Does readability rank?

Readability drives organic growth

Does readability rank?

Why does the readability of content matter? Measuring how clear a piece of text is for reading and understanding is an essential part of any website content. It is now also one of the key signals which Google will use to rank a website. There is a now a very powerful relationship between lucid content and SEO. Google is now ready and has set up a great tool for gauging the credibility of your content.

Hummingbird and readability

Google’s search engine is extremely complicated and uses more than 200 ranking factors. Search engine algorithms are developing all the time, and Google never releases information on how they rank sites. Historically, backlinks and keyword optimisation have been the biggest things to affect a site’s ranking. A strong backlink profile has typically ensured good search engine rankings. This is no longer true with Hummingbird. Hummingbird, it seems, is trying to understand search queries better. Today, a website needs to provide really good, relevant content if it wants to be found in search results.

It is becoming evident that Hummingbird is focussing on sites that provide content that reads well. Looking for pages that provide answers to the search questions and offer comprehensive content. Are seeing a positive impact on their ranking. Google is now trying to understand complex searches and provide an internal page specific to the topic. Hummingbird appears to impact long-tailed search queries and is gearing up for the rise of conversational voice search; meaning content must also provide good results for the longer queries to improve rankings. Readability is now the key.

How to improve text for readability

To what degree and how readability actually affects ranking is still unclear. However, keeping things short, sweet and relevant is likely to be a major factor. For text to be easy to read, especially for mobile readers, it needs to be varied. Longer sentences or paragraphs should be combined with short ones and repetition of words should be avoided. Complex points need to be made simple and succinct. Text needs to have a structure and a logical sequence so that it flows naturally for the reader. Keyword stuffing is no longer acceptable to Google either.

Web pages that do not adapt and improve their content will soon disappear from the search results. There are many readability measures available, Flesch-Kincaid Readability being the most accurate one. However, the most important factor overall can not yet be gauged solely by a machine. Understanding the audience and writing for their level of understanding is critical. If the text is for a younger audience then, it should be easy to read. However, if your audience consists of University graduates, then the text needs to be more challenging. Just keeping it short and simple is not enough. Using readability measures and writing purely plain text runs the risk of boring or alienating readers. Content should be written specifically and clearly for your target audience.

How templates in Wordapp helps the readability of your content

Text not only needs to be readable when presented on paper, screen or mobile phone. Today, it also needs to be clear when read to you by a voice device. Strategic keyword placement within the body text now also needs to be minimal and relevant. Templates in Wordapp allow total control of the article design, subject matter and keyword frequency. They guide the writer with pre-set text sections, headings and word counts while enabling them to write freely and creatively. They help you to design interesting, compelling, and professional-looking content. You provide us with the template outline and details about the target audience, and we do the rest. Not only that, you stay completely in control throughout the whole process. Boosting your readability is very easy when you know how and Wordapp knows how!

Order your SEO content now

Wordapp’s experienced and talented team of writers will produce well researched and relevant text. Unique, specialised and quality content tailored specifically for your customers and target audience. Credible content which will drive organic traffic to your site. In as many languages as you want. All text is checked by Copyscape and re-checked by an editor. You can watch the live progress and once authorised; text can be automatically uploaded to your domains. Contact us today and find out just how fast and easy it is.

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