Tips to make bulleted lists even more effective

It is no secret that bulleted lists can be very helpful in your online content. They convey information quickly to the reader. They make your content scannable. Lists can even help you show up in AI search results because they are easy for AI to pull information from when creating overviews and answering questions. They also break up the text and, from an aesthetic point of view, make it more pleasing and easy to read.

These are all reasons why you want to incorporate lists into your content from time to time. But what are some things you can do to make them even more effective? Below are four tips to keep in mind.

Use only a single level

It is possible to make multilevel lists, allowing you to expand on your content.

But the trouble with this is that it just makes them complex and confusing to the reader. Readers tend to get lost in the information. This makes your content less scannable and less clear, which works against two of your major reasons for using bulleted lists in the first place.

Rather than using multiple levels, you may be better off using multiple sections of text, each with its own internal list. Always prioritize writing content that the reader can easily and quickly understand, or they will simply look for other sources.

Do not exceed two sentences

Similarly, it is often best to have each bullet point on the list be a single sentence. At most, use two sentences to add additional information.

But do not exceed these two sentences, even if you are tempted to add three or four so that you can provide more valuable information to your reader. Instead, break that information apart into other bullet points. If each point on the list is too long, it begins to look like a wall of text.

Identify areas where they make the most sense

Bulleted lists can be useful, but they are not appropriate in every case. You often want to start with an introduction, for example, and some text is best presented as short paragraphs broken up by paragraph breaks and white space.

Ideally, lists should be used when you need to convey multiple pieces of information to the user at once. For instance, perhaps you run a real estate law firm and you are writing content about necessary documentation during a purchase. Your list could include:

• Purchase agreements
• Contingency clauses
• Disclosure agreements
• Insurance policies
• Titles and deeds

The list helps you quickly provide the information, but you are still just answering one question: “What are some of the documents necessary during a real estate transaction?” By keeping your lists focused, they are most helpful to the reader.

Use a repetitive structure

Finally, it is best to make your lists repetitive. For instance, if the list talks about necessary steps when starting a new business, it could be written as follows:

• Identify your target audience
• Review your competition
• Find investors or funding
• Conduct due diligence
• Look into local ordinances and business regulations

All of these points start with an active word, instructing the user to take action. None of them are full sentences, so none of them end with periods. That repetition makes the list read smoothly to your target audience.

Call us today for your content needs

Bulleted lists have a simple design, but you can see that there is a lot to think about when using them in your web content. For all of your content needs moving forward, do not hesitate to get in touch with us at Content Customs.