How to write SEO-friendly texts

You write a text. You like it. But are you sure that your text is easy to read? In this article, I will tell you what you should pay attention to and how to calculate the readability of your text easily. When we write our texts, we should pay attention to headlines, keywords, transition words, consecutive sentences, subheading distribution, paragraph length, sentence length, word complexity, and passive voice.

There are some programs that evaluate your text for clarity. Yet, those programs are AI, not humans. And we, humans, write for humans, right? That’s why I evaluate my texts manually by myself.

Headline

Firstly, your headline should be no longer than 9 words and easy to read.

The headline should be a captivating summary of your text. It should show the value of your text.

Also, the headline is a promise to your readers. Remember to keep the promise.

It is a good idea to use numbers. People trust more when they see odd numbers. For example, “7 tips for…”

Likewise, people search for answers to questions or problems. Therefore, popular titles begin with “how,” “because,” “what,” and “when.” For example, “how to learn English quickly,” “why to have a blog,” “what to write on the home page of your website,” “when it is good to post on Instagram,” etc.

That is why, if you use adjectives in your headline, there will be more chances that your text will be read.

According to some research, the perfect formula for headlines is

number or trigger + adjective + keyword + promise of value

Text length

Secondly, for SEO purposes, your texts should be a minimum of 900 words. Yet, I do believe that your texts cover all points you would like to voice out. Again, we write for humans, not SEO algorithms.

Paragraph length

One paragraph should be no longer than 100-200 words. This is approximately 5 sentences.

Subheading distribution

Moreover, after every 300 words in your text, you should have a subheading for better text readability.

Sentence length

One sentence should be no longer than 20 words. However, if you write in German, there can be more words in sentences.

Transition words

Words that make reading easier are called transition words. They help the coherence and continuity of a text. In addition, they are a part of our language.

We use them to add or link ideas (e.g., and, in addition, also), show causes (e.g., because, that’s why, because of), show order (e.g., first, second. , finally), when we talk about comparison (eg, also, instead, the same as), possibility (eg it seems that, probably), etc.

And now, the question is how many transition words there should be in your text. I have an easy formula for you. I must confess that my husband has helped me with this formula. Here it is

the number of transition words : the number of words in your text x 100 = X%

where X is the percentage of transition words in your text.

The perfect percentage of transition words in your text is 30%.

For example, there are 1000 words in my text, and there are 300 transition words.

300 : 1000 x 100 = 30%

Although, some experts say that there should be 2 transition words in each paragraph.

Keep in mind that your text should be written for humans and not for SEO algorithms. If your text has less than 30% transition words and it sounds amazing, it’s totally fine.

Keywords

It is recommended to have 1-2% keyword density in your text.

The formula is

number of keywords : number of words in the text x 100 = X%

Some experts say that you should have keywords 2-3 times for every 500 words.

Also, remember to include your keywords in the alt texts, meta description, slug etc.

Consecutive sentences

If your sentences start with the same word/s, they are repetitive sentences.

It is important that your sentences do not start with the same word/s.

Passive voice

If you write a text in English or Spanish, it is important that there is no passive voice. But if you write a text in German, it’s OK to have a passive voice.

Flesch–Kincaid Tests

The Flesch-Kincaid Readability Tests are readability tests designed to indicate how difficult it is to understand texts. The Flesch–Kincaid test was invented by Rudolf Flesch.

The results of the tests correlate roughly inversely. A text that scores comparatively high on the ease of reading test should score lower on the grade level test.

Below you will see the formulas for the texts in English, Spanish, and German. X is your result.

Flesch–Kincaid test for texts in English

The formula for texts is

X = 206,835 – 84,6 x WL – 1,015 x SL

SL – average sentence length. The number of words in the text is divided by the number of sentences.

WL – is the average length of words in syllables. The number of syllables in the text is divided by the number of words.

The formula for texts in Spanish

0.39 (total words/total sentences) + 11.8 (total syllables/total words) – 15.59 = X

The formula for texts in German

X= 180 – SL – WL x 58,5

WL – is the average length of words in syllables. The number of syllables in the text is divided by the number of words.

SL – average sentence length. The number of words in the text is divided by the number of sentences.

Results:

Therefore, the results are further differentiated in order to be able to make more precise statements about the texts:

90-100: Very easy. Suitable for an 11-year-old student.

80-90: Easy

70-80: Medium easy

60-70: Medium. Suitable for 13 – 15-year-old students.

50-60: Medium weight

30-50: Heavy

0-30: Very difficult. Suitable for academics.

Conclusion:

All in all, checking your texts before publishing them is a good idea. Even if you decide to refine it, it is worth it.

Yet, remember that you write for humans, not SEO.

Used sources:

Alderson, J. (2022, October 25). How to use headings on Your site. Yoast. Retrieved January 27, 2023, from https://yoast.com/how-to-use-headings-on-your-site/

Consecutive sentences check – yoast SEO features • yoast. Yoast. (2022, March 15). Retrieved January 27, 2023, from https://yoast.com/features/consecutive-sentence-check/

Cursos virtuales – revista tips de educación. (n.d.). Retrieved January 28, 2023, from https://tipseducacion.com/archives/category/cursos-virtuales

Flesch reading ease. Flesch Reading Ease – Ryte Digital Marketing Wiki. (n.d.). Retrieved January 27, 2023, from https://en.ryte.com/wiki/Flesch_Reading_Ease

How long is a paragraph? Grammarly. (2020, February 14). Retrieved January 27, 2023, from https://www.grammarly.com/blog/how-long-is-a-paragraph/

How long is a paragraph? Grammarly. (2020, February 14). Retrieved January 28, 2023, from https://www.grammarly.com/blog/how-long-is-a-paragraph/

Oliver, A. (2019, November 26). Finding the complexity of words. Medium. Retrieved January 27, 2023, from https://towardsdatascience.com/finding-the-complexity-of-words-6c487cea562

Rakt, M. van de. (2022, July 18). Transition words: Why and how to use them. Yoast. Retrieved January 27, 2023, from https://yoast.com/transition-words-why-and-how-to-use-them/

Salvadó, A. (2022, February 17). ▷ palabras de Transición Seo O Frases: Cómo USARLAS. Jevnet. Retrieved January 27, 2023, from https://www.jevnet.es/palabras-transicion-seo/

Word complexity – yoast seo features • yoast. Yoast. (2022, December 13). Retrieved January 27, 2023, from https://yoast.com/features/word-complexity/

Yuncal, A. (2019, June 26). ¿Sabes Qué es en Seo El test Flesch-Kincaid? LinkedIn. Retrieved January 27, 2023, from https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/sabes-qu%C3%A9-es-en-seo-el-test-flesch-kincaid-antonio-yuncal/?originalSubdomain=es

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