List-Worthy Approaches to Viral Content for SEO - More Viral Lists

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Let's look at a shorter but more controversial list – “The Ranked List.” Kasteler notes Time.com's fondness for releasing a huge “Top 10 of Everything” series each year. Obviously, you needn't be so compulsive. But if you create a ranked list that covers topics that are near and dear to your readers, you'll get lots of visitors, lots of links – and probably quite a few comments.

I noted in my previous article that I personally tend to avoid conflict, but with a ranked list, a bit of arguing can be a good thing. Expect some disagreement among your readers as to whether each item on the list deserved the standing you gave it, and even comments of “How could X make the list when Y didn't?!” Think of it as a potential learning experience.

If you're feeling really ambitious about your ranked list, you could collect the comments, take a poll, and do a follow-up article a few months later. Interactivity helps when you're trying to attract an audience and keep it coming back. By doing this, you're letting your readers know that you're listening and taking them seriously. Respect and value them, and they'll keep coming back.

Let's move on to a close relative of the Epic: “The Directory.” Putting one together involves sifting through lots of data, culling out the gems, and presenting them to your readers. You can just provide a list of links with maybe a sentence that explains what the item is about; ideally, the title of each link should inform your reader what they'll get out of it. What should you include in a directory? “Gather the best advice for your niche, the top news stories, the leading Twitter accounts in your field, or a simple collection of interesting information,” Kasteler advises. Check out this collection of 50 More of Wikipedia's Most Interesting Articles; it's a follow-up to an earlier list that combed through the huge website for fascinating information.

Finally, we come to the list that contains just one item. Time has been doing this forever with its “Man of the Year,” and you can do the same. Kasteler advises you to “Take a stand with your own niche.” Your Man of the Year doesn't even need to be a man, and it doesn't need to be the best of the year; a “best plug-in of the month” can also attract your readers – to say nothing of attracting links and discussion. So go ahead and talk about the Blog of the Quarter, the Month's Most Useful App, or whatever fits your website and interests your audience.

That's all I have for today. Stay tuned for more ideas!

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