Content Studio's editor includes built-in analysis tools that evaluate your article's readability and search engine optimization in real time. Understanding these metrics — and knowing how to improve them — helps you produce content that's both enjoyable to read and positioned to rank well in search results.
This article explains each metric, what the scores mean, and how to take action on them.
Readability Analysis
Readability measures how easy your content is to understand. Search engines factor readability into their quality assessments, and readers are more likely to engage with content that's clear and accessible. Content Studio evaluates three components of readability.
Flesch Reading Ease
The Flesch Reading Ease score rates your content on a scale from 0 to 100, where higher scores indicate easier-to-read text. The score is calculated based on average sentence length and average syllable count per word.
Score Range | Reading Level | Audience |
|---|---|---|
90–100 | Very easy | Elementary school |
80–89 | Easy | Conversational, general audience |
60–79 | Standard | Most web content target range |
50–59 | Fairly difficult | College-level readers |
30–49 | Difficult | Academic or technical audiences |
0–29 | Very difficult | Specialized professionals |
Target: 60–70 for general web content. Most successful blog posts and informational articles fall in this range. If your score is lower, look for opportunities to simplify vocabulary and shorten sentences.
To improve your score, replace complex words with simpler alternatives where the meaning is preserved. Break long sentences into two shorter ones. Use concrete language rather than abstract phrasing.
Sentence Length
Average sentence length directly affects how comfortable your content is to read. The editor tracks your average and flags sentences that may be too long.
Target: 15–20 words per sentence on average. This doesn't mean every sentence should be the same length — in fact, varying sentence length is important for rhythm and engagement. Mix short, punchy sentences with longer explanatory ones to keep readers engaged.
If the editor flags your average as too high, look for sentences with multiple clauses joined by commas or conjunctions. These are often candidates for splitting into separate sentences.
Passive Voice
Passive voice occurs when the subject of a sentence receives the action rather than performing it. "The report was written by the team" is passive; "The team wrote the report" is active. Active voice is generally more direct, engaging, and easier to read.
Target: Under 10% passive voice sentences. Some passive constructions are natural and appropriate, especially in formal or technical writing. The goal isn't to eliminate passive voice entirely — it's to ensure active voice dominates your writing.
To convert passive to active, identify the actor in the sentence and make them the subject. "Analysis was conducted on the data" becomes "We analyzed the data." "Improvements can be seen in the metrics" becomes "The metrics show improvement."
SEO Optimization Metrics
Beyond readability, Content Studio tracks SEO-specific elements that influence how search engines evaluate and display your content.
Title Tag Recommendations
The title tag is the clickable headline that appears in search engine results pages. It's one of the most important on-page SEO elements because it directly influences both rankings and click-through rates.
Element | Guideline |
|---|---|
Length | 50–60 characters (titles longer than ~60 characters may be truncated in search results) |
Keyword placement | Include your primary keyword, ideally near the beginning |
Clarity | Make it clear what the page is about |
Compelling language | Give searchers a reason to click |
Content Studio generates title tag recommendations when you enable this option during article generation. You can also manually craft or edit your title tag using the SEO sidebar.
Meta Description
The meta description is the summary text that appears below the title tag in search results. While Google doesn't use it as a direct ranking factor, a well-written meta description significantly impacts click-through rate — which does influence rankings indirectly.
Element | Guideline |
|---|---|
Length | 150–160 characters |
Keyword inclusion | Include the primary keyword naturally |
Call to action | Encourage the click ("Learn how to...", "Discover...") |
Accuracy | Must accurately describe the page content |
Tip: Think of your meta description as a brief advertisement for your article. It should answer the searcher's implicit question: "Why should I click this result instead of the others?"
Content Structure
How you organize your content with headings affects both reader experience and search engine understanding.
Use your primary keyword in the H1 (title). This is the single most important heading on the page and should clearly indicate what the article is about.
Include keyword variations in H2 headings. Your H2s define the major sections of your article. Using related keyword variations in these headings signals topical breadth to search engines.
Consider FAQ schema. If your article includes a question-and-answer section, you may be eligible for FAQ rich results in Google — an expanded listing that displays your questions and answers directly in search results, increasing your visibility and click-through rate.
Interpreting the SEO Sidebar
The SEO sidebar in the editor combines all of these metrics into a single, always-visible panel. Here's how to read it effectively.
Green indicators mean the metric is in a good range. No action needed.
Yellow indicators suggest room for improvement. These aren't critical issues, but addressing them could boost performance.
Red indicators flag significant issues that are likely to impact your content's ability to rank or engage readers. Prioritize fixing these before publishing.
Focus on resolving red indicators first, then work through yellow ones if time allows. Not every metric needs to be perfect — the goal is to produce content that's consistently strong across readability, keyword optimization, and structure.
Practical Next Steps
Once your readability and SEO scores are in good shape, your article is ready for the final steps. Head to Publishing Your Content to learn how to get your article live on your site, or review Adding Citations and Internal Links if you haven't yet added supporting sources and internal connections.