Creating a list of items that you have either created on your own or aggregated, can be an excellent way to attract links and build a large following in a relatively short period of time.  By presenting a list of various content from across the web or unique content that you created – you can gain wide appeal and recognition in your industry or topic.  People love to link to these types of posts because they often have many examples, are easy for visitors to read and understand, and can provide help or a quick solution to a problem.

I highly recommend injecting your blog with these types of posts every once in a while because in addition to the links and attention you can receive, it gives your visitors a break from your typical content.  Blog posts comprised of lists work so well in fact, that many blogs and sites have gone the route of using this strategy as their main content.  They will gather up some of the most popular or most informative information on the web and present it to you.

We are going to look at a few sites in the web development/design industry that use lists as the majority of their content, so you can see how it can be done effectively to gain a large audience.  In the four examples below you will also find each blog’s 3 most recent posts (as of this writing) so you can see how they effectively use titles and how they build their content around lists.

Smashing Magazine

As one of the largest online sites for those involved with web design, Smashing Magazine uses lists as a core strategy for their content.  However, you will find that they also provide some excellent tutorials and how-to guides mixed in their posts.

• Guide to CSS Font Stacks: Techniques and Resources
• Enhancing User Interaction With First Person User Interface
• Showcase of Case Studies in Design Portfolios

HONGKIAT

A blog that has been growing in popularity recently, Hongkiat focuses almost exclusively on content built around lists.

• 41 Image and Icon Search Engines Designers Should Know
• How To Create URL Shortener With Your Domain
• 100+ Useful Bookmarklets For Better Productivity | Ultimate List

InstantShift

As a “Web Designers and Developers Daily Resource” InstantShift (like Hongkiat) focuses almost exclusively on lists, roundups, and examples.

• Logo Design Inspiration: 50+ Beautiful Examples
• 30 Fresh Quality Free Fonts to Spice Up Your Site Design
• 70+ Ultimate Round-Up of Free PSD Website Templates

Noupe

Focusing on everything from design to Photoshop to web development, Noupe combines how-to’s and lists to create their content.

• Styling Design Elements: 5 Beautiful Post Headings
• Simplicity in Good Web Design : Advantages & How -to
• 7 Steps for Systematizing The Design & Build Process

What we can learn from these sites

These 4 sites are prime examples of how you can use lists and roundups to create your content, attract a lot of visitors, and appeal to wide audiences.  You can create these types of sites with just about any topic (the four examples above are only from the web development niche) and build a large following in a short amount of time.  The next time you have trouble coming up with an idea for a post, why not try a list or roundup and see what happens – you will be surprised at the results you can get.