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How to write a bulleted list

5 tips for crafting a good list

Lists are power points in your content marketing pieces and on your webpages.

How to write a bulleted list
A list for lists Take advantage of the last item on the list — and 4 more ways to write readable, engaging lists.

Here’s a list of ways to make the most of them:

1. Use more lists.

Review your site for places where a bulleted list would help visitors skim more easily. Then substitute lists for prose.

2. Organize lists logically.

Choose the right structure:

  • Alphabetical structure is best for glossaries, for instance.
  • Chronological structure is the right choice for a series of steps. [As everyone who’s ever put together an Ikea bedside table well knows.]
  • Hierarchical structure works best for top 10 lists.

However, you’ll also want to …

3. Take advantage of the last item on the list.

The last element on a list often attracts more attention, says usability expert Jakob Nielsen:

  • The first few items get the most attention.
  • The middle items get less attention.
  • The final item gets more attention than the one before it.

So if you’re creating a hierarchical list, consider an hourglass-shaped structure: Start with the most important items, bury the least important items in the middle, then end with the second- or third-most important item.

4. Add a subhead to let readers know the topic of the list.

Visitors are looking for it, write Pernice, et al., authors of How People Read on the Web. “The eyes go almost instantly to the bulleted list, only stopping first to scan the bolded text above it.”

5. Make list items short.

“These are called ‘bulleted lists’ and not ‘bulleted paragraphs’ for a reason,” Pernice, et al., write. “Sticking a bullet in front of a paragraph is no good.”

___

Sources: Kara Pernice, Kathryn Whitenton, and Jakob Nielsen; How People Read on the Web: The Eyetracking Evidence; Nielsen Norman Group; Sept. 10, 2013

Lift Ideas Off the Screen

Web visitors read, on average, 20% of the words on the page. But which words — and how can you put your messages there?

Reach Readers Online — our web-writing workshop on June 20Would you like to learn which words they’re reading, and how to put your key messages where their eyes are?

If so, please join me at Reach Readers Online — our web-writing workshop on June 20.

In this mobile web-writing workshop, you’ll make sure even flippers and skimmers can get the gist of your message — without reading the paragraphs.

Save up to $100 with our group discounts.

Register for Reach Readers Online — our web-writing workshop on June 20
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May 19, 2022

Reach Readers Online - Ann Wylie's web-writing workshop on June 20-24

Save upto $100 with our group discounts.

Register for Reach Readers Online - Ann Wylie's web-writing workshop on June 20-24
  • People skim and scan text in online newsPeople skim and scan text in online news: Only 19% read word-by-word
  • How to write a bulleted listHow to write a bulleted list: 5 tips for crafting a good list
  • Why human-interest stories?Why human-interest stories? Show readers one — not 1,001
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