Readability
What Is Plain Language? How Does It Impact Readability?
What is plain language and how does it impact readability? Learn about plain language, plus discover the benefits of using it in content marketing.
Readability, which describes how easy it is to read a particular piece of content or text, is impacted by organization, grammar, and vocabulary.
When referring to grammar and vocabulary choices, plain language is typically recommended for clarity in content.
But what is plain language? How does it improve overall readability? Let’s take a close look.
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Plain language is defined by the U.S. General Services Administration as “communication your audience can understand the first time they read or hear it.”
In other words, plain language ensures that an audience doesn’t need a particular educational background or extensive knowledge of the subject to understand a text.
To write in plain language, it is important to understand your target audience.
This can include:
What is easy for one group of readers to comprehend may not be as clear to others.
So understanding your target audience is essential for tailoring the vocabulary, expressions, and structure to their needs.
Some ways to use plain language include:
These techniques can help you employ plain language when writing online content for a wide audience.
Using plain language impacts readability because when you’re writing content with plain language it’s accessible to a wider audience.
Plain language can help reduce the complex wording or jargon that makes text challenging for readers.
Content that is accessible for the average reading level will reach and retain a larger audience than complex content.
When written information is easy to read, it is also easier to understand.
Increased comprehension improves readability and increases the opportunity for an audience to engage and interact with the content (improving metrics like time on page or bounce rate).
This can also increase shares. The clearer the piece, the easier it is for a reader to identify and remember key information. So, by increasing reading comprehension through plain language you’re also improving how the audience receives the piece.
As a result, better readability on social media posts typically tends to boost shareability.
For online content, scanning or skimming is a popular method of reading.
When it comes to web content, audiences are looking for key information rapidly, so it is especially important to write and format it in a way that caters to this method of reading.
Plain language supports scannability by following a clear layout with a logical structure that matches the type of content.
Using headings with key words, incorporating lists, and including concise topic sentences helps readers quickly find information.
When readers have to re-read content multiple times to comprehend the information, it can lead to frustration.
A simple and concise piece means a reader spends less time deciphering the content and instead can act on the information faster.
So, there are a number of ways that plain language can impact readability, but how is using plain language beneficial from a content marketing perspective?
One of the primary benefits of using plain language and writing for readability is boosting engagement.
When readers find a piece interesting and it uses plain language that they are familiar with, they are more likely to share or engage with it. At the same time, complex or overly wordy content may deter an audience.
However, if your piece provides “readable information,” the audience is more likely to share, comment, and engage with it.
Straightforward communication in your writing increases the audience’s trust in the content. This helps to establish a clear brand voice.
If they can easily interpret the message and key information, it builds trust in your brand, by demonstrating knowledge of a subject. If you build a content cluster and publish multiple pieces of high-quality clear and readable content with plain language, this only furthers the credibility of your brand.
Using plain language to communicate with readers provides many benefits, especially for online content. Plain language improves the accessibility, comprehension, shareability, and credibility of content. It is a key component of readability and benefits the overall audience reception of the piece.
Review the readability of your content with the Originality.ai Readability Checker.
Then get tips and best practices for readability in marketing with our top guides:
