2.3 Body content, quality & non-commodity ✦MediumInferred

Low readability for audience

If the writing is harder to read than the audience expects, people bounce. Readability should match who the page is for, not show off.

What it is

Too dense/complex for readers.

Why it matters

Hurts comprehension and engagement.

How to fix it

Match reading level to audience.

How to find it on your site

  1. Read the page as the target audience would.
  2. Check sentence length, jargon and structure against that audience.
  3. Simplify where it is needlessly dense, keeping necessary precision.
  4. Use headings, short paragraphs and lists to aid scanning.

Cross-reference to ranking and citation factors

Readability affects engagement and comprehension, which feed user signals. Matching the audience keeps them reading.

Impact

Low-medium. Inferred.

Evidence

People-first, readable content. Google Search Central, Creating helpful, reliable, people-first content