7 Reasons Why Listicles Are a Powerful Way to Drive SEO Traffic

By Cronos Editorial Staff on Dec 13, 2022
Est. Reading: 4 minutes
Contents

Creating excellent and engaging blog content for your website and brand is all about a healthy mixture of informative with interesting. One of the most widespread and recommended ways to make business content engaging, gripping and easily readable, and digestible is displaying content in the form of listicles.

A listicle is a colloquial term for an article composed of a number of points arranged around a specific theme in a list format. This is the kind of post that you are most likely to see on Buzzfeed.

Listicles let content creators convey information in manageable bits, so it becomes easier and more manageable for the reader to consume it.

Since the human brain loves lists and points, and we as readers have a limited attention span, listicles are becoming the most accepted content format.

Generally, the goal of a listicle is to inform or entertain the audience.

Take note of the following listicle samples, and note whether your brain is aroused by the headings:

The headlines above are clear, practical, and compelling. These listicle articles let marketers and content producers convey information in manageable bits. You click on them because you are so intrigued by the promising outcomes of these writings.


Tapping Into the Psychology of Listicles

So why do we keep clicking? What’s madness? Why are we inclined to read 5 useful baking tips or 7 health tips you need in your 20s?

The powerful psychology of listicles explains why we are that drawn to them. Keep on reading to discover the top 7 reasons why we click on listicles and why it’s beneficial to read them.

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1. Clear Value

The authors provide a clear context. List headlines provide a clear value to readers, and the format allows readers to quickly scan the content and remember the most important details.

2. Readable and digestible

Typically listicles present an organized piece of information. Topics and themes discussed in the article are presented in small chunks, which makes it easier for readers to process and memorize the information.

In less than two minutes readers obtain their desired information. The majority of readers choose to read in bullet points and skim the subheads. If they find any of the paragraphs intriguing they go on to read it.

3. Memorable

So when we space things, first it becomes easier to read and comprehend, and second, it makes it easier for our brain to retain information. After reading a listicle on the best SEO tools, at least, one of the tools mentioned will remain in your memory.

4. Optimized for Short Attention Span

Lists offer a solution to our society’s obsession with getting knowledge as quickly as possible by cramming a variety of topics into an easily digestible format.

As far as with each new subheading of a listicle article you get a new piece of information, it always keeps you starving for more, and doesn’t let your brain get distracted.

5. Sense of Accomplishment

As we mentioned above, listicles take two minutes to start and finish, and they leave you feeling satisfied. You can read roughly ten listicles in only ten minutes, and when you do so, your brain’s reward system is triggered, which makes you desire more. It seems as though you have accomplished a significant milestone.

6. Fuel Fear Of Missing Out (FOMO)

The majority of listicles cover interesting and popular subjects. Others may be personal ideas or experiences, while some may be professional guidance. Readers have access to a wealth of knowledge, and this abundance of information causes FOMO.

Readers unconsciously worry that they will miss out on crucial knowledge, and this dread worries them, making them click. A listicle alleviates FOMO, and thus raises the click on the listicle itself as well as on the enlisted items.

7. High Click Rate

Listicles are the most successful clickbait forms because they drive readers to read more and more. Moreover, intriguing headlines encourage click-through. So listicles are powerful tools to navigate readers to credible sources using both outbound and inbound links.


Parting Words

Wrapping up, it’s clear that all of us are fond of lists and points either consciously or unconsciously. Thus, listicles are a real “swiss army life” for delivering content.

And after all, if you are here reading this list on the benefits of listicles then you are definitely those ones who prefer to read and digest information in chunks.


FAQs

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1. What is a listicle?

A listicle comprises two words list and an article, so briefly it’s a kind of article which present information in the form of a list.

2. Are listicles good for SEO?

Listicles are powerful tools to drive SEO, as they serve as sources for keywords. Listicles help to empower your website and content with more keywords and keyword phrases. With every new subheading of your listicle, you let the search engines know that you are covering a topic related to that specific keyword.

3. What makes listicles so popular?

The human brain likes lists. Listicles are liked since reading them doesn’t take much effort and time. We all have so much going on that we don’t have time to sit down and read a full article. Potential readers will frequently stop reading if the content is too long and go on to something else. Lists are compact, concise, and easily digestible.

4. When do listicles fail?

Though listicles seem rather simple and easy from the first site, writing a good one requires a lot of effort and expertise. Listicles that are a complete waste of time and were prepared by amateurs only to increase traffic fail may damage a blog beyond repair.