Readable content will reduce your bounce rates and improve conversions.
Your content might be detailed, helpful, and even amusing, but how readable is it? Today’s online readers are using mobile devices, which means their range of sight is limited, and they have short attention spans to work around as well. If you want your content to succeed, you’ll need to work hard to make it more readable. But what qualities makes onsite content more “readable”?
- Shorter sentences. Your 25-word sentence might be grammatically correct, and if spoken aloud might sound just fine, but today’s online reader wants something shorter. Punchier. Something they can read in bits and pieces.
- Shorter paragraphs. On that note, don’t include more than 3-4 sentences per paragraph. If you were writing a college essay, you might cram more details in to prove your point, but again, shorter is the way to go here.
- Bullets and numbers. Rather than listing things out with a series of commas or a sentence-by-sentence introduction, introduce new items in organized lists (using either bullet points or numbers). It’s visually accessible and easy to skim.
- Sections and subsections. Make sure to organize your content into sections and subsections, and label them appropriately. It helps readers follow what’s happening (and when), and gives them something to refer back to for a recap.
- Bold and italics. Don’t abuse bold and italic fonts, but do use them to emphasize strong points or differentiate part of your content.
- Images and videos. Try using images and videos to break up your longer blog posts. It will keep your readers engaged and make the content seem less bulky.
- Font and color choices. Last but not least, make sure you choose font and background colors that don’t clash, and offer an easily readable, large font for your mobile users.
With these qualities, readers will have no problem skimming and understanding your material. Once applied, you’ll start seeing lower bounce rates, more comments and higher engagement, and of course, more conversions. For more help with your blog or content marketing strategy in general, contact Quez Media today!