Это важный плюс.

In Russian, the verb to be is usually omitted in the present tense when you are linking two nouns or a pronoun and a noun.

So:

• Это важный плюс = This/It is an important advantage/plus
• literally: This important plus

Russian understands the is automatically here.

In past or future tense, a form of быть would appear:

• Это был важный плюс = This was an important advantage
• Это будет важный плюс = This will be an important advantage

It can often be translated as either this or it, depending on context.

In a sentence like Это важный плюс, это points to something already mentioned or obvious from the situation. So in English, you might say:

• This is an important plus
• It’s an important advantage
• That’s an important benefit

Russian это is very flexible in this kind of sentence.

Because важный agrees with плюс, and плюс is:

• masculine
• singular
• nominative

Russian adjectives must match the noun they describe in gender, number, and case.

So:

• masculine: важный плюс
• feminine: важная вещь
• neuter: важное преимущество
• plural: важные плюсы

Since плюс is masculine, the correct form is важный.

A good basic rule is that most Russian nouns ending in a consonant are masculine.

Плюс ends in -с, so it is masculine.

That is why you get:

• этот плюс = this plus / this advantage
• важный плюс = an important plus

Yes. In Russian, плюс can mean:

• the plus sign in math
• a positive point
• an advantage
• a benefit

So in everyday speech, Это важный плюс often means:

• That’s an important advantage
• That’s a major benefit
• That’s a strong point

It is a very common and natural usage.

They are similar, but not exactly the same in tone.

• плюс is more conversational and compact
• преимущество is more formal and more precise as advantage

So:

• Это важный плюс sounds natural in everyday speech
• Это важное преимущество sounds a bit more formal or careful

Both are correct, but плюс is very common in spoken Russian.

It is in the nominative case.

In this sentence, плюс is the main noun in the predicate phrase: важный плюс. Since Russian often uses the nominative in simple present-tense identification sentences like this, you get:

• Это важный плюс

Compare with some other nominative examples:

• Это хорошая идея
• Это большой успех
• Это серьёзная проблема

Yes, Russian word order is flexible, but Это важный плюс is the most neutral and natural order.

This order presents the statement plainly:

• Это = what we are talking about
• важный плюс = what it is

You may also hear variations for emphasis, but they can sound more marked or context-dependent. For a learner, Это важный плюс is the best default form.

A natural pronunciation is:

• Э́то ва́жный плюс

Stress falls on:

• э́то
• ва́жный
• плюс (single-syllable word, so the stress is there automatically)

Roughly:

• EH-ta VAZH-nyy plyoos

A few pronunciation notes:

• ж sounds like the s in measure
• ы in важный is a Russian vowel with no exact English equivalent
• ю in плюс gives a pyu / plyu-type sound

Yes, absolutely. It is short, natural, and common.

A speaker might use it when discussing pros and cons:

• Низкая цена — это важный плюс.
• Опыт работы — это важный плюс.
• Гибкий график — это важный плюс.

So the sentence is not artificial at all; it sounds like normal Russian.