Making sure content is readable is an essential part of writing today. In a world of constant distraction and breaking news, it’s important that content not only grabs the reader’s attention but also holds it. It takes more than good writing: the writing needs to be easily read wherever the reader is viewing it.
What makes an article readable?
Highlighted keywords
One idea per paragraph
The inverted pyramid style (starting with a conclusion, or a general synopsis)
Half the word count
Objective language
A Good Example
Pitchfork, the popular music website, sets a good example of readability on its album review pages. The header, which displays the album title and artist name, are big and bold. The numerical album score immediately grabs my attention – it’s both content by itself, and also a reason to keep reading – and the sub-header pulls me in with an explanation of what’s to come.
Visually, this is an ideal web page. The body copy is centered on the page with no distracting links or advertisements, a rarity in the 2021 web. The text is formatted in a way that’s ideal for scrolling on any device, with few frills or HTML fluff.
Content-wise, the author introduces the subject in the first paragraph, providing a quick history of the musician and necessary context for the new album. The tone of the article is casual but comes across well researched. The author links themes from previous albums to the one under review and also touches on how those themes relate to current events. Another aspect of this article’s readability are the highlighted hyperlinks to the externally referenced works, keeping the reader engaged as well as informed.
The author’s observations in the review aren’t too technical, focused more on the lyrics and themes of the album, but lines like ““Scram!” takes a midsong trip to the House of Blues for a metalcore breakdown, while the actual skramz pop up on the title track, which spends its first two minutes lost in the dual drones of college rock jangle and an endless scroll of atrocity” really put what they’re hearing into words while establishing the author’s knowledge of music.
This review feels well-researched and well-written. It’s not gushing over how good the album is but rather appreciating the subjects being discussed and providing thought-out explanations for why readers should go out of their way to listen. I felt engaged throughout this article and came away from it feeling more informed about this artist.
A Bad Example
VENTS magazine provides a bad example of readability. The page is very busy, filled with links to other articles and advertisements, leaving all of the text bunched over to the left. It’s easy to get distracted while reading the review, not exactly a great feature for a website based around reading. The title of the page also gives away the author’s opinion of the album, which prevents readers from being drawn in, a classic pitfall of websites trying to avoid being perceived as “clickbait”. It’s one thing to mislead readers with headlines, but ultimately you need to entice your reader with something click-worthy.
The writing itself is so informal that it makes the review feel like it lacks credibility. I usually enjoy a casual tone in writing but writing things like, “Maybe the instrumentation wasn’t quite there enough… It’s worth a listen. For me, though, it may just be that one listen. Well, plus the second listen to make sure I remembered the album enough for this review,” it seems more like a pithy opinion than something approaching a professional review.
The article starts out focused on the author’s review of a previous album, and once it reaches the album at hand the author never really uses any specific examples of why they did not enjoy the album. They mostly just allude to the fact that they liked the previous album better, which isn’t expressly a problem – but it’s not great criticism. The paragraphs are difficult to skim because they’re made up of mostly opinion, and visually they run together. If it wasn’t such a short review, I don’t know if I would have finished the article.
Reading this review, I didn’t feel like I came away with any new information and don’t know if I would come back to this site for other reviews.
In today’s world, it takes a little extra effort and a different approach to entice readers and keep them reading. Taking a few extra steps to ensure readability can make a world of difference.
Photo by Alvaro Matzumura on Unsplash
Cohen, I. (2020, May 27). Jeff Rosenstock: No Dream. Retrieved from https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/jeff-rosenstock-no-dream/
Morgan, C. (2021, March 13). Nervous Dater is an Imitation of Themselves On ‘Call in The Mess’. Retrieved from https://ventsmagazine.com/2021/03/13/nervous-dater-is-an-imitation-of-themselves-on-call-in-the-mess/
Nielsen, J. (1997, September 30). How Users Read on the Web. Retrieved from https://www.nngroup.com/articles/how-users-read-on-the-web/
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