Today’s readers are distracted and impatient. They want the information they need as quickly as possible. That’s why whether it’s web copy or white papers, readability is important. As a writer, you can help by creating clear copy that’s easily scanned and understood. Here’s how.

STEP 1: ESTABLISH BASELINE READABILITY

• Run readability statistics in Microsoft Word.
• Make a note of grade level readability, average words per sentence, and percent of passive voice.

STEP 2: MAKE ORGANIZATION CRYSTAL CLEAR

• Does your piece start with a clear, descriptive headline
• and deck?
• Is the content broken into short, digestible sections?
• Is each section labeled with an informational subhead? (Ask yourself this: If readers could see only your headline and subheads, would they understand your message?)
• Is the most important information presented first in each section, subsection, and paragraph?

STEP 3: CHOOSE SIMPLE WORDS

• Scan every sentence. Without changing meaning, is there anywhere you can replace:
• Long words with short ones?
• Complicated words with simple ones?
• Jargon or business-speak with plain talk?
• Multiple words with one word?

 STEP 4: STREAMLINE SENTENCES 

• Can you break long sentences (i.e., those with more than 14 words) into two or three short ones? 
• Can you turn a long series of points into a bulleted list? 
• Can you convert data-heavy text into a table or figure?

 STEP 5: ASSESS VOICE 

• Are you writing in the active voice, where possible and appropriate? 
• Are you writing directly to the reader, using you and we? 
• Are you using contractions to create a more natural tone?

STEP 6: PARE DOWN PARAGRAPHS 

• Are paragraphs short—no more than seven lines long? 
• Do you present one key idea per paragraph? 
• Do you allow one-sentence paragraphs?

 STEP 7: SEE HOW YOU’VE IMPROVED! 

• Run readability statistics again. 
• Are you hitting a 9th grade or lower readability level? 
• Is average sentence length 14 words? 
• Is there less than 25% passive voice?

If you’re hitting these key metrics, you’ve created readable content.