphs, adding more appealing content, or maybe even just doing away with some of the ineffectual content altogether.