The Impact That Readability Has On SEO

There are a number of aspects that have an impact on Search Engine Optimization. Trying to find the right balance between these different factors is what matters when it comes to featuring at the top of the SERPs. While most business owners are aware about factors such as keywords, keyphrases as well as adding videos, media etc. to their websites, not many pay attention to the readability aspect.

Regardless of all the other measures you use to reach top ranking, if the information that you post isn’t readable and engaging, you wont be able to maintain that position. If your optimized blog posts don’t read well, visitors won’t be interested in sticking around and looking through the rest of your site either.

Why Focus On Readability?

    •    If the content that you post is well-worded, grammatically correct as well as engaging, readers who would be more inclined to continue reading what you are saying.
    •    Readers will write comments and share content
    •    They will be more inclined to buy your products and services.

If you have grammatical and sentence structure errors or misplaced punctuation on your site, it will increase your bounce rate significantly. When Google is determining the worthiness of your site with reference to the SERPs the two factors they take into account are the ‘time on page’ and the ‘bounce rate’. This means poorly written content on your website will only affect your rankings, regardless of how well positioned the keywords are.

When Google Sits Up and Takes Notice

Readable copy matters because, while you were writing for readers, you also need to focus on what Google wants. While readability isn’t one of the 250 factors Google used to rank websites, there are a number of references to content quality. This simply means readability becomes one of the most vital factors in SEO.

Content Length Matters

Poor quality or uninteresting copy will deter visitors. Let’s take a look at exactly how readability affects SEO.
Short articles might not answer all of your users’ questions.  For example, if you post articles of 100-300 words, you aren't able to provide much value to the reader. On the other hand, if you post a longer, well-researched, well-written article you are more likely to keep readers engaged. Today, content that has between 1000- 1900 words is considered to be better for SEO.

Other Factors You Need To Focus On

In addition to content length, other important aspects to keep in view are:

    •    Maintaining key word density without affecting the flow of the page.
    •    Make sure that the topic is covered in-depth in your article.
    •    Spelling and grammar should be perfect.
    •    Post useful content.

These are key readability ranking factors. Keep them in mind when you are building a site or adding articles and blogs to it. For more information call Directing Design Inc. at 405.474.2555