7 Things: The Power of Numbered Lists in SEO marketing

Author: April Hall

SEO Copywriter

Okay, so if you don’t have a middle age girl, you probably haven’t heard the ridiculously popular Miley Cyrus song “7 Things”. I admit that even though it has come on our Disney XM Station over and over, I never really stopped to listen to it in full. Well, yesterday I finally did, and I was kinda appalled, to tell you the truth! For one thing, we don’t use the word “hate” in our house; for another, why in the world is a girl so young singing so forlornly about a lost love? Call me old-fashioned, but I think high school girls should just chill out a bit… If you want to see what I’m talking about, check out the video on You Tube (at your own peril, since you will waste 3 minutes of your life that you won’t get back!).

After I listened to the song, I realized that I had subconsciously been counting off these “7 Things” as the song went along. I even realized that I had been willing to listen to the whole blasted thing for the simple reason of wanting to hear all seven! What a genius idea! Keep the audience’s attention by letting them know that there is a finite list full of information; a concise, neatly ordered list that is easily digestible…. Brilliant! I’m not sure if this was the line of thinking that the writer of “7 Things” followed (particularly if that writer is the young Cyrus), but it is definitely a tack that SEO marketers should take.

Think about it: if you promise your readers that your SEO content is a numbered list, you can almost guarantee that they will at least skim through each item to discover if there is some information of interest contained within. A numbered list is almost better than even a bulleted list, because it has a clear beginning and end; making it readable for even the most attention-deprived viewers.

5 Things to keep in mind with numbered lists (See how I did that?):

1. Make your intro statement short and to the point; a true staple of SEO marketing.
2. Make your intro statements follow the same format.
3. Make your intro statements relevant and eye-catching.
4. Make your supporting information as concise as possible.
5. Make your numbered lists the “meat” between your information sandwich. (The “bread” would be your introduction thoughts and your conclusions about why the list is important.)

So,thanks, Miley Cyrus! You kept the attention of an adult professional for the full 3 minutes! Although I couldn’t care less about your list, I couldn’t bring myself to turn it off before hearing all seven… Sad ? Perhaps. Relevant to the craft of internet marketing? Absolutely.