Hard-to-read copy is invisible copy: visitors who encounter long sentences and passive voice constructions slow down, lose the thread, and stop reading. Research on web reading consistently shows that shorter sentences, active voice, and concrete language produce higher comprehension and lower bounce rates. The problem is compounded for AI-generated marketing copy, which tends to produce grammatically correct but unnecessarily complex prose: abstract noun stacking ("enterprise-grade workflow optimization"), passive constructions ("data is processed", "reports are generated"), and sentences that run to 30 words without a clear subject. These patterns make the copy technically accurate but practically unread.
High because marketing copy with more than 30% long sentences or majority passive voice constructions is significantly less likely to be read and understood — the persuasion argument never lands because the sentence-level experience is too effortful.
Paste the hero section and first three content sections into the Hemingway App (hemingwayapp.com — free, browser-based) and read the highlighted output. It marks long sentences in yellow, very long sentences in red, and passive voice in green.
Practical rewrite rules:
Sentences > 25 words: split at the coordinating conjunction or clause boundary
Passive → active:
"Data is processed by our system" → "Our system processes your data"
"Reports are generated automatically" → "We generate reports automatically"
"Your account will be created" → "We create your account"
Abstract noun → concrete:
"optimization" → "speed" or "performance"
"utilization" → "use"
"facilitate" → "help" or "let"
"leverage" → "use"
"synergistic" → delete it
For AI-generated copy: ask the AI to review the copy in a separate pass specifically for passive voice and sentence length — this catches issues that aren't obvious when generating copy and reviewing it in the same context.
ID: marketing-content-quality.readability-quality.readability-grade-level
Severity: high
What to look for: Read the body text of the home page hero section and the first three content sections below it. Count: (a) the total number of sentences in these sections, (b) the number of sentences exceeding 25 words, (c) the number of sentences using passive voice constructions (subject receives the action: "data is processed", "reports are generated", "your account will be created"). Report all three counts.
Pass criteria: Report: "X of Y sentences exceed 25 words. Z passive voice instances found." Pass if fewer than 30% of sentences exceed 25 words AND passive voice appears in fewer than 50% of sentences. Technical terms used for non-technical audiences must be explained or replaced with plain language.
Fail criteria: More than 30% of sentences exceed 25 words, OR passive voice appears in 50% or more of sentences, OR the copy relies on abstract jargon stacking to communicate the core value (e.g., "enterprise-grade synergistic workflow optimization"). Report the counts.
Skip (N/A) when: The project is clearly developer-tool or technical API documentation with no general-audience marketing copy. Signal: project type is api with no / landing page, or all marketing copy explicitly addresses a developer/technical audience with technical prerequisite knowledge.
Detail on fail: Report counts and quote a specific example. Example: "8 of 20 sentences exceed 25 words (40%). 6 passive voice instances. Example: 'Our platform leverages advanced ML algorithms to facilitate enterprise-grade optimization.' — 14 words of jargon, no concrete meaning." Keep under 300 chars.
Remediation: Hard-to-read copy is invisible copy — visitors stop reading and leave.
Quick readability fixes:
Review the configuration in src/ or app/ directory for implementation patterns.