How readability tests can help create accessible content

In our previous blog post on accessible content, we focused on how to write accessible content, as well as why. But how can you be sure your content is truly accessible, when you’re done writing? Following the best practices we recommended can certainly help, but there’s another ace up your sleeve: readability tests.

Readability tests are a great tool to help you share clear, concise and to-the-point content. They use formulas to analyse your text, gauging its complexity by considering factors such as sentence length, syntax complexity and frequency of term use. They then provide you with a score that typically indicates the level of education required to understand your content. 

Pod accessibility series

Accessibility series part 1: Five benefits to writing accessible content

Accessibility series part 2: How to write accessible content: five considerations

How can readability tests help with accessibility?

There are several ways readability tests can help you create more accessible content. 

1. Assess language complexity: readability tests can analyse your writing and flag areas where the language could be simplified, without affecting the depth and originality of your content. For example, they can help you identify wordy sentences, unnecessary jargon and needless repetitions.
2. Enhance text structure: readability tests can go beyond individual sentences and look at the complexity of the whole text, considering factors such as paragraphing and the order of concepts. This can help improve text flow, ensuring each paragraph is the logical consequence of the previous one.
3. Offer helpful suggestions: most tools that perform readability tests will not only spot complex phrases, but also offer recommendations to simplify them without affecting their meaning. For example, they can suggest ways to split long sentences, encourage you to replace passive sentences with active ones, or offer synonyms to avoid jargon.
4. Cater for different audiences: most readability tests will provide a score related to the reading level needed to understand your text. This can help you tailor your content to your target audience, ensuring your text has depth without being too complex.
5. Benefit SEO: search engines tend to favour content that is easily understood by a large number of people. By simplifying your texts, readability tests can indirectly help you rank higher for relevant keywords. 

What types of readability tests are there?

There are many readability tests available, each with their own pros and cons. Here are some of the most popular ones:

• Flesch-Kincaid Reading Ease score: this test scores content from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating easier to read content. For example, a score between 60 and 70 indicates that the text is written in plain English and will be easily understood by students who are between 13 and 15 years old. This is one of the most widely used readability tests, and comes pre-built into many word processing software tools.
• Gunning Fog Index: this test focuses on sentence complexity by calculating the average sentence length and the percentage of words with three or more syllables. The resulting score suggests the years of formal education needed to understand the text. For example, a score of 12 means the text is suitable for a reader with at least 12 years of formal education.
• SMOG (Simple Measure of Gobbledygook) Index: famously used for health-related content, this test also evaluates how many years of education readers will need. It focuses primarily on the number of words with three or more syllables within the text. This is why it’s often used for technical documents, but can overestimate the difficulty of texts with industry-specific jargon but simple structure. 

What platforms can I use to perform readability tests?

Given the many benefits of readability tests, many popular word processing platforms come with pre-built ones. This means you may already have access to some of these tools in your tech stack. Here are a few examples:

• HubSpot: As part of its content editor for website pages, HubSpot offers the Flesch-Kincaid test, as well as the corresponding grade level for the resulting score. 
• SEMRush: This popular SEO platform includes a content analyser which checks the readability of your text using the Flesch-Kincaid test. It then offers helpful suggestions to improve your content, such as shortening sentences or replacing passive sentences with active ones.
• Grammarly: Did you know that Grammarly, on top of checking your spelling and grammar, can also help you improve readability? The free version uses the Flesch-Kincaid formula, flagging lengthy sentences and suggesting clearer ones.
• Readable.com: This is a dedicated readability tool specifically designed for web content. It can analyse your content using several tests, including Flesch-Kincaid, Gunning Fog and SMOG. 

What else should I consider when performing a readability test?

While readability tests are a useful tool to improve your content’s accessibility, it’s important to not rely solely on them to assess the quality of your writing. A deep knowledge of your industry and topic are key to creating content that resonates with your target audience. This can help you understand what could be easily grasped and what requires simpler phrasing or further clarification. 

It’s also important to consider the limits of readability tests, such as the differences between educational systems and curricula when using scores that indicate average years of formal education. For this reason, using a variety of tests can give you a more comprehensive idea of your text’s accessibility, rather than relying on just one.

Ideally, you should also use readability scores along with other feedback, such as input from industry stakeholders, or feedback from someone outside of your industry if you’re targeting non-specialists. 

Finally, remember to take readability scores with a pinch of salt. While simplifying sentences is important to boost clarity and readability, oversimplification can strip your text of depth and personality. Use your best judgement to ensure you achieve a balanced outcome, and make sure to keep in mind your brand’s guidelines and tone of voice to put your unique stamp on your content.

Contact the content experts

Could you use some support to make your content more accessible? Content experts at The Marketing Pod are ready to help. Get in touch today.