There’s value in publishing timely content that leverages current events. No one can discount that. However, from a search engine optimization perspective, the power of that content to attract new readers and leads will inevitably fade.
Evergreen content doesn’t have that shortcoming. Though you may occasionally need to make minor updates, it’s more or less perpetually relevant and fresh. Evergreen content is, in other words, sustainable in a way that other content is not, because it lacks an expiration date.
Generally speaking, evergreen content is informational or educational in nature. It provides your audience with tangible, practical, and relevant advice. Examples of such content include:
- Listicles. Let’s say you’re running a marketing blog. You might consider publishing a piece about ten SEO techniques that are no longer relevant.
- Answers to frequently asked questions. Pay attention to your audience. What do they frequently seem to have trouble with? What do they want to know about your brand?
- Guides. Tutorials and how-tos can be incredibly valuable from an SEO perspective, but relevance matters. If you own a luxury clothing brand, for instance, your users probably aren’t interested in how to change a tire on their car. They might be interested in a guide on tying a bow tie, however.
- Product reviews. Self-explanatory, though we’d advise staying away from this one if you operate a digital storefront.
- Tips and tricks. Do you have any advice that might help your audience in their lives or careers? Write a piece on it!
- Educational pieces. As the old saying goes, knowledge is power. Share your expertise with your audience. Teach them a thing or two about your area of expertise.
It’s worth noting that the above content isn’t automatically evergreen. Creating genuinely sustainable content requires a bit of finesse on your part. To that end, you’ll want to avoid:
- Referencing current events.
- Using statistics that are likely to become outdated very soon.
- Talking about pop culture or current trends.
Last but not least, one of the benefits of evergreen content is that you can regularly repurpose it. You can, for instance, turn a how-to into a tutorial video. You can turn an educational piece into an infographic. You can repurpose a tips article into a presentation on Slideshare or a similar website.
Beyond that, the same advice applies to evergreen content as to any other content. Write in layman’s terms, and avoid language that’s overly technical or difficult to understand. Focus each evergreen piece on a single topic. Make use of internal backlinks.
And above all else, strive to write exceptional, informative, and entertaining content. That, more than anything else, will provide you with the sort of value likely to bring people to your site in droves.
