Most of us have had to read at least one thing at some point that was too challenging to get through. While certain writing styles sometimes just don’t resonate with us, this can often be the result of poor writing. Whether it’s improper grammar or convoluted language, there are countless times when you might find something that’s just not readable or enjoyable, especially on the internet.

Writing well doesn’t come easily to many people, but your website needs content. Some might think that even if they don’t have strong writing skills, something on their website is better than nothing. However, content that isn’t clear, easy to understand, or enjoyable won’t provide the benefits that you might be expecting from content marketing.

Can the readability of content affect your SEO? Learn more about why it’s so important that you only include high-quality content on your website.

Readability as a Ranking Factor

While Google hasn’t stated that reliability is a direct ranking factor, it has emphasized the importance of having high-quality content. Google’s main priority is providing users with the most valuable results for their searches, and there are many reasons to believe that readability is an indirect SEO factor. Creating content that your audience enjoys and benefits from should also be one of your top marketing priorities.

Of course, if users can’t comprehend what you’re writing, they aren’t getting anything from it. Well-written content provides a better user experience and keeps users engaged and on your site longer. Not only will good content keep users on a page longer, but they could feel more tempted to explore more of your site and come back for more later on. If people don’t connect with your content right away and leave, Google will notice this and take your bounce rate into consideration when ranking your site.

There are also some elements of poorly written content that can be red flags for Google. Search engines need to crawl your web pages to index and rank them, and they’re advanced enough to detect spammy content, which is typically also poorly written content. Just like users, Google also needs to be able to understand your content to rank it for the appropriate searches. If something is off in your content, it’s not likely that Google will recommend it highly.

How to Improve Content Reliability

One of the most important ways to improve your content’s readability is to edit it thoroughly. While there are many online tools that can assist in finding grammatical errors, these don’t catch everything and don’t always give the best suggestions. You need to have everything reviewed by another person who knows how to properly edit to make your content as clear and error-free as it can be.

However, there are several other ways of improving readability that you need to do before publishing a new piece of content.

Write for the Right Reading Level

Some might think that writing well means writing at the highest level they can manage. However, this isn’t usually recommended and might end up excluding your actual audience. More than half of Americans between the ages of 16 and 74 read below a sixth-grade level. For many businesses, writing above this reading level will not be appealing or impressive. It will only leave out the people you need to target and give them a negative impression of your business.

Of course, there are also businesses with a target audience whose reading level is much higher than the majority that will need to write for higher reading levels. Businesses with a strong understanding of their audiences should know what reading level their audiences are comfortable with and know how to communicate with them effectively.

If you’re ever unsure what level you write at, there are many readability tests that will tell you.

Keep Content in Digestible Sizes

No one wants to open a web page to find a huge wall of text. This can be overwhelming for anyone and cause them to leave right away. This is especially true for mobile users reading it on small screens who are left scrolling and scrolling. Rather than having large chunks of text, it’s much easier to break it down into smaller sizes. Long paragraphs can be off-putting, while the same content split into smaller paragraphs is much more approachable. This also includes keeping sentences small and keeping out unnecessarily wordy language.

Use Subheadings

Subheadings can make it even easier for users to read through your content. Often, people are looking for a very specific answer to their question, which might only be one sentence out of dozens or even hundreds. Even if you have an entertaining and well-written piece of content, there’s always the chance that many people just aren’t going to thoroughly read the whole thing.

Instead, people skim to get the information they’re looking for. Subheadings are beneficial for this, as they clearly highlight what each section is about. This can make it easy for users to quickly see exactly where they need to go to get the answer they need. While unmarked sections might make them turn away if they don’t feel like searching, subheadings keep your content organized and easier to understand at first glance.

Get the Right Content for Your Audience with ENX2 Marketing

If you aren’t the strongest writer, you don’t have to worry about how you’ll be able to provide the content your audience wants. With content marketing services from ENX2 Marketing, you can get high-quality content for your website without doing it yourself. We can handle everything for you, and you can enjoy the benefits of investing in having impactful content for your audience.

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