Content strategy is a science and every detail matters.
Those details include:
- The reading level of the content.
- Word count (especially in relation to top-ranking content).
- Format and correct use of subheaders.
- Keyword distribution.
- Use of phrases related to the keyword.
- Grammar.
- Sentence structure.
In fact, details like these can mean the difference between a No. 1 ranking (or answer box!) vs. content that doesn’t even make it on Page 1 of the search results.
Competitive content writers will use every tool at their disposal as they create content.
That’s why we’ve rounded up the 10 best content writing tools for SEO that specifically help you improve readability.
1. SEMrush SEO Writing Assistant
Add your keyword phrase (and related keywords if you like), and the SEO Writing Assistant will give you an aggregate score based on factors including:
- Readability
- Number of hard-to-read sentences
- Long words
- Word count and reading time (compared to top-ranking content)
- Tone of voice
Notably, with the SEO Writing Assistant is the one tool on this list where you can set the preferred readability level you’d like your content to have.
You can customize the tone of voice you’d like your content to have, ranging from casual to formal, and check whether any content in the document is plagiarized.
It will also show related questions you should consider posing/answering within the content.
Personally, my favorite aspect of the SEO Writing Assistant is the recommended keywords – the tool will automatically show about 20 phrases that are present in the top-ranking comment.
2. Yoast SEO for WordPress
Yoast is a free WordPress plugin that many digital marketers use to check the basic SEO of their content, but it can also give you a content readability score.
Within the content readability score, you’ll find a report that breaks down:
- Flesch reading ease
- Use of passive voice vs. active voice
- Subheading distribution
- Variety of sentence structure
- Paragraph length
- Sentence length
- Use of transition words
3. SearchMetrics Content Experience
Like most of the tools on this list, the Content Experience provides scores pertaining to your content’s word count, sentence structure, keyword coverage, phrase repetition, etc. based on your keyword target.
This is one of the more robust content marketing tools on this list, and provides insights into user intent, keyword selection, and even the best time of year to publish a piece of content.
4. WebFX Readability Tool
As the name suggests, the Readability Tool focuses primarily on the readability of your content.
You can input content you’re working on directly into the tool, or you can use a URL for content that already exits (yours or your competitors).
The report will give not one but six readability scores, including:
- Flesch reading ease.
- Flesch-Kincaid grade level.
- Gunning Fog Score.
- SMOG Index.
- Coleman-Liau Index score.
- The Automated Readability Index score.
It will also show you:
- The number of sentences
- Number of words
- Number of complex words
- Percent of complex words
- Average words per sentence
- Average syllables per word
5. Text Optimizer
With the Text Optimizer, you can pop in a webpage and this content readability tool will check the health of your content.
If you’re new to SEO or content strategy, this is a good tool to start with, given that no technical knowledge is required to wield this tool and create great content.
In addition to assessing your content’s word count, sentence length and verb use, this tool will give you suggestions of words to add to your content and words to remove from your content to increase your potential to rank.
According to Text Optimizer, 70% of their users achieve better SEO rankings within five weeks after using the tool.
6. Readability Analyzer
This content readability tool focuses solely on reading level and gives your content a readability score based on Flesch Reading Ease, Gunning Fog Scale Level, Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level, SMOG Grade, Fry Readability Level, etc.
Not only will it give your entire content a score, but it will also score your content’s individual content.
7. Grammarly
If writing is not your strong suit, Grammarly is a game-changer.
This tool focuses on the mechanics of writing rather than the science of SEO content – nonetheless, it’s incredibly valuable and belongs on this list.
Poorly written content equates to poor user experience (and high-quality content should be written with the search engines and the user in mind).
Grammarly will address issues in grammar and spelling, but also in tone and structure.
It will flag overly complex sentences and keep an eye out for clarity and conciseness.
You can also set a goal for the content your writing so Grammarly can tailor its recommendations to your project.
Goals are aligned by the type of your content.
You can choose from academic, business, technical, creative, and casual. For most web content, you’ll probably want to choose business.
When working on a piece of business content, Grammarly will flag any use of the passive voice and misuse of pronouns, but allow for some use of informality.
Not only can you use Grammarly for blog posts, site content, and articles, but you can also use it for emails, messages, and social media posts.
8. Hemingway App
Similarly, the free Hemingway app helps you improve the mechanics of your writing.
Copy your content into Hemingway’s desktop app and it will show:
- The readability of your content by grade level
- Opportunities to use more concise language
- Overuse of adverbs
- Use of passive voice
- Sentences that are hard to read
- Places where a simpler phrase could be used
- Word count and character count
- The average length of time to read the content
9. Bulk SEO Tools
Sometimes content readability isn’t an issue of keyword distribution or poor grammar.
Sometimes, you just may have wild, out-of-hand formatting that needs to be dealt with.
As the name suggests, Bulk SEO Tools will help you take care of formatting issues (that impact readability) in bulk.
Let’s say, for example, your entire text or large portions of your text are in all uppercase.
You can input that text into Bulk SEO Tool’s case converter and switch the case to sentence case, capitalized case, lower case, title case, etc.
Bulk SEO Tools also has text tools to quickly remove any duplicate lines, add or remove line breaks, and even add prefixes or suffixes if you’re working with a list.
10. Cliché Finder
You know what else can hurt readability (at least from a user perspective)?
Clichés.
No one likes a cliché – they’ll make your writing seem contrived and contrite.
This free tool will highlight any clichés in your text in red so you can swap that out for a sentence that’s more meaningful.
