You’ve probably seen a listicle online recently, even if you didn’t realize it. Maybe you perused articles like “Top 10 HVAC Maintenance Tips” or “5 Reasons to Invest in a Garage Floor Coating” when searching for home service providers. 

There’s a reason these list-based articles are so prevalent in search engine results — when utilized strategically, they’re a powerful SEO tool that can drive traffic to your site, improve reader engagement, and increase search rankings. 

Keep reading to learn more about what makes listicles so effective for search engine optimization and explore ways to implement them on your website. 

Key Takeaways

• Because listicles are easy to read and engaging, they can be an effective way to boost rankings, improve click-through rates, and increase time spent on page. 
• Listicles are often picked up by Google’s featured snippets, prominently displaying your content at the top of the SERP.
• Strategies like performing keyword research, writing compelling titles, using headers, adding links, and optimizing for mobile are essential for SEO-driven content. 

What Makes Listicles So Effective for SEO?

First, let’s take a closer look at why listicles are an effective SEO strategy. First off, they’re easy to read. By breaking up the text into chunks, it looks less dense and intimidating, increasing the likelihood that visitors will stick around. Plus, with descriptive headers, readers can quickly scan the information to find what they’re looking for. 

Furthermore, listicles often land in Google’s featured snippets, which prioritize brief, succinct excerpts from relevant web pages. By highlighting your site, featured snippets increase visibility and click-through rate. 

Finally, listicles are more shareable than other types of content. They perform well on social media, which means they can earn backlinks more easily. 

Types of Content to Consider

Now that you know why listicles are an effective SEO strategy, let’s explore some ideas for implementing them on your website:

• “How-to” lists: Step-by-step guides with numbered instructions are popular among DIY-ers searching for help, whether it’s a home improvement project or a guide to at-home teeth whitening. 
• “Best of” lists: These articles are ideal for service comparisons, product roundups, and affiliate marketing. 
• Mistakes to avoid: By appealing to readers’ desire to prevent issues or improve an aspect of their lives, you can increase click-through rate. 
• “Reasons why” or “benefits of” lists: Highlight a specific product or service by sharing the reasons why it’s the best or the benefits of buying.

How to Create an SEO-Optimized Listicle

Once you’ve come up with some ideas for listicles, here’s how to 

1. Perform keyword research: Focus on user intent and choose a keyword with high search volume. Tools like SEMrush, Ahrefs, and Google Keyword Planner can help. 
2. Craft a compelling, click-worthy title: Use numerals, power words, and emotional triggers to capture readers’ attention.
3. Structure the post with headers: Each list item should have its own subheading. Make sure you tag the headings as H2, H3, etc. 
4. Add internal and external links: Adding links to the text boosts SEO and provides value to curious readers. 
5. Use visuals: The right icons, images, and GIFs grab attention and improve engagement. 
6. Optimize for mobile: Listicles are often shared on social media and read on phones. Use short paragraphs and bullet points to make them more mobile-friendly, and ensure the layout looks clean and professional no matter what device the page is displayed on. 
7. Repurpose content: Try repurposing listicles into videos, infographics, or social media content to increase your reach and engagement.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Despite listicles’ effectiveness, they sometimes get a bad rap. Many people associate them with clickbait and entertainment media. To avoid these pitfalls, avoid over-the-top clickbait titles without substance. There’s nothing wrong with trying to capture attention, but not following through damages your credibility and increases bounce rate.

Additionally, avoid overly long or unorganized lists, which can be fatiguing to read. If there’s a lot of information on the page, use grouping or bolding for clarity. Furthermore, don’t stuff every keyword you can think of into the content. This hurts readability and is detrimental to SEO. 

Trust the SEO Experts at Performance Driven Marketing

At Performance Driven Marketing, we’re experts in all things SEO, including content writing. If you need help coming up with a content strategy that works for your business, contact us today to schedule a free consultation. With our help, you can elevate your web content and take your business to the next level. 

If you want your business to be taken seriously, you will need to put effort into your website to look visually trustworthy. Showing your knowledge in your industry can help clients trust you and build your web presence. Visitors to your website will begin to make assumptions about your business within the first few seconds on your website. Having visual triggers on your website will build immediate trust with potential customers. Let’s take a look at what you need to feature on your website to be visually trustworthy. 

Consistent Branding

One easy way to build trust with your customers is to have consistent branding, which can be through logos, colors, fonts, and slogans. Staying consistent in these areas will make your company easily recognizable across websites, features, or physical products. For example, PDM features our colors across the website by having hyperlinks in orange, our logo is displayed in our header at all times, and photos that show our actual team members. 

You should think of your website as a digital brochure for your business. Including eye-catching design elements and sticking your your brand colors is a great way to be visually trustworthy. When users come to a site, they want to see a sleek look, not a cluttered page with ads or large walls of text.

Prominent Contact Information

Having your contact information easily accessible means you are hoping people will contact you. Putting a phone number, email address, and social media handles in the header or footer of your site is key to being trustworthy. Scam sites often don’t want you to contact them or don’t have a contact at all. Having important information on your website creates a feeling of transparency. This means you are open to talking to your customers and aren’t trying to deceive new clients by making them fill out lengthy forms.

A prominent social media presence is another way to ensure your business is visually trustworthy. Putting your social media on your website and having consistent posts will show a person that you are a real and thriving business. Social media can show a glimpse into your company culture and make you more relatable to customers.

Correct And Current Content

A visually trustworthy website will have quality content (correct information on webpages, recent blogs, and detailed information about your services). Spelling errors or grammatical errors can make customers suspicious of your business. Hiring a copywriter can help you to ensure your content is correct and well-written. Double-checking your work will help you avoid typos or random words in your posts that don’t make sense.

Google also prioritizes original and well-researched content on the websites it features. Writing your content yourself or hiring a content writer will ensure your webpages and blogs are fully original. Quality content that provides your clients with information and answers to their questions is going to make you more trustworthy. Customers look for websites that can provide them with new information or how to do something themselves. If your business can provide this knowledge, you will be a trusted source in the future.

HTTPS Encryption And SSL Certificates

Internet users want to know that their sensitive information is protected. If you want your business to be visually trustworthy almost immediately, you need to have that HTTPS encryption at the beginning of your domain name. This encryption prevents eavesdropping from other sites and doesn’t put a user’s information at risk. It essentially scrambles the data into an unreadable format so hackers are unable to read your information. 

SSL certificates also encrypt your information when you’re on a website. The S at the end of HTTPS stands for ‘secure’, meaning that your financial data or personal information is safe. A valid SSL certificate makes your business look legitimate and can help you rank better in Google Search results. 

Feature Reviews And Testimonials

Another way to be visually trustworthy is to feature past reviews from customers. Reviews and testimonials on your website help new customers see that you have completed services in the past and hear about the quality of your work from other peers. Reviews help clients see that other homeowners, business owners, or seemingly normal people have benefited from working with this company. Many people won’t take a gamble on a new business unless they can read reviews- from real people- first.

Utilize The Help Of Trusted Professionals

If you want your business to stand out and look visually trustworthy, you can enlist the help of professionals. Improving the look of your website and including quality information will not only help your business receive more clients, but also rank better on Google search results. Our team at Performance Driven Marketing as different team members who can help you build trust in different areas of your business. We specialize in website design, social media, advertising, content writing, and graphic design. Our team can help you build a trustworthy website in just a few weeks. Fill out our contact form to get started today!

In today’s digital landscape, a strong online presence is more important than ever. Your website is often the first interaction potential customers have with your business, so it’s important for it to make a lasting impression on everyone who visits. 

When it comes time to create a website, many businesses face a tough choice: building a website on their own or hiring a professional. Keep reading to learn more about the pros and cons of DIY and professional web design so you can make an informed decision about your business’s website. 

The Appeal of DIY Web Design

First, let’s explore some of the reasons why business owners may want to choose DIY web design. The most significant factor for many people is that DIY web design costs less than paying a professional. This makes it an especially attractive option for startups or solo entrepreneurs. 

Another reason is the speed and accessibility of platforms like Wix, Shopify, and WordPress. With pre-made templates, drag-and-drop editors, and app integrations, they give you the flexibility to create the site you want without coding and make changes at any time without relying on a third party. 

Limitations of DIY Web Design

However, DIY web design also comes with some limitations. Relying on cookie-cutter templates makes it harder to create a unique brand experience that sets you apart from the competition. But even with templates, there’s still room to make poor design choices that can hurt your brand’s credibility and make you look unprofessional. 

Plus, web design tools designed for amateurs feature limited customization, scalability, and functionality, so you may find yourself constrained by the lack of options. The built-in SEO tools may not be enough to improve your rankings, and your page speed, mobile responsiveness, and indexing can suffer. 

Finally, even easy-to-use platforms come with learning curves and require a significant time investment. Even after you’ve finished setting up your website, there’s still ongoing maintenance and updates you’ll have to budget time for. 

Advantages of Professional Web Design

Now that we’ve talked about the pros and cons of DIY web design, let’s get into the advantages of opting for professional web design, the most significant of which is the ability to tailor the user experience to reflect your brand’s identity and values. With custom designs, your website will stand out from the crowd, making a memorable first impression on visitors.

Professionally-developed websites also come with advanced functionality. From custom integrations and lead capturing to e-commerce optimization and more, these features contribute to a seamless user experience and give you the tools you need to drive sales, convert leads, and achieve your business goals. Plus, opting for professional web design means your site will be faster, optimized for mobile use, and built with search engines in mind. 

Finally, working with a professional web designer means you’ll get ongoing support and maintenance. When you have access to updates, troubleshooting, and improvements, you can continually grow your business and stay on the cutting edge of digital marketing. 

Potential Drawbacks of Professional Web Design

There may potentially be some drawbacks to professional web design, as well. The higher upfront cost may be a barrier for especially small businesses or startups; however, the benefits of working with the professionals often outweigh the higher price. Expert web designers and developers can help you grow your business, and their services can pay for themselves over time. 

However, not all web designers or agencies deliver equal quality. It’s important to explore your options, get quotes from multiple sources, read reviews, and look at portfolios for examples of their work. Additionally, you must have realistic expectations — when you’re getting a custom website, you have to budget more time for planning, revisions, and development. 

Making the Right Choice

DIY web design may be the right choice for you if your business is in the very early stages with a minimal budget. Additionally, small, short-term, or temporary sites like event pages, side projects, and personal portfolios are typically great DIY projects, especially if you have strong tech/design skills. 

If you’re launching a full-fledged business or scaling up, it’s best to invest in professional web design. Professionally created, high-performing websites reflect your unique brand, generate leads, and allow you to compete effectively in the digital marketplace. 

Professional Web Design by Performance Driven Marketing

If you decide to opt for professional web design, there’s no better team Performance Driven Marketing. Our web design and development experts are known for delivering high-quality websites that take businesses to the next level. To learn more about how we can help you more effectively market your business, contact us today to schedule a free consultation.