There’s no doubt that listicles are a popular form of content. Readers love them because they’re easy to digest and provide a lot of value in a short amount of time. But what many business owners don’t know is that listicles can also be a powerful content marketing tool for their eCommerce store.
In this blog post, we’ll explain what is a listicle and how you can use it to bring more customers to your store. We’ll also share some tips for creating effective listicles that will engage and convert readers into customers.
Let’s get started.
What is a listicle?
A listicle is defined as “an article consisting mainly of a list of items.” That’s pretty straightforward. But there’s a bit more to it than that.
Online businesses often use a list format as a way to drive web traffic. They tend to be light-hearted and super easy to read, making them ideal for readers who are looking for a quick dose of information.
Listicles often take the form of top 10 lists, but they can really be about anything and can include ‘lists’ that are as big or as small as you’d like.
For instance, you could write a listicle about the top 17 things to do in your city or the top 25 books that every fan of mystery novels must read.
They typically include a headline, subheadings, and images to break up the text and make it more visually appealing. Listicles are easy to read and often go viral because they’re shareable and provide tons of value.
In other words, listicles provide quick, digestible bits of information — exactly what readers are looking for.
Why do so many brands use listicles?
Listicles are a popular format for articles and blog posts, and it’s not hard to see why. They’re easy to read, full of helpful information, and they’re usually pretty entertaining.
But there’s more to listicles than meets the eye. In fact, there are several reasons why brands love using them.
For one thing, listicles are highly shareable. People love sharing helpful tips and interesting facts, and listicles are chock-full of both. They’re easy to read quickly, which makes them perfect for busy people who want to get the most bang for their buck when it comes to content.
Another reason brands love listicles is the fact that they target core keywords effectively. This means that they’re more likely to show up in search engine results, which can help bring more traffic to a website or blog.
And because they tend to be A) interesting and B) shareable, listicles are also great for building up an audience over time.
How listicles can bring more traffic to your eCommerce store
Listicles are a great way to drive traffic to your eCommerce store for several reasons:
They build trust
When you write an informative or helpful listicle, you’re establishing yourself as an expert in your industry. This helps build trust with potential customers who may be interested in your products or services.
By nature, they’re concise and to the point. This shows that you know your stuff, and you’re not trying to waste your reader’s time. As a result, listicles can help you build a reputation as a credible source of information – which is essential for driving online sales.
They improve SEO
Listicles that are well-written and keyword-optimized can help improve the SEO of your landing page. This means that more people will be able to find your store when they’re searching for products or services online.
Listicles also tend to be quite keyword-rich & skimmable, which helps search engines to index your site more effectively. In addition, listicles often go viral, resulting in a huge influx of traffic. So if you’re looking for a way to bring more visitors to your eCommerce store, consider writing a listicle or two.
They’re shareable
Listicles are easy to share on social media and other websites. If your listicle is informative and provides value, readers will likely share it with their friends and followers. This can help increase traffic to your eCommerce store.
When people see a listicle, they know they will get quick, easy-to-digest information. This makes the readers more likely to click through, even if they’re skimming.
How to Write a Listicle
To write an effective, user-friendly listicle, you need to:
Conduct keyword research & choose your topic
If you’re thinking about writing a listicle, the first step is to conduct keyword research to choose a topic that will be popular with readers. Once you’ve selected a topic, you can start brainstorming a list of items to include.
As you’re brainstorming, keep your audience in mind and try to create a list that will be both informative and interesting. Once you have your list, it’s time to start writing.
Keep your tone light and engaging, and include plenty of helpful tips and information. With a little effort, you can create a listicle that will be popular with readers and help you build your online following.
To acquire those top rankings, you can use tools like Google Keyword Planner, Ahrefs, and SEMRush to do your own keyword research.
Conduct a competitor analysis and see what content they’re writing
Before you start writing your listicle, it’s important to do a competitor analysis to see what content is already out there. This will help you make sure that your listicle is unique and offers something new to readers.
To conduct a competitor analysis:
- Search for similar list articles using Google.
- Once you’ve found a few, take a look at the structure and tone of the article.
- Make a note of any topics or angles that are missing from the existing content.
This will help you make sure that your listicle covers all the bases and gives readers everything they’re looking for in one convenient place.
Avoid clickbait titles for your listicle
When you’re writing a listicle, it’s important to avoid clickbait titles. These are titles that make grandiose promises or use sensational language to try and get readers to click through.
While clickbait titles might seem like a shortcut to get views, they’ll actually hurt your reputation in the long run. Readers will feel tricked and disappointed when they realize that the article doesn’t deliver on its promise, reflecting poorly on your brand.
It’s always better to write an accurate, informative title that accurately reflects the content of your article. This will help you build trust with readers and ensure that they keep coming back for more helpful content in the future.
In contrast with general titles, listicle articles have numerical components in their titles, giving them an advantage over other sorts of titles. In fact, according to a report by Neil Patel, 36% of people prefer titles with numbers compared to any other type of title.
Compile an actual list and number your items
As the name suggests, a listicle is simply a list of items. So, when you’re writing your article, make sure to compile an actual list of items related to your chosen topic.
Then, number each item on the list so that readers can easily follow along. If you have a lot of items on your list, you may want to consider breaking them up into sections with headings.
This will help make your article more user-friendly and ensure that readers can find the information they’re looking for quickly and easily.
Is there such a thing as a list too long?
While there’s no hard and fast rule about how long a listicle should be, it’s generally best to keep them on the shorter side. Most people have short attention spans and won’t want to read an excessively long article.
If you have a lot of information to cover, you may need to make your listicle longer to do justice to the topic. Just be sure to break up the text with plenty of headings and subheadings so that readers can easily skim through and find the information they’re looking for.
Make your list scannable
As we mentioned above, it’s important to make your listicle scannable by breaking up the text with headings and subheadings. This will help readers quickly find the information they’re looking for without getting overwhelmed.
Scannable lists are also more likely to be shared on social media, as people are more likely to share articles that they can easily scan through and read quickly.
To make your listicle even more user-friendly, you can also include relevant images or videos throughout the article. Just be sure to choose visuals that are relevant to the content and add value for readers.
Add your own unique images
According to a report from Neil Patel, people follow instructions that incorporate images 323% better than those that only have words.
With that in mind, we definitely recommend incorporating your own photos or video clips throughout the listicle to make it more scannable. But be sure to choose visuals that are relevant to the content and add value for readers.
For example, if you’re writing a listicle about fashion trends, you might include images of each trend so that readers can see what you’re talking about. Or, if you’re writing a listicle about recipes, you could include videos of each recipe being made.
This will make your article more visually appealing, but it will also help readers better understand and remember the information in your article.
Explain list items using relatable examples
In addition to adding your own unique images or videos, you can also make your listicle more relatable by explaining each item using examples.
Let’s say you’re writing a listicle about ways to save money. You could explain each tip using a relatable example, like creating a ‘vacation fund’ (we all could use another vacation, right?). This will help readers better understand how they can apply the information in your article to their own lives.
Relatable scenarios and examples not only make your article more engaging, but they also help readers better remember the information in your article.
Include valuable takeaways — avoid fluff
Be sure to include valuable takeaways in your article. This means avoiding fluff and ensuring that each item on your list is actually helpful for readers.
For example, if you’re writing a listicle about tips for starting a business, you might want to avoid too obvious or common sense items. Instead, focus on including unique and valuable tips that will actually help readers start their businesses.
Think about it this way. We want the reader to DO what they just read about. Not move on to the next article or open tab on their computer.
Write a strong conclusion
Finally, be sure to write a strong conclusion for your article. The conclusion is often your first and last change to leave a lasting impression on the reader.
Often times readers will scan through your article and jump to the conclusion, read the conclusion and then decide if they want to read the rest of the article.
That’s why it’s super important to summarize all the main points from your listicle and have a strong conclusion.
You can also include an engaging call-to-action (CTA) in your conclusion by asking readers to take action and view a product page, category page, or sign up for your eCommerce store’s newsletter.
Listicle Examples
Here are example of some listicles:
13 Best Stiletto Heels For A Night Out
20 Best Fireproof Bags For Your Laptop
8 Ways To Save Money On Groceries
31 Delicious Recipes For A Vegetarian Thanksgiving
24 Recipes for a Healthy Thanksgiving Dinner
22 Ways to Save Money On Groceries
15 Fashion Trends That Will Be Huge in 2020
20 Easy Recipes You Can Make in 30 Minutes or Less
4 Ways to Save Money Every Month
As you can see, listicles come in all shapes and sizes. You can write about anything from fashion to food to finances. And as we’ve explained, there are several benefits of writing listicles — including the fact that they’re more likely to be shared on social media and result in more traffic to your eCommerce store.
Outsource your content creation to eCommerce experts
Hopefully by now you recognize the importance of listicles and the benefit they bring to your eCommerce store. But if your like the hundreds of other eCommerce owners we’ve worked with, it’s not so easy to find the time (let alone the skillset) to create an impactful listicle post that will lead to more traffic and revenue.
That’s where Purebred comes in – we’re an eCommerce SEO agency that helps websites like yours produce a large amount of content (including listicles) in a short amount of time.
And most importantly, get more traffic and more revenue.
If you’re ready to save your time and still reap the rewards of listicles and other outsourced content creation, fill out the form below and we’ll be in touch.
Conclusion
A listicle is a piece of writing that is presented as a list and is a great way to bring more customers to your e-commerce store because it provides helpful, bite-size information that people are actually interested in reading.
With a little effort, you can create content that will be popular with readers and help you build your online following. Follow the SEO tips in this article to ensure that your listicle is engaging, user-friendly, and informative.
FAQs
What is a listicle?
A listicle or a list post is a piece of content that is presented in the form of a list. It typically contains a list of items, each of which is accompanied by a short description or explanation.
Bloggers and online publishers often use listicles as a way to generate more traffic and engagement from their readers. By providing readers with valuable information that is easy to digest and share, listicles can help attract more audiences to your eCommerce store.
Additionally, listicles can be an effective way to promote your products or services, as they provide an opportunity to showcase your offerings in a positive light.
How do you write a listicle?
When writing a listicle, it is important to keep your audience in mind. Ask yourself what information would be most useful or interesting to them. Once you have determined the purpose of your listicle, start brainstorming ideas and organizing them into a cohesive structure.
Once you have a rough outline, begin filling in the details for each item on your list. Be sure to include any relevant links, images, or other media that will help to improve the reader’s experience.
Finally, proofread your article carefully before publishing it to ensure that it is error-free and easy to understand.
Why are listicles so popular?
For one thing, listicles are easy to read and digest. Their short, punchy sentences are perfect for our attention-deficient world.
We can quickly skim through them and find the information we’re looking for without investing a lot of time or mental energy. A busy reader can take in about 50% of the content of an article in thirty seconds by just skimming through the list.
But listicles are also popular because they’re shareable. In an era where social media is king, we’re always looking for content that we can post on our feeds.
And because catchy titles and eye-catching images usually accompany listicles, they’re more likely to get clicked on and shared than longer articles or blog posts.
Do you have any tips for writing a successful listicle?
When writing a listicle, it is important to keep your audience in mind. Ask yourself what information would be most useful or interesting to them.
Once you have determined the purpose of your listicle, start brainstorming ideas and organizing them into a cohesive structure.
Additionally, be sure to include any relevant links, images, or other media that will help improve the reader’s experience.
Are listicles good for SEO?
From an SEO perspective, listicles are a great way to generate traffic and engagement from your readers. By providing valuable information that is easy to digest and share, listicles can help attract new visitors to your website.
Additionally, listicles can be an effective way to promote your products or services, as they provide an opportunity to showcase your offerings in a positive light.
