Investing in content marketing is one of the best things you can do for your business. But, as always, there’s a caveat. 

No matter how effective well-written content is at attracting, engaging, and converting readers into customers, research shows that people aren’t that into reading these days. 

According to a 1997 research study by the NN Group, people don’t read texts online. Instead, they scan. And, sure, this piece of information may seem irrelevant a quarter of a century later. However, a recent series of eye-tracking studies by the same organization confirmed that people’s scanning behaviors remain prevalent despite significant changes in web design and available content types.

So, what do these findings mean for marketers? The simple takeaway is that any published text that aims to attract and engage web visitors must adopt a user-first approach. And that means prioritizing accessibility through content readability. 

After all, easy-to-read text will improve visitor engagement on content pages. It will also help maximize the value prospects receive from blog posts, boosting their chances of further interacting with a brand.

So, if you’re interested in stepping up your content marketing game by boosting content readability, here are the top tactics that will allow you to achieve the desired result.

6 Proven Tactics To Boost Content Readability

1. Convey complex points with images and video

One of the best things about working to improve content readability is that there are several easy ways to go about it. 

For instance, with free online tools such as Hemingway, writers can check the reading ease score of their texts. And they can make improvements based on the suggestions presented by the software.

But, while such activities yield excellent results, there are more advanced ways of enhancing content readability. One of these is using images and videos to convey complex points.

According to scientific evidence, half of the brain’s capacity is used to handle visual information at super-high speeds. Moreover, research suggests that people are visual learners, that they remember images better than words, and that using images in addition to text improves people’s subject understanding by as much as 400%.

So, if you’re trying to explain complicated concepts and need to make your website content easier to understand, see whether you can use images and diagrams to communicate and illustrate your points.

To see an example of what you can do, check out the Supergreen Tonik homepage. This brand uses illustrated badges to describe its product’s main benefits. And, yes, there is in-depth info for consumers interested in the ingredients and nutritional value of the product. Nonetheless, the six badges are more than enough to communicate the tonic’s advantages, which shows how effective a couple of images can be at delivering important info to your prospects.

Video is another excellent format to supplement your writing to maximize readability. Based on the latest video marketing research conducted by Wyzowl, explainer videos are particularly beneficial for brands selling complex solutions. 96% of surveyed marketers stated that explainer videos improved product understanding in 2022, showing how successful the combination of sounds and visuals is at conveying information.

Considering this data, it should come as no surprise that SaaS brands, in particular, opt to include explainer videos on their websites. 

For instance, if you check out Toast, you’ll see that the POS business uses a 120-second video to describe how its solution works. Surely enough, the brand could have achieved a similar result using text and images. But video is far more engaging, with a better likelihood of convincing prospects to convert, making it the superior option.

Lastly, as you explore the impact of visuals on readability and engagement, don’t forget that, in some cases, the best way to make your content and copy engaging is to transform it into an infographic. 

Thanks to the unique blend of images, text, and data visualizations, infographics can be invaluable resources for educating your target audience. Plus, they’re easy to repurpose on multiple distribution channels, making them the perfect format of awareness-stage content to invest in.

2. Empower readers to easily find the content they want

Knowing that web users are most likely to skim through written content, one of the best ways to boost readability and engagement on your site is to make your blog posts (and landing pages) easy to scan.

Eye-tracking studies show that there are a few prevalent reading patterns that internet users use when scanning a text. 

For instance, when a text doesn’t contain headings or formatting styles that can help steer readers in the right direction, people will try to decode it using the Spotted pattern. This strategy allows them to search the text for visual cues that could help them identify valuable information. Similarly, when a text includes headings, people will start by looking at those titles. Then they will choose which section to read word-for-word, ensuring they don’t waste their time on irrelevant parts that offer no new value.

But while web user behavior research shows that people have developed effective mechanisms for identifying the content they want to consume, one of the most impactful things you can do to ensure they have a good time on your website is to format your texts in a way that allows them not to use these tactics.

By using user-oriented formatting practices to improve content readability, you can make it more effortless for your prospects to find relevant information. Additionally, you can make reading your texts enjoyable and time-efficient.

The great thing is that achieving the effect is relatively simple. For instance, check out Smash VC’s 6 Favorite Amazon PPC Management Agencies of 2023 blog post. It utilizes frequent headings, combining them with formatting choices to make important information stand out.

Or, for an even better example of a business using content formatting to improve readability and user experience, check out Trustshoring. In its Top 14 Examples of Custom Software Development article, this business includes a clickable table of contents. The feature makes it super easy for readers to locate and jump to the part of the post relevant to their needs and interests.

3. Follow typographical best practices

Did you know that typography has a tremendous impact on content readability? According to research, how texts look plays a big part in how legible (and accessible) they are.

For example, through its UX studies, the Baymard Institute has discovered that the optimal line length for text is between 50 and 60 characters per line (including spaces). 

Similarly, Health Literacy Online points out that font choice impacts readability and accessibility. According to this resource, the minimum font size on websites should be 16 pixels (or 12 points). And, when targeting users with limited literacy skills, the number should go even higher.

Then there’s the question of what font to choose to make your content accessible. According to a 2022 study, a good font can help web readers increase their reading speed by as much as 35%. So, if you’re aiming for ease of reading, choose accessible fonts like Helvetica, Arial, and Verdana, which are easy to read and display well on most devices. 

Finally, if you’re trying to maximize the readability of your content, pay attention to paragraph length. Ideally, you should aim for three to five sentences per paragraph. However, depending on your audience’s expertise level and literacy skill, you can go higher. Note that one of the best ways to separate paragraphs is to use images. They act as a visual cue that the following section covers a new idea. Plus, they can act as visual learning tools, allowing your audience to process and memorize the info they’ve read so far.

Integrating effective visuals into your content strategy is a game-changer for readability. When dealing with complex information, utilizing diagrams and flowcharts can bridge gaps in understanding seamlessly. The use of best flowchart templates offers an excellent way to illustrate procedures step-by-step. These pre-designed tools are not only attractive but also enhance comprehension, especially in collaborative and educational environments.

For instance, if you check out the Best Amazon Repricer Tools to Use in 2023 from StartupResources, you’ll notice that it follows all the rules we’ve covered here. Thanks to this approach, the text is transformed from a complex piece of writing about advanced software solutions into an easy-to-read resource helping business owners find the best products for their needs.

4. Don’t get too cute with colors

Just like typography, color also influences the readability levels of a text.

Generally, the consensus is that less color equals higher readability scores. But user research shows that this isn’t necessarily the case. Multiple factors go into determining whether a color combination is a good choice when trying to maximize readability and engagement.

According to UX research, the key to using color to promote text accessibility is achieving a sufficiently high contrast level. Naturally, black text on a white background works best. However, dark colors, like midnight blue and deep purple, can also provide a similarly high contrast ratio on white backgrounds.

With this in mind, when choosing what colored fonts and backgrounds to use on your website, don’t feel you have to choose traditional or minimalistic colorways. Instead, feel free to explore your creativity with fun and unexpected colors — like the ones on the Ivy Chen homepage. However, don’t forget to use tools like the WebAIM Contrast Checker to determine whether the ratio is sufficiently high to ensure an easy reading experience for your audience.

5. Answer the post’s main questions immediately

In the era of clickbait titles, many marketers fall into the trap of making their readers dig for information upon landing on an article page. However, from a readability (and user experience_ point of view, this is a mistake.

Generally, when they don’t immediately recognize the value offered by a post, web visitors abandon the site and go back to Google. This results in a high bounce rate and is reflected in poor SEO rankings. 

But the good news is that there’s a simple solution: altering your content so that it immediately answers your web visitors’ questions. This readability-boosting tactic will ensure that your audience instantly recognizes the value your content offers. It will also maximize engagement, which gives you a much better chance of converting your readers into customers of your business.

For instance, check out the Medical Alert System Discounts for AARP Members resource on the Medical Alert Buyers Guide website. You’ll see that the article presents readers with the answer to their question in the topmost section of the page, where they’re guaranteed to notice it.

Similarly, the Asana vs. Monday.com: Top Project Management Software in 2023 article on TechnologyAdvice presents readers with the answer to their question within the intro section of the article. Moreover, the beginning of the post features a comprehensive comparison table. And there are also short overviews and pros and cons for each solution, all presented before going in-depth into the various features of each software option.

6. Watch your tone and language

Finally, as you explore content production tactics that will help you take your website or company blog to the next level, don’t forget the importance of writing for your audience.

Yes, the readability rules outlined in this guide are an excellent starting point. However, just like with any other marketing strategy, the only way to get the most out of your content is to optimize it to appeal to your audience.

First and foremost, you need to develop buyer personas. Then, you must identify their pain points and invest your resources in producing content that answers your audience’s questions.

Secondly, you must determine the expertise level of your audience to ensure that you don’t use impossible-to-understand jargon or inappropriate language. After all, the language and sentence structure you use will hugely differ based on whether you’re writing for academics or high school kids. So make sure you don’t make the wrong choice.

Thirdly, keep your tone conversational. This will allow your brand to come off as authentic and approachable, and it will make it easier for your target audience to enjoy your writing, which is the key to maximizing engagement rates.

Final Thoughts

When optimizing your content to achieve sustained visitor engagement, treat readability as your secret weapon. 

After all, boosting readability doesn’t have to be a resource-intensive task. Yet, the returns of doing the work can be tremendous.

So, don’t hesitate to utilize the free online tools available to you — whether that’s the Hemingway app, a paid alternative like Readable, or an AI-powered solution like Lex, Notion AI, or GrammarlyGO. If used well, they can all help take your writing to a whole new level.