Difficult-to-Read Content

This error appears when a page's content has a low readability score. Here's what it means and how to make your texts easier to read.

What this error means

Readability measures how easy it is to read and understand a text. To calculate it, tools like Ruk Audit use the Flesch index, a formula that analyzes sentence length and word complexity to give a score from 0 to 100. The higher the score, the easier it is to read. A low score doesn't mean the content is bad, but it does mean it may be written in a way that's hard to follow. Very long sentences, unexplained technical terms, or dense paragraphs are the most common causes. The problem is that a hard-to-read text is tiring. And when it's tiring, people leave. They don't read to the end, they don't fully understand the message, and they certainly don't do what you were hoping they'd do. Google takes this into account too. Content that users quickly abandon or don't engage with can send negative signals about the page's quality.

Why improving readability matters

A text that's hard to read loses readers along the way. And a reader who leaves early is a missed opportunity, no matter how good the content is. Improving readability doesn't mean simplifying the message. It means presenting it in a way that lands better.

Impact on SEO rankings

Google analyzes how users interact with content. If people abandon the page quickly because the text is dense or hard to follow, that can negatively affect how it ranks in search results.

Impact on user experience

Complicated text creates friction. Users have to work harder to understand the message, and that translates into less time on the page, fewer conversions, and less chance they'll come back.

Negative signals for site quality

Hard-to-read content signals carelessness or a lack of attention to the user. For Google, content quality also includes being accessible and understandable to most people.

How to fix it step by step

If this error showed up in your audit, here are the steps to leave it behind.

Step 1

Identify which parts of the text are densest

Before rewriting anything, locate where the problem is. Very long sentences, paragraphs with no breathing room, or unnecessarily complex words are the clearest signs. A trick that works well is reading it out loud. If you stumble while reading, users will too.

Step 2

Shorten sentences

One idea per sentence. If a sentence has more than two commas, it can probably be split in two. Short sentences read better and are understood faster.

Step 3

Simplify vocabulary

It's not about avoiding technical terms when they're necessary, but about not overcomplicating what can be said simply. If there's a simpler word that says the same thing, use it.

Step 4

Break up long paragraphs

A ten-line paragraph is intimidating. Three three-line paragraphs invite you to keep reading. Break content into smaller, more manageable blocks, and make sure no paragraph exceeds four or five lines.

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