Lists. We see them everywhere these days, and there’s no denying the fact that we all love them. Everybody from Moses (a la Ten Commandments) to MTV (Top 10 countdowns) did lists, and they’re still around. Just take a look at sites like Digg or del.icio.us and there’s bound to be at least a couple lists featured on the front page.
But why are they so popular? Here’s a list of 9 reasons why people love lists.
- Easy to write. Come on, let’s face it – we’re all looking for an easy way to do things. It’s so much easier (and quicker) to think of 10 (or more) points and just jot them down than to write a complete article. Take this list as an example.
- Easy to read. People reading online are busy, what with all the surfing they have to do. There is a vast number of interesting (and sometimes not-so-interesting) sites out there that people need to get to, and lists are an extremely efficient way of digesting all that information. In fact, lists are so good to read you can just glance at the list headings and still get the gist of what the author is saying. Don’t do that with this list though, read the whole thing.
- Precise and to the point. Lists are inherently succinct and concise. You’d have to work sufficiently hard on making a rambling list, and this quality makes them very Web-friendly. Lists can help convey your points in an easy and bite-size form to your readers. To effectively grab the attention of someone surfing by your site, you need to make your point short and snappy. Say what you need to say, and say no more, as the old adage goes.
- Effective communication. For all the above stated reasons, lists are highly effective ways of communication. When making a point with a list-article, items in that list pile up one after another and can make a convincing case if done correctly. Lists make a specific promise and deliver in an obvious manner. That is to say, if a list title says “SEO Your Site – 5 simple tips” it will, in all likelihood, give you five good ways of doing what it promised.
- Lists can spark debate. Everyone loves some controversy – it doesn’t matter whether it’s about the latest political happenings or which brand soda is the best as long as it sparks some debate. For example, this list is my opinion about why people love lists. Many people might not agree with the points I’m making, while some may agree completely. This provides a starting point for discussion and debate, whether it is through hate mail to me or the comments down below. Go ahead and write a controversial list (like “10 Reasons Why Vista Isn’t That Bad”) and you’re sure to create some buzz around it, which can be invaluable in promoting your site.
- Lists are very linkable. Links are what drive a site, and having lots of them is what we all want. List articles are great linkage fodder and for the same reasons the people love to read them, they also love to link to them and share with others, whether they do it from their own blogs or a social bookmarking service. “Hey did I tell you about this great list I read…”
- Lists make sense. From to-do lists to lists of top places to vacation this summer, lists help us make sense of our lives, and the same goes for the Web. You see lists of the Top 10 Windows Freeware, and you see Reasons to Switch to a Mac. In a haphazard World, lists heroically set out and try to organize information in so much as they can.
- Fun to read. Lists are also great fun to read, and that’s a good thing for online content! They can be educating, insightful and thought-provoking at the same time, too. Lists such as ‘34 Different Ways to Lace Shoes’ and ’50 Fun Things To Do With Your iPod’ are great examples of this. Would these articles/posts have been as popular if they had been articles several paragraphs in length?
- Everybody loves them. It’s the online fad right now, so get with the program and make some lists for your site! Spread the link around and watch the magic happen – as long as your list sticks to the qualities above, that is!