Listicle Content | What Are They & How Can You Create Them

Listicles are one of the most popular and effective forms of content. They offer easy-to-read, engaging information that is highly shareable and SEO-friendly. But what exactly is a listicle, and how can you create one that resonates with your audience? In this guide, we’ll explore what listicles are, why they’re so effective, and the step-by-step process to create your own.

Everything You Need To Know About Listicles

Listicles have become a staple in digital content creation. Whether you're a blogger, marketer, or business owner, understanding how to create and leverage listicles can significantly boost your online presence. Here's everything you need to know about listicles, from their core definition to their benefits and best practices.

What Is a Listicle?

A listicle is an article written in list format, where each item represents a key point or idea. Each point is typically numbered or structured with bullet points, making the content easy to digest. Listicles are widely used across various industries because they allow for efficient communication of ideas, especially for readers who prefer skimming content.

Why Should You Use Listicles?

Listicles are powerful content types that you can leverage in a variety of ways. Here are some of the most commonly understood benefits behind the importance of listicles:

• Listicles are easy to read: The clear format makes information easier to absorb, especially on mobile devices.
• Listicles are incredibly shareable: Listicles are engaging and tend to perform well on social media.
• Listicles are SEO-friendly: Structured formats with numbers and headings often rank well in search engines. You could argue this is also in part due to the level of user-engagement listicles create.

Using listicles can both improve user engagement and speed up how quickly users grasp the key concepts you are presenting them.

When Should You Use Listicles?

There are many reasons why it makes sense to utilize listicles in your content strategy. We’ll not cover each of them, but we will cover some of the most common and important reasons to use listicles:

• Quickly Provide Information: They are perfect for delivering actionable insights in a really quickly.
• Rank Items: Whether it's ranking products, services, or ideas, listicles offer a straightforward way to present information.
• Round-Ups: Round-ups are powerful methods to get and give quality and relevant backlinks. They also help establish your website as an authority in the industry. Listicles are the only type of content that you can use to create round-ups.

How Can Listicles Help?

Listicles help improve your online presence in many ways. Some of the most important are:

• Simplified information: Breaking down complex ideas into manageable parts makes them more accessible.
• Increased readability: Readers are more likely to finish reading and take action on clear, structured content.
• SEO benefits: Listicles are more likely to rank well due to their structured format, which aligns with how search engines organize content.

How Do Listicles Affect SEO?

Listicles are great pieces of content for user engagement, and because they are great for user engagement they naturally will boost the metrics associated with on-page search engine optimization as well. By creating thorough and quality listicles you'll also help to further cement yourself as an authority in your industry in the eyes of your readers.

What To Know Before Creating Listicles?

Before creating listicles, there are a few best practices you’ll want to keep in mind so you can ensure you stand the best chances of ranking:

Make Sure Your Content Fits The List Format

Not all content works in list format. Ensure that your topic is suitable for breaking into concise points or steps. If your topic involves a process, ranking, or a set of recommendations, then a listicle format is probably a good way to cover it. If your topic doesn’t fit into any of these three categories, then maybe you’d want to rethink using a listicle. However, just because you shouldn’t make it a listicle, doesn’t mean you shouldn’t incorporate lists into the content at all. You can still utilize lists without making the content piece a listicle.

Thorough Keyword Research

Once you make sure your content makes sense as a listicle - make sure you carry out thorough keyword research before you start gathering list items. Conduct keyword research to identify what your target audience is searching for and incorporate those keywords into your headings and text naturally.

Avoid Heavy Link Text

Avoid overloading your listicle with too many links, as it can detract from the user experience. Only include links where they add value or provide further useful information. Too many links will make the article appear somewhat disingenuous or spammy, and users will begin to feel like your list is untrustworthy - especially if the links are affiliate links. One short link per list item would be just fine.

Avoid Filler Words

Listicles should be concise and to the point. Avoid using unnecessary filler words or sentences. Each point should contribute value to the overall topic without adding fluff. One of the primary reasons users enjoy listicles is because they deliver information quickly. But, if you’re filling them with text just to padd each item’s length you’ll bore your users. Another tip you can use is to bold the conclusion of each list item.

How To Create Listicles?

Now that you have determined whether or not your topic even fits the listicle format, here are some actionable steps you can use to create quality a listicle:

Determine Your Topic

Choose a topic that your audience cares about and ensure it fits the listicle format. The topic should allow for multiple points or steps and ideally align with trending or frequently searched keywords. Granted, if you’re following our article you have already done this, but we’re trying to be thorough here!

Create An Outline Of The Listicle Before Your Article Starts

Before you begin writing, map out your key points in an outline. This ensures that your content flows logically and each point builds on the previous one as you’ll be able to see for yourself if your structure makes sense before you begin writing.

Determine List Size

Decide how many points or items your listicle will have. Lists with odd numbers, like 7 or 9, often perform well, but make sure the number is based on the quality of content rather than hitting a specific target. If you get it in your head to create a long listicle, you could wind up in a situation where some of your items aren’t quality items because you are too concerned with the number you want to hit.

Gather All Items On The List

Do your research to gather all the information needed for each point in your listicle. Ensure that each item is relevant, useful, and well-researched.

Number Each Item

For readability, number each item in your list. This helps users follow the content easily and gives them a sense of progress as they read through the article. You’ll also help them quickly identify that your article is a listicle if they have somehow missed that before they clicked through to your page. However, if you’re writing quality title tags and meta descriptions they should already be able to tell.

Logically Order Each Item According To The Criteria That Makes The Most Sense

Arrange the items in a logical order, whether by importance, chronology, or another criteria that makes sense for your topic. This improves the flow of your article and keeps readers engaged.

Create Unique & Optimized Content For Each Item In The Listicle

Each item should be presented with unique content - do not rephrase the same content for any items on the list. Do the research required to fill each item with quality and original content not recycled for any other item on your list. This is one of the most important points to remember when creating your listicle.