I recently posted about how to make your veterinary blog easy to read by writing with shorter sentences.

Since short ones are easier to follow and digest, they improve readability.

Compact writing doesn't mentally tax your blog visitors. On the other hand, slogging through long, winding text does. Readers will lose patience if they struggle to read and understand your writing.

Remember, your blogging goal is quality content, so concise communication is vital.

The bottom line is that poor readability creates a bad user experience. And bad experiences drive traffic away from your blog.

Since readability is essential to a positive experience for your audience, what more can you do to improve it?

Allow me to make some suggestions …

• Grammarly

A helpful online writing assistant/tool that catches problems plaguing writers and suggests corrections. If your writing gets wordy and long, Grammarly recommends revisions to improve clarity and conciseness. (Such as splitting long sentences!)
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• Flesch Reading Ease

This test rates how easy text is to read based on a 100-point scale. The higher the score, the easier it is. The calculation formula looks at the average number of syllables per word and words per sentence.

The rule of thumb for easy reading is a score between 60 and 70.
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• Flesch-Kinkaid Grade Level

As the name implies, this test scores readability by grade level. For example, an 8.0 score means that an eighth grader in the U.S. could understand the text.

The recommendation is to score between 7.0 and 8.0.

The Flesch Reading Ease Readability tests guide you in determining if your writing is easy to read.

And both tests are included in Microsoft Word under the Review tab on the menu.
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Oh, and one other thing about readability, it can impact your search engine optimization (SEO).

You know that Google and other search engines aim to give users the best information.

And we know that through SEO, Google will give users content based on the keywords they're searching with.

But what happens if your blog posts or articles don't include those keywords?

Suppose you want to build traffic to your veterinary website. You may be writing articles that include many technically correct veterinary words.

But if your audience is pet owners, they most likely wouldn't use that technical terminology in their searches. So the search engines wouldn't direct them to your site.

And if users did find your site, they probably wouldn't understand those words or the message you're conveying.

This situation defeats the purpose of your blog, which is to offer high-value content.

To prevent this, explain technical terms in plain English with words that pet owners will likely use.

In short, Google doesn't rank content on readability; its algorithms don't calculate this.

But it can affect SEO if your language doesn't match the language users are searching with. Or if technical words pepper your text and speak over your audience's head.

From the user experience and SEO perspective, we agree that readability is key!
 
Let's talk about that writing project you've put off; email or call me at 508-277-4929!

I'm a content writer/consultant and former veterinary assistant specializing in the animal health and veterinary markets. I dive into the intricacies of writing excellent content so you don't have to!

Does your veterinary website include a blog?

Besides being informative, the content must be easy to read and understand. These qualities give readers the most value.

"Okay," you're probably thinking, "that sounds reasonable. But how do I make the content easy to read?"

I'm glad you asked!

One way is by keeping sentences short.

I touched on this in my blog post, Five quick tips for writing an outstanding veterinary blog, but I'd like to explain more.

​Long sentences don't necessarily give more detail. On the contrary, they can be confusing, dreary, and exhausting to read.

Mentally taxing your blog visitors with voluminous prose is unwise; they may retaliate by not returning.

To show what I mean about a never-ending sentence, read the following. It illustrates how lengthier ones can be a struggle.
 
"It is given as a course of two injections, with the first dose priming the immune system, but producing no physiological effect, and the second dose stimulating anti-GnRF antibody production and consequent suppression of gonadal activity a few days after administration."
 
This sentence… is just long. Breaking it into shorter sentences makes it more manageable.
 
"It is given as a course of two injections. The first dose primes the immune system but produces no physiological effect. The second dose stimulates anti-GnRF antibody production. The antibody production suppresses gonadal activity a few days after administration."
 
The brevity in the rewrite simplifies reading, and your brain doesn't strain to remember the points made.

Reining in sentence length can be tricky, though.

That's why I use and recommend Grammarly. It's a writing assistant/editing tool that, among other things, highlights lengthy sentences and suggests revisions.
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But there's another reason for keeping sentences short.

When writing for the web, whether blog posts or web page content, only so much text can display on a screen and even less on a smartphone.

So, keeping sentences brief and avoiding big chunks of text helps your reader avoid endless scrolling.

Shorter sentences mean fewer words. And fewer words mean you must be picky about your chosen ones to communicate your point precisely.

Remember, for content to do its job, people must understand it to recognize its value. Reading your blog should be enjoyable, not a test of mental stamina.

Otherwise, you're writing for yourself. 
 
Let's talk about that writing project you've put off; email or call me at 508-277-4929!
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I'm a freelance copywriter and former veterinary assistant specializing in the animal health and veterinary markets. I dive into the intricacies of writing excellent content so you don't have to!

My coonhound rescue, Doc, recently decided that he was afraid to walk on the smooth floors of my house.

I was in the kitchen and heard him whimper. He stood in the entryway between the living and dining rooms.

I called him, but he wouldn't budge. I had to bribe him with a cookie from his cookie jar, and with that, he launched himself and scrambled, clattering across the tile floor until reaching the safety of his dog bed.

This behavior was odd and seemed to come out of the blue. He'd never been scared to walk on the bare floors before.

I'm sure I'm not the first dog owner confronted with this mystery.

Suddenly, your dog is terrified to walk on smooth floors in your home.

What's up with that?
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Since your dog can't tell you why he suddenly has a smooth-floor phobia, listed below are possible explanations. One or more just might be the culprit.

• ​Excess hair growth around the paw pads
  

Your dog's pads provide traction. When hair grows around and over them, it interferes with their gripping ability, making smooth surfaces highly slippery.

Take a peek at your dog's pads. Is there hair everywhere?
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I took a picture of Doc's paw, and the hair around his pads could use a trim.

• Long toenails

 
Dogs dig in with their toenails when walking on rough or uneven terrain. Too long nails change the angle of the paw, interfering with balance and the traction the pads provide.
 
If your dog steps on a smooth surface like tile and becomes scared, trying to grab onto it with long nails won't help steady him and only intensifies his fear.

• Physical problems

 
Your dog may have physical problems making him reluctant to walk on smooth floors. Failing eyesight, osteoarthritis, hip dysplasia, or an injury to his paw or pads can suddenly cause a dog to be wary of certain surfaces.
 

• Previous experiences

 
During a previous life (as in rescue dogs with unknown history), your dog may have had a bad experience on a smooth floor, such as a slip or fall. Or maybe he was never exposed to tile or hardwood surfaces when he was younger. Now, later in life, he may be suspicious.
 

• Invest in toe grips for your dog's nails or booties for his paws. Both of these items can help to improve your dog's traction.

• Lay rugs, runners, or yoga mats on the surfaces your dog finds scary to give him more confidence in navigating your house.

 

• Schedule an appointment with your vet to rule out any physical problems that could be causing your dog to feel unsafe on smooth floors. If your pup's problem is behavioral, ask your vet to recommend a trainer to help you work with your dog.

 

• Keep the hair around the paw pads trimmed. If you're unsure how to do this, here's a good tutorial on removing hair from your dog's paws.

 

• Keep nails short by clipping them regularly. Depending on your dog's activity level and the surfaces exercised on, e.g., you routinely walk on pavement versus grass or dirt, will decide how often you should do this. A rule of thumb is approximately every six weeks.

Floors that suddenly terrorize your dog make for a strange and stressful problem.

No owner wants to watch her beloved dog flailing on a slippery floor!

Fortunately, unless it stems from a severe physical or behavioral issue, you can resolve your dog's sudden fear of smooth floors without too much hassle.
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Let's talk if you enjoyed this post and would love to share content like this on your animal health, veterinary or pet blog! Feel free to email or call me at 508-277-4949.
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