{"id":856,"date":"2023-04-21T11:27:27","date_gmt":"2023-04-21T11:27:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ukti.co.in\/blog\/?p=856"},"modified":"2023-05-29T12:19:10","modified_gmt":"2023-05-29T12:19:10","slug":"how-to-improve-readability-score-quickly","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ukti.co.in\/blog\/2023\/04\/21\/how-to-improve-readability-score-quickly\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Improve Readability Score Quickly?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"aioseo-a-readability-score-is-a-number-given-to-a-passage-of-english-text-based-on-how-much-time-and-education-level-it-takes-to-understand-it\"><strong>A readability score is a number given to a passage of English text based on how much time and education level it takes to understand it.<\/strong>\u00a0<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>By definition, it\u2019s clear why the readability score is important. It tells humans (and search engines) how easy it is to read a given piece of content. But if you try and unpack the underlying math behind the score, you\u2019ll be surprised by how irrational it is.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In MS Word, your readability score will appear like this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"400\" height=\"387\" src=\"https:\/\/ukti.co.in\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image-3.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-860\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ukti.co.in\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image-3.png 400w, https:\/\/ukti.co.in\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image-3-300x290.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I mean\u2026something like this.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"469\" height=\"488\" src=\"https:\/\/ukti.co.in\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image-4.png\" alt=\"Readability score on MS Word\n\" class=\"wp-image-861\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ukti.co.in\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image-4.png 469w, https:\/\/ukti.co.in\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image-4-288x300.png 288w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 469px) 100vw, 469px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Let\u2019s understand the math behind the readability score, how it affects SEO, and how to improve it fast.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-aioseo-table-of-contents\"><ul><li><a href=\"#aioseo-how-is-readability-score-calculated\">How is Readability Score Calculated?<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#aioseo-how-to-quickly-improve-flesch-reading-ease-score\">How to Quickly Improve Flesch Reading Ease Score<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#aioseo-i-seebut-why-should-i-care-about-readability-score\">I See\u2026But Why Should I Care About Readability Score?<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#aioseo-the-connection-between-readability-score-and-audience\">The Connection Between Readability Score and Audience<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#aioseo-more-ways-to-improve-readability-score-without-dumbing-down\">More Ways to Improve Readability Score Without Dumbing Down<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"aioseo-how-is-readability-score-calculated\"><strong>How is Readability Score Calculated?&nbsp;<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>There are many methods to measure readability. But for the sake of argument, we\u2019re relying on the Flesch-Kincaid Readability test (the good-old method MS Word uses).&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote\">\n<p><strong>What is Flesch-Kincaid Readability Test? <\/strong><em>It is a readability test designed to check the difficulty of understanding a given English text. It assigns a score from 1 to 100, which is inversely proportional to the time someone would take to understand that text.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>It considers the average number of syllables, words, and sentences in your text and gives you two types of statistics:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol>\n<li><strong>Reading ease score:<\/strong> This score is given on a 100-point scale. The higher the number, the more readable your copy is.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<ol start=\"2\">\n<li><strong>Grade Level:<\/strong> This grade reflects the US school grade level required of a reader to understand the given copy.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1018\" height=\"484\" src=\"https:\/\/ukti.co.in\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image-5.png\" alt=\"The Flesch Reading Ease Score\" class=\"wp-image-862\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ukti.co.in\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image-5.png 1018w, https:\/\/ukti.co.in\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image-5-300x143.png 300w, https:\/\/ukti.co.in\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image-5-768x365.png 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1018px) 100vw, 1018px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Now, consider the mathematical formula behind the test:<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"558\" height=\"90\" src=\"https:\/\/ukti.co.in\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image-1.png\" alt=\"The Flesch-Kincaid test formula\" class=\"wp-image-858\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ukti.co.in\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image-1.png 558w, https:\/\/ukti.co.in\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image-1-300x48.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 558px) 100vw, 558px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As you can see, there are two variables in the formula:<strong> sentence length and word length<\/strong>. To get a high score on the FRE test, therefore, your average sentence length and word length have to be shorter.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"aioseo-how-to-quickly-improve-flesch-reading-ease-score\"><strong>How to Quickly Improve Flesch Reading Ease Score<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Now, let us put the above theory to the test and see if it works.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I\u2019m using the text from the above section and running it through <a href=\"https:\/\/www.webfx.com\/tools\/read-able\/\">WebFX\u2019s free Readability Test tool<\/a>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/ukti.co.in\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image-2.png\" alt=\"WebFX Readability Test\" class=\"wp-image-859\" width=\"414\" height=\"502\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ukti.co.in\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image-2.png 576w, https:\/\/ukti.co.in\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image-2-248x300.png 248w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 414px) 100vw, 414px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<p>The readability score for the text is 73.5.&nbsp;(It\u2019s already good, but we can do better!)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To lower the average word and sentence length further, I made the following changes to the text:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li>Replaced the word \u2018measure\u2019 with \u2018check.\u2019&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li>Shortened the \u201cIt considers the average number of syllables, words, and sentences of your text and gives you two types of statistics\u201d sentence by putting a full stop before &#8220;and.&#8221;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li>Removed the parenthesis here \u201c(the good-old method MS Word uses.)\u201d and turned this into a new sentence.&nbsp;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong><span style=\"text-decoration: underline;\">Here\u2019s the revised version<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>There are many methods to check readability. But for the sake of argument, we\u2019re relying on the Flesch-Kincaid Readability test. This is the good-old method MS Word uses.&nbsp;<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><em>It considers the average number of syllables, words, and sentences in your text. And gives you two types of statistics:<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol>\n<li><em>Reading ease score: This score is given on a 100-point scale. The higher the number, the more readable your copy is.<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<ol start=\"2\">\n<li><em>Grade Level: This grade reflects the US school grade level required of a reader to understand the copy.&nbsp;<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p>Let\u2019s check the readability score of the text now.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/ukti.co.in\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image-7.png\" alt=\"WebFX Readability Test\" class=\"wp-image-864\" width=\"427\" height=\"498\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ukti.co.in\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image-7.png 578w, https:\/\/ukti.co.in\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image-7-257x300.png 257w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 427px) 100vw, 427px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<p>These simple changes increased the score from 73.5 to 77.8!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Now imagine making such small changes to every section \u2013 lowering the average sentence and word length paragraph by paragraph. Wouldn&#8217;t your readability score go up naturally?&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>And all you would need to do is use words with fewer syllables and cut short long-winded sentences. See? It\u2019s just math.<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"aioseo-i-seebut-why-should-i-care-about-readability-score\"><strong>I See\u2026But Why Should I Care About Readability Score?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Let me tell you why.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In 2021, <a href=\"https:\/\/ahrefs.com\/blog\/flesch-reading-ease\/\">Ahrefs did a mini data study<\/a> on how Flesch Reading Ease affects SEO.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>They studied nearly 15,000 keywords and found no correlation between FRE scores and <a href=\"https:\/\/ukti.co.in\/blog\/2023\/03\/20\/did-googles-helpful-content-update-have-any-real-impact-on-rankings\/\">Google rankings<\/a>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In the study, they also stated that,<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote\">\n<p class=\"has-global-color-8-background-color has-background\"><strong>\u201cFRE is pretty basic with just two variables at play, it wouldn\u2019t really make much sense to use it. So no, readability scores like FRE don\u2019t directly affect rankings.\u201d&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>If so \u2013 what\u2019s all the fuss about?&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The thing is, even if the FRE scores don\u2019t affect rankings, they do affect user experience.&nbsp;How readable your content is will dictate how helpful it is to the user. And the \u201creadability\u201d of any content, as far as the Google algorithm goes, is assessed by its readability score.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here\u2019s how content readability can affect content performance.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"483\" height=\"480\" src=\"https:\/\/ukti.co.in\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image-6.png\" alt=\"How readability score affects content performance\" class=\"wp-image-863\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ukti.co.in\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image-6.png 483w, https:\/\/ukti.co.in\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image-6-300x298.png 300w, https:\/\/ukti.co.in\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/image-6-150x150.png 150w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 483px) 100vw, 483px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<p>If you write in simple language and avoid complex sentence constructions, you are bound to get a good FRE score. However, in all of the above, one vital piece of the puzzle is still missing: the audience you\u2019re writing for.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"aioseo-the-connection-between-readability-score-and-audience\"><strong>The Connection Between Readability Score and Audience&nbsp;<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Readability scores help you understand if your marketing content is easy to read across educational levels. But what they don\u2019t tell you is whether your content is easy to understand or even useful for your intended audience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Yes, your audience.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Most readability tests don\u2019t consider the audience\u2019s diversity of knowledge. Instead, their level of comprehension is reduced to a two-digit number.&nbsp;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s laughable how everyone has assumed a readability score of \u201c60 or above\u201d to be the standard for good-quality content.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>To set the record straight: when trying to check the effectiveness of a piece of content, especially from an SEO standpoint, you shouldn&#8217;t go by the readability score alone. Because sometimes \u2013 \u201cbamboozled\u201d will do a far better job of conveying shock than \u201cshocked\u201d will ever do.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A given piece of content might get a readability score of 70 or above and still not perform well on SERPs. In the end, it\u2019s the quality and relevance of information that counts more.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That said, if you still care about readability scores, there are definite ways to write highly readable content without dumbing it down.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"aioseo-more-ways-to-improve-readability-score-without-dumbing-down\"><strong>More Ways to Improve Readability Score Without Dumbing Down<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Here are some simple tricks and tips to increase your readability score.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u27a1\ufe0f Use the language of your audience. If you\u2019re writing for healthcare practitioners, you can use \u201cleft cerebral hemisphere\u201d instead of \u201cleft brain\u201d because they will get it.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u27a1\ufe0f Maintain clarity and flow. Nothing is worse than having to read over, below, and between the lines to find the meaning. Be clear, be precise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u27a1\ufe0f Litter the content with examples to make it more actionable. To show is always better than to tell. See how it\u2019s done: <a href=\"https:\/\/ukti.co.in\/blog\/2023\/02\/27\/does-content-repurposing-work-for-b2b-saas\/\"><strong><em>Does Content Repurposing Work for B2B SaaS?<\/em><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u27a1\ufe0f Never leave the strings attached. Strings of nouns or prepositional phrases. They kill clarity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u27a1\ufe0f Write shorter sentences and use active voice. It\u2019s how you <a href=\"https:\/\/ukti.co.in\/blog\/2023\/02\/16\/this-is-how-you-write-better-content\/\">create \u201csnackable\u201d, better content.<\/a>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u27a1\ufe0f Vary your sentence length after every third sentence. That\u2019s how you bring rhythm to your writing.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u27a1\ufe0f And lastly, think of the audience. Always. It will keep your focus on what matters the most.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So, the next time you worry about your readability score and kill half your darlings &#8212; stop and consider: <strong><em>Will my intended audience understand the content?&nbsp;<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The rest will come easy.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>About the Author<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-post-author-biography\">Growth Head @Ukti. Payal is a content creator, editor, and strategist by accident and a compulsive Googler by choice. When she is not weaving interesting narratives, she is usually annoying her dog or dissecting lyrics by Frank Ocean.<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Looking for ways to increase your readability score quickly? Here are some easy ways to improve your score fast &#038; without sacrificing content quality.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":865,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[45,29],"tags":[57,60],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ukti.co.in\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/856"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ukti.co.in\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ukti.co.in\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ukti.co.in\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ukti.co.in\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=856"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/ukti.co.in\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/856\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1126,"href":"https:\/\/ukti.co.in\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/856\/revisions\/1126"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ukti.co.in\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/865"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ukti.co.in\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=856"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ukti.co.in\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=856"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ukti.co.in\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=856"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}