Wordpress-seo: Suggestion for readability test - enhance word count for lists

[RolfKyburz]

A Suggestions on the the Readability check: in a (slightly) scientific context, bullet or enumerated lists are quite common. With the current readability test, I often need to split longer lists, which I regard nonsense. At least, with lists, the 300 word limit should be loosened.

• WordPress version: 4.5.3
• Yoast SEO version: 3.4

[IreneStr]

@RolfKyburz Thank you for your feedback! We'll look into it. Could you give us some specific examples of the lists you are talking about?

[RolfKyburz]

Thanks for looking into this! I have them everywhere, e.g.: http://www.rolf-musicblog.net/beethoven-piano-sonata-no-26-op-81a-les-adieux/ or here's one where I have already split them up (sorry, my blog posts are all a bit lengthy...): http://www.rolf-musicblog.net/beethoven-eroica-variations-op-35/#gould35

[IreneStr]

@RolfKyburz Thank you for your quick reply. We'll investigate whether counting words per list item is a better idea.

[galbaras]

I'd like to add that when listing tips, they often start with the same word, e.g. "When ". Lists of benefits, e.g. "You will learn", may repeat lines starting with "How to".

So the check for subsequent sentences starting in the same word should also skip lists.

[omarreiss]

We have discussed this and are looking into ways to make the ruleset for the analysis configurable. We don't know yet if this will be part of Yoast SEO or another plugin.

[RolfKyburz]

Thanks for the action on this — that should (eventually) cover the suggestion which I was about to submit separately: _I think it is wrong to subject all texts (poetic / prose, scientific, specialist text such as translations or text with segments in a second language, etc.) to one and the same ruleset._

[Djennez]

I am unable to replicate this issue. Seems like lists have been excluded from this ruleset in the meantime.

It might be that I have overlooked something in this thread. If so, please let me know. For now I will be closing this issue.

[RolfKyburz]

No, this isn't fixed at all. I have now switched to Gutenberg, and the issue persists. The attached file contains a list block (a list of Chopin's Préludes, op.28), which creates an error message which causes a red bullet in the readability test "Consecutive sentences: The text contains 2 instances where 9 or more consecutive sentences start with the same word. Try to mix things up!"
While this example may seem extreme, in my blog it affects a substantial portion of the lists, Gutenberg or classic.
list_ol.txt

[Djennez]

@RolfKyburz that, indeed, is still an issue. But that is not the issue as described in this thread, which is about the _word count_, not the _consecutive sentence_ warning.

There is an issue over at our analysis repo which focusses on the consecutive warning in lists. Please follow https://github.com/Yoast/YoastSEO.js/issues/1190 to keep updated on that matter.

[RolfKyburz]

Thanks for the feedback—and sorry, I should have read the top of the thread. I keep following that other thread, and if the issue in this thread were to crop up again, I'll let you know.