Using transition words in your writing can help you enhance the readability of your content. They help your text flow and show readers the relationship between phrases and paragraphs. That’s why the readability checks in Yoast SEO provide feedback on your use of transition words. But what are transition words, and why are they so important? And how should you use them?
Terms like ‘and’, ‘but’, ‘so’ and ‘because’ are transition words, as they show your readers the relationship between phrases, sentences, or even paragraphs.
In a way, transition words are the glue that holds your text together. Without them, your text is a collection of sentences. With them, the individual parts come together to form one whole.
An example
Let’s look at an example:
I pushed the domino. As a result, it fell over.
When you start a sentence with ‘as a result’, your reader will immediately know two things: First, what happened in the first sentence caused something. The second sentence describes the effect.
By using the phrase ‘as a result’, you show that the two separate sentences are part of one process. Without having even read the rest of the sentence, your reader can already guess what’s coming.
Transition words can connect (almost) anything
From short phrases to entire paragraphs! For example:
I enjoy his company, because he always tells interesting stories.
In this case, ‘because’ doesn’t connect two sentences, but two clauses. It explains to your reader why you enjoy his company, making it a lot easier for them to follow your text.
Transition word at the end of a sentence
You don’t always have to place transition words at the beginning of a sentence. For example:
He’s a very nice guy. He took us out to dinner yesterday, for instance.
Even though ‘for instance’ is placed at the end of the sentence, it still provides the reader with information on how the two sentences relate.
Does it really make a difference?
You might be wondering: are transition words really that important? Let’s look at a text with and without these very precious words. Below, you see two texts. Text A doesn’t have transition words, and text B does.
Text A I’m going to discuss a few reasons why practice is important to learning skills. The only way to truly master a skill is by actually doing what you’ll have to do in the real world. I think practice can be a fun way of putting in the necessary hours. There are people who disagree. It is said that people tend to remember only 10-20% of what they’ve heard or read. That number rises to as much as 90% when you put theory to practice. Following up explanation with practice is key to mastering a skill.
Text B In this paragraph, I’m going to discuss a few reasons why practice is important to mastering skills. Firstly, the only way to truly learn a skill is by actually doing what you’ll have to do in the real world. Secondly, I think practice can be a fun way of putting in the necessary hours. There are, however, people who disagree. Thirdly, and most importantly, it is said that people tend to remember only 10-20% of what they read or hear. Moreover, that number rises to as much as 90% when you put theory to practice. In conclusion, following up explanation with practice is key to mastering a skill.
Text A is not a terrible paragraph. But it’s not easy to read, is it? Plus, text B does a better job of showing there are three separate arguments to support the statement with a definite conclusion. The reader never has to wonder whether a sentence still belongs to the previous argument or a new one. It even shows the relationship between sentences within one argument. In conclusion, people will find text B easier to read, so they’ll stay on your page longer.
Types of transition words
Transition words can be divided into several categories, based on the type of connection you want to make. There are often several words available for one transition. Sometimes, they mean exactly the same; sometimes, there are slight differences. If you’re not a native speaker or struggle with language in general, you’ll probably have to study and practice their use.
Transition
Example word/phrase
Example sentence
Cause and effect
Therefore, as a result, so, consequently
I’m tired. Therefore, I’m going to bed.
Clarification
That is to say, in other words, to clarify
We’re letting you go. In other words, you’re fired.
Contrast
But, however, on the other hand
I am not fond of fruit. However, I do like bananas.
Example
For example, for instance
In the evening, I like to relax. For instance, I enjoy watching TV.
Emphasis
Above all, most importantly, certainly
There are many reasons to exercise regularly. Above all, it keeps you healthy.
Enumeration
Firstly/secondly, further, and, moreover, in addition
Today, I’m going to write a post. In addition, I’m recording some video lessons.
Time
Meanwhile, during, subsequently, after that
I’ll start by telling you what transition words are. After that, I’ll tell you why you should always use them.
Similarity
Likewise, similarly, in the same vein
She tried really hard to entertain her guests. Similarly, he put all his heart and soul in cooking a great dinner.
Summarize/conclude
In conclusion, to sum up, in short
In conclusion, transition words are an important aspect of SEO copywriting.
As we’ve just seen, transition words make it easier to read and understand a text. They’re one of the key factors to readability. And readability is very important for SEO.
Moreover, these helpful words play a crucial role in structuring your text. Well-structured text is easier to understand, making your blog easier to read. This helps to attract readers and, therefore, contributes to SEO!
What does the transition word check in Yoast SEO do?
The transition words check in Yoast SEO assesses whether or not you use enough of these linking words. If at least 30% of the sentences in your text contain a transition word, the traffic light will be green. You get an orange light if you use them in more than 20%, or in less than 30% of your sentences. The light will be red if less than 20% of the sentences of your text contain a transition word. That would be less than 1 in 5 sentences.
Want to read more on how we came to the exact measurements of the transition words check and the other readability checks? Then you should read our article about the methodological choices of the readability analysis.
How to improve your usage
While everyone uses transition words, not everyone uses them frequently enough. And people might not know how to use them correctly. That’s why it’s important that you know the meaning of these building blocks and when to use them, and that you’re aware of the relationship between your thoughts and ideas within your text.
Let’s go over both of these in a bit more detail.
Know the words (and when to use them)
This sounds obvious, but it’s a good one to remember: know all the different transition words and their meaning in other languages! Even if you’re a native speaker, it might be good to refresh your memory occasionally. Especially since they are often quite nuanced, and really depend on context.
Understand the relationship between your thoughts within your text
Too often, people start writing and just see what happens. If you want to use transition words more effectively, you should break down your text into an introduction, body, and conclusion. Then, you need to know what goal every paragraph serves.
Next, survey your text on a sentence level. Find opportunities to make transitions that make sense. If you struggle with this, try reading texts by other authors and see how they use transition words (you can easily find examples from literature and fiction too!).
Need help?
If you want to learn more about transition words and how to write great content, then our SEO Copywriting course can help you. You get access to this course and all of our other SEO courses with Yoast SEO Premium, which also gives you access to extra tools in the Yoast SEO plugin. In addition, if you use Yoast SEO Premium, you get various other AI features, like Yoast AI Optimize, that help you do the hard work.
If you use Shopify and want to work on the readability of your site, you can check out our Yoast SEO for Shopify app.
Conclusion
Transition words are very important for the readability of your text. They explain, give examples, and help your readers understand your texts. If you need help finding the right ones, study and practice! In addition, pay attention to the structure of your text. If you understand the point and goal of your paragraphs, it will be easier to pick the best transition words available.
Cindy is a content manager at Yoast. She writes and optimizes blog posts, and enjoys writing content that will help people create better content for their site and users.
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