Is the copy on your senior living website suffering from low readability?
We’ve all been there. In an effort to learn more about something that is new to us, we hop on Google and search for answers. According to Google, older adults and their families search for the phrase “senior living” 10,000 to 100,000 times a month. (How’s that for a specific number? Or not.)
So what’s the problem, why aren’t we getting many online leads, you might be asking?
We’ve talked about a host of reasons why before. Reasons can range from site speed to poor quality content.
One hot topic we haven’t discussed as much as readability and your readability score.
Those terms refer how easy it is for people to understand what you are trying to tell them.
Let’s face it, we’ve all visited sites that left us scratching our heads. No matter how many times we read or reread the copy, it just wasn’t connecting.
You probably aren’t alone and that’s a site with a poor readability score.
While experts don’t always agree on what the best readability score is, it’s usually somewhere in the ballpark of 60 to 70. The higher the score, the easier it is to read.
In an industry that’s a bit confusing to newcomers, readability is a big deal.
So how do you know what your readability score is and what can you do to improve yours?
Here’s what you should know.
What’s Your Readability Score?
If you don’t use a platform like WordPress (our favorite!) with a plug-in that shows you a score for everything you write, there are other tools you can use.
Here are a few that experts rank as the best:
These are just a couple of the many you’ll find that are quick and easy to use.
Increase Your Senior Living Site’s Readability Score
What should you do if your score is low?
Try writing and editing with this tips in mind:
- Use short sentences which are best for online copy
- Leave white space between paragraphs
- Keep paragraphs short and sweet
- Avoid annoying cliches (FYI: they are all annoying)
- Use photos to break up blocks of copy
- Skip industry jargon people won’t understand
- Use less complex words and phrases
- Break up copy with headlines and sub-heads
The bottom line is to create top quality senior living content that is easy to read/scan online.
It will keep visitors on your site longer allowing them to begin to see you as the expert.
Pick one of the tools listed above and see how your content scores. Drop us a note if you have any questions or need a little help improving the content on your senior living site!