What Is Readability? Why Is It Important and Relationship with SEO

What Is Readability?

Readability refers to how easy it is for content to be read and understood based on elements such as writing format, legibility, and text complexity.

It also refers to how easily the text can be scanned quickly by readers. Thus, when readers scan content, they can grasp the main ideas without needing to read it repeatedly.

This is why readability is important for SEO article writing: with so much information available online for a query, readers will naturally prefer content that is more comprehensive and easily understood quickly.

Readability Score in SEO

So, what is a readability score in SEO? Essentially, this score measures the ease or difficulty of reading the content, also referred to as the readability value. There are several tools available to measure readability based on linguistic principles.

For example, a readability tool can evaluate how complex your paragraphs are based on the number of syllables they contain. Long and convoluted sentences are usually harder for readers to digest compared to simple and short sentences.

If you want to create writing that is easier to read, you need to study how people read text online.

In general, readers will scan content starting from the headings used and the first sentence of relevant paragraphs.

After that, they will decide whether to continue reading to the end or leave the page if they cannot find the information they are looking for or if they struggle to understand the topic.

Additionally, you need to understand the factors that influence readability, such as:

• The use of visual assets to facilitate understanding of the content.
• Clear vocabulary.
• Proper writing conventions.
• Sentence length within a paragraph.
• Paragraph length within a text.
• Use of headings.
• Font type used.
• Page color that aids readability.
• An attractive layout that enhances the reading process.
• Distractions during reading (pop-up ads, notifications, chatbot messages, etc.).

What Is the Relationship Between Readability and SEO?

After understanding what readability is, it's important to know its relationship with SEO and why this score is crucial for maximizing content performance. There are several reasons why readability is important for SEO, including:

1. Google’s Algorithms Are Getting Smarter

It’s essential to note that search engines like Google have ranking algorithms based on human interactions with the search engine to prioritize the best results for users.

Moreover, search engine algorithms are becoming increasingly sophisticated and more human-like. Google is now better at determining quality content and predicting what readers want when they input queries.

This means Google will attempt to scan text like a human, making readability crucial for site ranking.

Thus, it’s time to stop stuffing keywords into content merely to boost search rankings. Instead, you need to distribute keywords naturally and in reasonable amounts.

Not only that, but you should also focus on creating content that is easily readable, understandable, and beneficial for readers. 

2. Good Readability Can Reduce Bounce Rate

Readability is also important for reducing bounce rates. Bounce rate refers to the number of visitors who leave your site before completing their journey. A high bounce rate indicates that readers may not like your content or can't find the information they need.

A consistently high bounce rate will negatively impact your ongoing or completed SEO efforts. Search engines will perceive your content and site as lacking an optimal user experience.

3. Increase in Voice Search

Another reason why readability and SEO are related is that this aspect is crucial for improving voice search. Users certainly do not want to read lengthy paragraphs filled with difficult words, especially when a search engine reads it to them. Users will struggle to understand the presented information.

Google's algorithms will not prioritize such search results and will prefer to present content that is easy to follow, including when read by voice search features.

In conclusion, readability can enhance user experience, aligning with Google’s principles of providing excellent service to its users. Therefore, if your content has good readability, Google can present it to users, which indirectly affects its ranking in search results.

How to Measure Readability Score?

There are several ways to measure readability score, but generally, this score is calculated based on several key metrics in the text, such as the number of words, number of sentences, and so on. Readability is typically measured using formulas from Flesch-Kincaid or Flesch Reading Ease.

The Flesch-Kincaid method calculates readability based on the purpose of the content, which is to provide information to the general reader, so your score should reach an eighth-grade reading level.

On the other hand, the Flesch Reading Ease score ranges from 0 to 100, with 100 indicating that your content is very easy to read. If you want to use these measurement methods, you can utilize various tools available online or calculate it manually using the formulas below:

How to Improve SEO Readability

Now that you understand what readability is and its relationship with SEO, let’s explore how to enhance the readability of your content. Here are some tips you can apply to make your writing easier to read:

1. Know Your Audience's Needs

The first thing you need to do is understand your audience and their needs. As mentioned earlier, search engines have algorithms to provide the best and most relevant results for users.

So, ensure that the content you present answers the questions or information needs of your audience.

2. Create a Clear Title

In addition to ensuring your content is clear and relevant, you also need to create a clear title that gives an overview of the topics you discuss in your writing. This way, users will be interested in reading your content without being misled by clickbait.

3. Use a Clear Structure

Using headings can help users scan information quickly, so you need to define your headings clearly. Headings (H2-H6) can provide a logical structure, allowing readers to follow the flow of information given.

Not only headings, but you can also clarify the structure with numbering or bullet points for descriptive information or steps. This way, readers can quickly grasp the content without having to digest paragraph after paragraph to understand how to do something.

4. Avoid Keyword Stuffing

Keyword stuffing used to be a "myth" in SEO, where you could insert as many keywords as possible into your writing to achieve high rankings.

However, this practice makes articles difficult to read and understand. In fact, Google includes keyword stuffing as one of the spam actions in its spam policy.

This means that this strategy is no longer viable, especially with Google's algorithms becoming adept at detecting keyword stuffing. Instead, you risk receiving a penalty from the search engine.

Rather than keyword stuffing, you can incorporate keywords naturally throughout the article while ensuring that your content remains easy to read. This way, the readability score can improve, and visitors are less likely to leave your page before finishing reading.

5. Write Clearly and Concisely

Last but not least, you need to write clearly and use simple words. If you can explain something concisely while still conveying the information effectively, then why elaborate things that unnecessary?

To make sure your readability score is good, make sure you don't have too many sentences in one paragraph, as this can disrupt the reading flow and make it feel overly lengthy. Additionally, try to minimize the use of passive sentences to avoid sounding convoluted.