For an organization, going digital with its communication often reduces cost. Self-service, chatbots, and FAQ sections are increasingly popular to reduce face-to-face or phone interactions.
And for the customer, digital content allows them to get the information they need when they need it.
But if your content isn’t readable, it won’t be usable – no matter how great your website looks.
So how do you make something readable? Plain language and readability go hand in hand. Together, they help people understand your content the first time they read it.
A common way to measure readability is with formulas like Flesh-Kincaid and Gunning Fog. They look at the average number of syllables in a piece of text and measure the length of words and sentences. However, as plain language and readability evolve, some research suggests that those formulas are outdated.
If you expand the definition of readability, it includes plain language principles like:
- understanding your audience;
- using simple language, headings, and bulleted lists; and
- avoiding jargon and unclear symbols.
At the end of the day, readability is about usability, and usability is key to content creation. When you focus on readability, you increase the chance that your target audience will understand and interact with your content. This is especially important in government, legal, and financial services, but will benefit any B2B or B2C business too.
Here are three reasons readability should be a focus for content editors:
- Your audience’s reading age is probably lower than you think
Whether your website is targeting the general public or a specific demographic, the average reading age is lower than you might expect.
Literacy varies from state to state, but 54% of Americans between the ages of 16 and 74 read English below a sixth-grade level.
In Canada, 49% of adults score below high school literacy levels.
And in the UK, the central government encourages content writers to aim for a readability level of age nine. Their reasoning is that around that age, children stop reading common words and just recognize their shape. This allows them to read faster and anticipate words without actually reading them. So while a person’s vocabulary might grow, this method of reading will stick.
By reducing long words and sentences, you can keep text simple and easy to read.
- Readability is also about accessibility
By not addressing the readability of your content, you might exclude many of your users without even knowing it.
Some readers, like those with lower literacy levels, tend to read letter by letter. Dyslexic readers might read word for word.
Others might be reading in their second or third language.
A whole other group might simply be stressed, anxious, or distracted. And depending on the type of audience you create content for, using complicated words and sentences might add to stress and anxiety.
As part of the World Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), text should not require a more advanced level than lower secondary education. That is about seven to nine years of school.
- Online reading is different
Last, studies repeatedly show that people scan web pages, which is not how they read printed text. Online users are often looking for specific information or trying to complete a task. If the content is too wordy or the most important information is buried, they could get impatient and bounce.
A good rule of thumb is when you convert print to web, try to reduce content by about 50%.
How to check the readability of your website
As a content editor, consider how sentences are formulated, which words you’re using, if the content is at a reasonable reading level, and if information is scannable. These are some of the top ways to make your website understandable and accessible to your online users.
Between 2018 and 2020, an international group of content designers created Readability Guidelines, including a readability checklist.
There are also many online tools to measure readability, but here are a few:
Free tools
Paid tools
By ensuring that content editors are involved in the production of online content, these tools can help format content for scanning eyes, reduce jargon, and improve overall readability.
This blog was originally posted on Siteimprove.com by Grace Madlinger in October 2016. It was updated by Lisa Marchand in March 2017 and February 2024 for the Center for Plain Language.
About the author: Lisa Marchand is an American writer and editor based in Copenhagen, Denmark. From journalism and book editing to content marketing and content design, words have always been at the center of her work. She’s passionate about plain language and how it translates into other languages.