Readability

People don’t read on the internet. They scan a page for keywords and only start reading when they find what they are looking for. That’s why it’s important to make the text scannable and easy to read.

Good practice:

  • Start with a short summary of the content
  • Divide the rest of the text in short blocks
  • Use headings and lists and meaningful link text
  • Avoid large blocks of text

Make text easy to read

Nobody ever complains that text is too easy to read. Not everyone reads under perfect conditions and for some readers your language may not be their native language. For most documents, aim for a Flesch readability score of 60-70. This range isn’t fixed; it depends on your target audience. There are many WordPress plugins that measure the readability of your text.

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Break your text down

Use meaningful headings, good link texts, lists, quotes and short paragraphs. This makes text more scannable and easier to read. Important points in the text should stand alone, so don’t hide important information in large text blocks.

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Text style and layout

  • Centered or fully justified text is harder to read
  • Use uppercase carefully. Uppercase obscures the shape of the word and can make it harder to understand. Screen readers will announce some short words as abbreviations
  • Use italic and bold text carefully, as it interrupts the reading flow. If the information is important, think about making it stand alone
  • Use enough line-height and a large enough font-size
  • Limit the content width to between 50 and 75 characters

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Good reads on content readability

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