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How to create lists in your blog

September 18, 2011 By 3 Comments

This should be a quick tip for you bloggers out there. I especially want to send this to people that are getting started with their blogs.

Often I find great lists of information, but unfortunately sometimes they are not formatted properly. To give you a simple example, I might find a list of the best cars to buy in 2011. And the writer or blog author makes their list it looks like this:

* Audi
* Mercedes Benz
* BMW
* Fiat
* Chevrolet

In the example shown above, I’ve simply typed an asterisk before each item, then a space and press return after each item. And well, there is nothing wrong with that except one thing, it isn’t really a list. You see, in the web, it is important to use the formatting tools that are provided to you and for this type of information (a list) there are proper ways of formatting them. Let’s take a look.

There are two main ways of making lists online, one is called an “unordered” list, and the other one is called an “ordered” list. Technically there is a third type of list, but we’ll cover that in another blogpost.  The main difference between the unordered and ordered list is that an unordered list will add a bullet point in front of each of your items, while ordered lists will add a number and provide you with a count.

Take a look at the same items you see listed above, but in a proper unordered list:

  • Audi
  • Mercedes Benz
  • BMW
  • Fiat
  • Chevrolet
  • Nissan

Now take a look at the same items in an ordered list:

  1. Audi
  2. Mercedes Benz
  3. Ford
  4. BMW
  5. Fiat
  6. Chevrolet
  7. Nissan
In the unordered list, the bullets are placed automatically and you can actually choose what type of bullets you want to display in your blog, you could use circles, squares, or even your own custom bullet to make the list fit into your blog even better. For the ordered list, the greatest benefit is that the numbers are adjusted automatically. If you add items to the end of the list, they get their own number in sequence. When you add items in between existing items, then they all get repositioned correctly.
Buttons showing how to make an unordered or ordered list

Buttons showing how to make an unordered or ordered list in WordPress

So next time you want to make a list of items in WordPress, decide if you want the list to be bulleted or numbered, make sure you’re in visual mode (1), and then use the icons (2) at the top of your editor to pick between one type of  list or the other (see image above). It will make your post look nicer, and you’ll be creating content with the proper formatting which always helps with search engines.

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  • http://twitter.com/ExtremelyAvg Brian D. Meeks

    I had no idea it mattered. I don’t do lists often, but it seems pretty simple to do it the correct way.  Thanks.  Okay, off to explore more of your blog.