mcd-partners/news/5-reasons-lists-are-winning-the-web

# agency
name             MCD Partners
what             A founder-led creative, technology, and media agency for ambitious brands that want to get moving.
founded          1999
network          M&C Saatchi Worldwide, since 2016
services         Creative, technology, media
website          https://www.mcdpartners.com
contact          https://www.mcdpartners.com/contact
phone            +1 212-500-4500
new-business     Megan Nora, mnora@mcdpartners.com, +1 773-316-6284
offices          New York, Chicago, Miami
office-new-york  1178 Broadway, 3rd Floor #3097, New York, NY 10001, +1 212-500-4500
office-chicago   200 South Wacker Drive, Suite 3100, Chicago, IL 60606, +1 312-279-9100
office-miami     218 NW 24th Street, Suite 327, Miami, FL 33127, +1 571-385-1686
linkedin         http://www.linkedin.com/company/magnani-caruso-dutton
instagram        http://instagram.com/mcdpartners

# current-page
path         /news/5-reasons-lists-are-winning-the-web
title        5 Reasons Lists are Winning the Web
description  1. People love lists. Need proof? You’re reading this list right now. I mean if you thought lists were pointless and a waste of time and blah-blah-blah, you’d be off to Facebook
published    2014-02-28
reviewed     2026-10-08
human-view   https://www.mcdpartners.com/news/5-reasons-lists-are-winning-the-web

# article
headline  5 Reasons Lists are Winning the Web
category  Insights

# outline

## 5 Reasons Lists are Winning the Web

#### 1. People love lists.

Need proof? You’re reading this list right now. I mean if you thought lists were pointless and a waste of time and blah-blah-blah, you’d be off to Facebook or Twitter by now. But you’re not. Why?

![Girl making heart-pitch perfect scene](https://images.ctfassets.net/ts86z860s6dc/6kfJWw0IWGGogJMS7R3OqP/9618412ec1319b410fe562d3520f9bbe/Girl_making_heart.gif)

#### 2. They’re short and definitive. (And silly.)

In today’s world, two things are in short supply — time and attention spans. We don’t have time for nonsense. Or do we? I mean go to Buzzfeed for two seconds. (Not now. I mean later.) It’s packed with crazy lists like “22 Ways Your Cat is Your Significant Other.” And they use these random numbers, too. “7 Amazing This” and “16 Astounding That.” You just have to click. And that’s the thing.

![Silly cat and boy-Ed Sheeran](https://images.ctfassets.net/ts86z860s6dc/6Johd0oIS52reF3d67ouVv/f0746e284aed695245d5a0cc87e08a51/Silly_cat_and_boy.gif)

#### 3. They make people click.

If people can get information quickly, they’re much more likely to engage. Even if it’s goofy information. (In fact, the goofier the lists are, the more likely people are to share them.) People can relate to this stuff — big time. Take “22 Toys You Couldn’t Live Without in the 90’s.” Truth is, if you grew up in the 90’s, you had 90% of those toys and so did your friends.  You get such a kick out of reliving those memories — you want your friends to take a stroll down memory lane with you. So before long these same lists are appearing over and over and over again on news feeds, showing up on Twitter, Facebook and Google+ (well, maybe not Google+.) And this all fits perfectly into the economics of the web. Clicks equal money. And since lists on websites get a lot of clicks, websites keep cranking them out.

![girl on her phone](https://images.ctfassets.net/ts86z860s6dc/5ph19MXul1CQ2PpMwelS0x/24f91e87e4aebc212b7a767e5180aa4b/girl_on_her_phone.gif)

#### 4. They’re fast, cheap and easy.

Creating a list of say “20 Signs You’re Actually Jimmy Fallon” takes hardly any time at all to produce. Come up with 4 or 5 lists and that can equal a pretty good payday for the blogger who gets paid, not only by post, but also by impressions (i.e. views). And since these posts get crazy clicks, and shares, bloggers would be nuts not to ride this gravy train all the way to the bank.

![Couple swimming in money](https://images.ctfassets.net/ts86z860s6dc/hqnq7EYaKQoclqaNk8Ifm/a126b940a70c0caa74eac5d7e5d348c3/Couple_swimming_in_money.gif)

But lists like these do disguise the fact that there’s no story, no narrative, no point of view. Writing, on the other hand, takes some thought. Writing takes research. Writing takes time. Coming up with a list of reasons lists are winning the web took me no time at all. Writing the supporting content did.

#### 5. They’re EVERYWHERE.

Lists aren’t only on fun sites where you can waste a few minutes at work. They’re even on harder news types sites such as CNN (15 Best TV and Movie Wedding Dresses), and money sites like CNBC (4 Ways to Reduce Your Tax Bill.) So long as lists remain profitable for websites, getting users to click out of their curious nature and their desire to save time and quickly stay in the know, lists are definitely here to stay. (I could go on, but I simply must check out “13 Animals Who Think They’re People.”)