Readability
How to Write Paragraphs for Easy Readability
As building blocks of a longer text, paragraphs play an important role in the readability of an article or blog.
Cambridge Dictionary defines readability as the “quality of being easy and enjoyable to read.”
Writing for readability is key to catching and keeping your audience’s attention, and paragraphs (along with sentences) are the building blocks of writing. They play a foundational role in the organization and visual impact of content.
As a result, it’s necessary to consider the format and length of each paragraph and its impact on overall readability.
Readability can impact the reach of an online article and audience engagement.
The easier the content is to read, the more accessible it is to a large audience.
Content with good readability retains readers, encouraging them to stay on the site, or even share the material.
However, if a reader finds text difficult to understand, they are more likely to leave the site which can also impact bounce rates.
Example: One way to think about the importance of readability is to consider the wording or phrasing in technical papers and academic journals. Without a background in that particular field or industry, the complex language may be hard to decipher.
So, when writing web content for readability, it’s best practice to switch out complex terms with ones that are more common for the general public.
This is a great opportunity to use a readability checker to highlight sections that may be difficult to read, and require further editing.
However, vocabulary and jargon are just one aspect of a text’s readability.
It’s also important to consider text formatting, including paragraph and sentence style.
Long, dense paragraphs can be difficult for readers to digest — particularly for online content, where readers often skim and scan articles.
Keep paragraphs short with the main idea in the first sentence to help readers scan the article and find the information they need.
A text with short, simple sentences and focused paragraphs is easier to read, so each paragraph should only contain one main idea.
If any sentences lead away from the topic sentence rather than explaining or reinforcing it, those sentences may need their own paragraph or have to be cut entirely.
Keeping the majority of paragraphs at a maximum of 3 to 5 sentences ensures that only one topic is addressed per paragraph.
When writing for online content, it is important to consider the flow of the piece, from the smallest to the largest sections.
Just as each paragraph should flow smoothly from one to the next, so should each sentence within the paragraph. Use transition words to improve the flow.
A common mistake is using overly technical words specific to one industry or profession. Instead, use accessible language that a wide audience can understand.
Essentially, avoid too much jargon and keep sentences simple and precise.
Additionally, consider your target audience and tailor the vocabulary, ideas, and examples to their experience.
Paragraphs are the building blocks of a larger piece, and then sentences are the building blocks of paragraphs.
To write a paragraph with good readability, first break the paragraph down to the sentence level.
Follow these steps to improve the readability of a paragraph:
The topic sentence should define the main idea of the paragraph. Ideally, each topic sentence grabs the reader’s attention and pulls them into the body of the paragraph. At a minimum, a topic sentence should inform a reader about what they will learn in that paragraph.
Writing simple sentences makes the content easy to digest. Use some variation in sentence length to keep the text interesting, but avoid overly complex sentences.
A text that flows well between sentences and paragraphs guides a reader through the text.
Transition words are an excellent way to support the flow and readability of text.
Consider incorporating these examples of transition words and phrases:
If the text is disconnected or choppy, a reader may decide not to finish the piece. However, if the text flows smoothly, the reader may naturally read the entire piece.
Large blocks of text are difficult to scan.
Content with long paragraphs may indicate to readers that the text is difficult to understand. Not to mention that it’s hard to find information quickly in a large block of text.
This is particularly true for readers on mobile devices, where paragraphs can seem much larger.
Do you have paragraphs that are considerably longer than 5 sentences?
After writing, go through the text again and check for the points above.
Incorporate a grammar checker while editing to review awkward phrasing, spelling, or grammatical errors.
Then, use a readability checker as a second set of eyes on your content during revisions.
Some things to watch for when editing paragraphs for readability:
As the foundational formatting component of writing, paragraphs have a strong impact on the overall readability of a piece.
It is important to keep paragraphs short, concise, and well-organized for easy reading.
Always consider your target audience’s reading experience at the forefront when writing online content.
Then, incorporate the Originality.ai Readability Checker into your editorial workflow to conveniently highlight paragraphs with difficult readability that could benefit from further editing.
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