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Readability

Writing for Readability is Important — Here's Why

Readability refers to how easy content is for a reader to understand. Good readability provides a better user experience and greater reach for your content.

Readability refers to how easy written content is for a reader to understand. Improving readability makes content more accessible to a broader audience and promotes wider engagement. 

Several factors contribute to excellent readability in content marketing, and they’re easier to achieve than you might think. 

Get insight into why writing for readability is important and review tips on how to make content more readable for your audience.

Ready to review the readability of your content? Check out the Originality.ai Readability Checker.

Readability vs. Writability: What's The Difference?

Readability and writability both relate to how easily an idea is expressed through words. Let’s compare the definitions.

Writability

Writability refers to the relationship between the words and the writer or the words and the paper. Merriam-Webster defines writable as “capable of being put in writing,” and Cambridge defines it as being capable of being written or written on. 

It should be noted that in digital data, writability refers to an electronic medium’s ability to store information. However, in the context of this article, we are talking about the capability to put an idea into writing.

Readability

The meaning of readability refers to how easy it is for an audience to read something that is written. 

Your content has good readability if:

  • Your audience can understand it easily.
  • Skim and scroll through it smoothly. 
  • Find the answer to their question or solve their problem quickly. 

So, while readability and writability mean different things, the primary connection between them is that simplicity and clarity will benefit both. 

The Benefits of Writing for Readability

In content marketing, the are several benefits to great readability

Increased audience engagement

The purpose of content marketing is to reach your audience by engaging them and helping them find the information they want. 

By making content clear and easy to understand, you make it easier for readers to engage and make a positive connection with your brand. 

A broader reach

When your content has good readability, you broaden your audience. Readability techniques such as using common words, eliminating jargon, and organizing your writing simply and clearly make your content more usable and understandable.  

Better accessibility 

Readable content is more easily understandable and navigable to a diverse audience with different reading levels and degrees of English language comprehension. 

Better positioning for shareability and conversion 

Anytime you attract your audience’s interest and make it easy to engage with your brand through good, readable content, you are closer to converting visitors into customers. 

When readers enjoy what they learn from your content and feel they received value from it, they are more likely to consider your website a source to return to or share.

7 Tips for Making Your Content Readable

Writers and readers may have varying ideas of what makes something readable, and not everyone in your audience may agree. So, there are some specific ways to ensure your written content is readable by the widest range of readers. 

1.  Review reading level and readability scores

Your content should be comprehensible, enjoyable, and accessible to the average reader. 

The Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy notes that 54% of adults in the United States read at the 6th-grade level or lower

The Center for Plain Language confirms this reading level recommendation to address accessibility concerns. 

There are standard metrics and guides for readability scores to help you figure this out, including:

  • Calculating the Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level Readability Formula: (.39 x average sentence length) + (11.8 x average syllables per word) - 15.59. This popular readability formula gives an answer that aligns with the U.S.-based school grade level.
  • Checking Microsoft Word Readability Statistics: How to check for readability in Word depends on the edition.
    • Microsoft notes that in Microsoft 365, you can see readability scores by navigating from Home to Editor and then Document Stats. 
    • For previous Word editions, in the Options menu, go to Proofing and check the box next to “Show readability statistics.” After you run a complete spelling and grammar check, Word will display the readability statistics of your document. 

Reading level is critical to making your content readable and fun. As a content marketer, you want to pitch your writing at a reading level that works best for your audience.

2. Avoid walls of text: Use short sentences and paragraphs

Short sentences and paragraphs are critical to readability, and it’s no coincidence they figure into determining the reading level of a piece of content. 

Break up your content into smaller, consumable chunks. 

  • Sentences: average of 15 to 20 words 
  • Paragraphs: average of 3 to 5 sentences (but less than 8)

For smooth, engaging writing, vary your sentence length. Some sentences can be less than 10 words, while others might be around 15, and try not to have any above 25 words. 

Keep paragraphs to one idea at a time. If you are starting a new idea, start a new paragraph. 

Recommendations on how many sentences to add to a paragraph can vary. Microsoft recommends 3 to 5 sentences as a standard average for paragraphs. Yet they note that paragraphs in news reporting may be even shorter with just 1 to 2 sentences.

3. Use lists or bullets to help break up text

In addition to short sentences and paragraphs, break up text and highlight important information with bulleted lists when appropriate. For instance, rather than write a lengthy paragraph detailing a product's benefits, give readers a quick, simplified snapshot in list form that can be quickly skimmed and understood.

4. Use headings as signposts

Headings should guide a reader through your content. They should be short and concise and include simple keywords or phrases that signal to a reader what a section of text will cover. Keep it simple and useful for the reader. 

5. Keep vocabulary choice simple

When trying to reach the broadest audience, use clear, common language that is easy to understand. If your content has a lot of idiomatic language, industry jargon, or trendy buzzwords, your readability may drop.

6. Use the active voice

Active voice is preferable in writing because it makes it clear who is performing an action and what action is taking place. It’s a more natural and understandable way to construct less wordy sentences. 

For example:

  • Active voice: “Read this blog” is clear, concise and natural.
  • Passive voice: “This blog should be read by you” is unnecessarily wordy.

7. Know your audience and adjust accordingly

What is readable for your audience depends on who and what they expect from your content. If you are writing for academia, your reading level might advance simply by using terminology appropriate to the topics you cover. 

Once you know the different audiences you want to reach, research to find out what reading level to target. 

Writing for Readability Improves Communication

Simple and clear content can still be engaging and exciting for your audience. Your creativity as a content writer can — and should — still shine through. Checking readability as you create content just assures that more people will be able to enjoy your work! 

Looking for more tips on how to produce the best content for your audience?

Originality.ai Writers

Our experienced team of writers at Originality.ai are passionate about creating innovative and compelling content across a range of topics, from grammar guides to readability, content marketing, and more!

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