Evergreen content is, as its name suggests, content that is (for) evergreen, or relative to the user, regardless of the time. As such, while traditional content will only be pertinent for that day, week, month, or year, evergreen content maintains its on-topic and applicable nature to the audience always. Usually, evergreen content is highly researched, factual, or otherwise authoritative.
While a definition of evergreen content may be relatively easy to understand, comprehending its importance can be a little more complex but is equally as important as the definition itself. Evergreen content is important for a small business, large company, or blogger because it can be enjoyed by multiple readers over an indefinite amount of time, provides basic and straightforward information that can serve as a foundation for other content, makes your business or blog an authoritative site for information, is extremely SEO-friendly, drives traffic, and generates leads.
For seven ways to create great evergreen content for your blog, adhere to the following tips:
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Choose a Great Content Topic…
Obviously, the most important thing about an evergreen topic is the content that you choose. As such, choosing topics that meet evergreen – forever lasting, that is – criteria is important. A great post published in Search Engine Journal provides some tips for choosing content topics, and suggests that evergreen posts be kept to the following:
- How-to guides or product tutorials
- Lists of resources
- Permanent industry stances on issues
- FAQ pages
- Industry definitions
Other great types of posts that will permanently retain their relevancy are historical posts (such as how the company was founded), “About Us” pages (although these will need to be updated with staff changes), testimonials, and company reviews. While evergreen content doesn’t have to be limited to the topics above, it should always be fresh, interesting, original, and timeless.
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…and Avoid Poor Topic Choices
Just as important as choosing a great topic is avoiding a poor topic, and surprisingly, the latter can be even more difficult to do than the former. Things that you should avoid when working to create evergreen topic are news articles (which are extremely ephemeral), post that focus on particular trends, latest fads, or articles about things that are a one-time-only occurrence, such as a music or arts festival, or the time Sheryl Crow came to a concert in your city.
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Find a Great Niche
Your business, whatever it is, has a niche. Maybe it’s your totally unique history, you’re a one-of-a-kind product or your neat environmental outlook. Whatever it is, there’s something that you are the expert in. As such, your evergreen content should focus in on that specialized knowledge, making you an expert in the field. Plus, remember that your customer base falls into a unique niche too, so writing about that niche is sure to draw them in. If you’re having trouble with this, think about your overall business idea or purpose, and then create a very, very narrowed down list about particular issues or topics within that broader category; doing this can be a great way to think of evergreen content topics.
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Be Aware of Dates
Dates are both a huge advantage and a huge disadvantage when it comes to content creation. If your post is branded with a date, users two years down the line will be able to view that date, automatically rendering it “old” in the eyes of the reader. However, dates can also be great for driving traffic, as some dates are more significant than others. Holiday posts, for example, can attract a lot of attention.
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Make Changes to Old Posts as Necessary
Even evergreen content may need a rework every once in a while to ensure that it still has a fresh face. For example, if you wrote a piece about fantastic restaurants in your area that serve your coffee for breakfast, the post probably will be relevant to a user five, ten, or even 20 years down the line. However, that post would be more useful if it were constantly updated. If a restaurant were to close, or a new restaurant started serving your coffee, then the list would need to be revised. By revising old content as necessary, you’ll make sure that your evergreen content is truly evergreen.
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Do Your Evergreen Content Research
Evergreen posts are those posts that require a lot of time and research. They’re usually meticulously planned and worked on, which is why they’re so effective at attracting readers and driving traffic. Once you’ve planned a topic to write about for an evergreen blog post, make sure you take your time gathering the information necessary to really get your point across or establish yourself as the most reputable source of information on the topic.
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Use the Same Rules for Other Content
You’re an expert at creating content for your blog, right? You already know all about how to create content that’s optimized for search engines, is creative, engages the readers, has been edited for grammar and spelling errors, shares links to others’ posts and pages, includes pictures and videos, has a call-to-action, is original, and is easily shareable on social media sites – so when creating your evergreen content, remember that the same rules for great content apply. Just because you’re creating a new type of content doesn’t mean that everything you’ve learned up until this point has to be forgotten. In addition to doing all of the above, make sure you post new evergreen content regularly. While it certainly doesn’t have to be every day, it does have to be frequent enough to keep the reader engaged and excited about your blog.
Evergreen content will breathe new life into your blog. By posting content that’s evergreen, you’ll build your brand and increase traffic, broaden your audience, attract comments and other forms of user engagement, and draw in unique page views consistently over time – not just at the time of posting. If you’ve been looking for a way to help your business or blog grow, evergreen content can be part of the solution.