Paragraph length check: Why and how to write shorter paragraphs

The paragraph magnitude check in Yoast SEO (for WordPress oregon Shopify) tells you to constitute shorter paragraphs erstwhile they are excessively long. But wherefore is this important? What does a bully paragraph adjacent look like? And lastly, what should you bash to support your paragraphs concise? Let’s explore!

Why your paragraphs shouldn’t beryllium excessively long

Properly sized paragraphs play an important relation successful making your substance readable. Big walls of substance are not precise bully to read, and they thin to scare disconnected readers. Just ideate this full nonfiction being 1 large paragraph! You’d astir apt person near the leafage earlier adjacent speechmaking the introduction.

Paragraphs besides interruption down your substance into bite-size and easy-to-understand chunks. This puts your readers astatine ease, due to the fact that each clip you extremity a paragraph, you springiness readers the accidental to unbend and deliberation astir what they’ve conscionable read. It truly helps radical marque consciousness of the full text.

Easy to scan

Paragraphs besides assistance readers to scan your substance much easily. When radical extremity up connected a page, they seldom commencement speechmaking the nonfiction from opening to end. First, they privation to spot what they tin expect. That’s wherefore radical mostly scan headings and the archetypal sentences of each paragraph earlier they commencement reading. So, if you interruption up your substance into paragraphs that bespeak the topics you’re addressing, radical volition rapidly get a bully grasp of what your nonfiction is about.

What does a bully paragraph look like?

A bully paragraph provides accusation connected 1 well-defined facet of the taxable you’re discussing successful your article. Consider the 2 paragraphs nether the erstwhile heading successful this article, for example. They code wherefore paragraphs marque your substance casual to scan. In addition, it’s bully signifier to commencement your paragraphs with a halfway condemnation that summarizes the contented of the paragraph. This volition assistance readers determine whether a paragraph is absorbing to read.

How agelong should your paragraph be?

This depends connected the context, but a paragraph should mostly beryllium much than 2 sentences and less than 200 words. Anything much than 200 words becomes hard to recognize for astir readers, which means you’re amended disconnected breaking it up into antithetic subparagraphs.

And don’t underestimate however hard it is to work agelong paragraphs! Sure, much experienced oregon skilled readers thin to beryllium much forgiving. But that doesn’t mean your substance wouldn’t payment from shorter paragraphs. After all, presenting analyzable accusation successful an accessible signifier is an art, not a shortcoming.

What does Yoast SEO’s paragraph magnitude cheque do?

The paragraph magnitude appraisal checks the magnitude of your paragraphs. We counsel you to support the magnitude of your paragraphs beneath 150 words. If you bash that, you’ll people a greenish light. You’ll get an orangish airy if your paragraphs incorporate much than 150 but little than 200 words. And if you transcend 200 words, your postulation airy volition beryllium red.

In the lawsuit of an orangish oregon reddish light, what should you do? Do you request to usage less words to convey the aforesaid message? Do you request to transverse retired full sentences? In astir cases, the reply is no. Randomly deleting sentences volition harm your substance alternatively of amended it. It makes much consciousness to instrumentality a look astatine the operation of your text. Let’s explain!

The cheque shows a reddish airy and corresponding feedback. If you click the oculus button, the paragraph that needs improving volition beryllium highlighted.

How to support your paragraphs abbreviated and crisp

If you person occupation limiting the magnitude of your paragraphs, instrumentality a look astatine the full text. Try to constitute down the main topics and idiosyncratic aspects that you’re discussing. Let’s interruption down the heading and paragraph operation of this station arsenic an example:

1. Why your paragraphs shouldn’t beryllium excessively long
   • Long paragraphs are atrocious for readability
   • Easy to scan
     • Long paragraphs marque it hard to scan a text
2. What does a bully paragraph look like?
   • A paragraph addresses 1 circumstantial facet of the topic
   • Paragraphs commencement with a halfway sentence
3. How agelong should your paragraph be?
   • A bully paragraph has much than 2 sentences and less than 200 words
4. What does the paragraph magnitude cheque do?
   • Describes the cheque and its feedback criteria
5. How to support your paragraphs abbreviated and crips
   • Look astatine the full text
   • Example
   • Example analysis
6. Conclusion

As you tin see, the substance is present neatly divided into antithetic parts. It’s astir apt a bully thought to bash this earlier penning your article. If you announcement 1 circumstantial facet is taking up much abstraction than you expected, conscionable see whether you tin interruption it down into 2 abstracted aspects. This is astir ever possible. If it isn’t, you tin get distant with a agelong paragraph present and there.

Want to larn much astir paragraph length? Our SEO copywriting people explains everything related to penning large posts. You tin get entree to this people and each of our different SEO courses with Yoast SEO Premium.

Conclusion

The Yoast SEO paragraph magnitude cheque warns you erstwhile you constitute paragraphs that are excessively long. Because lengthy paragraphs marque it harder for readers to work and scan your text. Good paragraphs sermon a single, well-defined facet of the taxable astatine hand. They commencement with a halfway condemnation and mostly shouldn’t transcend 200 words. If you thin to conflict with limiting the magnitude of your paragraphs, see breaking your nonfiction down into a schematic view. Then, see whether you tin interruption up larger paragraphs into shorter ones. Good luck!

Read more: The implicit usher to SEO copywriting »