Why you should create evergreen content and how to do it
Evergreen content is some of the first content any brand should create as they build out their website, and then it’s content that should be created on a regular basis.
If evergreen content is so vital to a successful content marketing strategy, we should first define what it is.
What is evergreen content?
Evergreen content is essentially content that has a very long shelf-life and continually stays relevant. It is ever green or ever fresh.
In fact, this blog post is evergreen in nature in that evergreen content doesn’t need to be updated all the time and it’s always something people are looking for.
Examples of evergreen content include:
- How to change your car’s oil
- 3 easy ways to boost your productivity
- Everything you need to know about SEO
- 5 things to ask your wedding planner
- 8 20-minute recipes for busy people
- 5 steps to becoming a better public speaker
Those examples can be written once and are unlikely to change drastically over time. Whereas content like:
- Top 10 tech gifts for the 2022 holiday season
- Hot travel destinations for spring break 2021
- 3 lessons learned at The Digital Marketing Conference 2022
- 4 easter eggs in the latest of episode of Show on Netflix
- What the teacher shortage means for parents as kids go back to school
These pieces are rooted in time and while some of the content might be relevant past its publish date, it’s meant to capitalize on a specific trend or moment in time.
Why create evergreen content?
Evergreen content should be a staple in any content marketing strategy because it’s valuable content that always has search volume. It’s a surefire way to future-proof your website and continually drive traffic to high value pages over longer periods of time.
By investing in creating timeless and always relevant content, you can use this content in a variety of ways without worrying about the interest in the topic waning or the content being old news. It’s a fabulous resource for driving leads without needing constant upkeep.
6 tips for creating evergreen content
1. Optimize it for search
Obviously your evergreen content should be built for search engines and optimized with the right keywords on the topic, especially the right long-tail keywords!
2. Link to related content
When you create new content that’s related to your evergreen posts, add links to that new content and vice versa to improve your brand’s authority on that topic.
3. Be thorough
Evergreen content should be long-form and should be comprehensive. It can’t just be a few sentences about a timeless subject. Keep in mind your evergreen content topic and the level of expertise people will have on it when they search for your piece. If it’s high-level content, write it for beginners. If it’s a how-to guide you might be able to be more technical.
4. Think beyond the blog
Many marketers think of evergreen content as old blog posts that were created once, but that’s not necessarily the case! Your evergreen content can come in a variety of styles like:
- Infographics
- Checklists
- Templates
- Information bundles
- Case studies
- How-to guides
- Glossaries
- FAQs
- Video tutorials
- Interactive pages or quizzes
And it can cover a variety of topics in your industry, like:
- Everything you need to know about X
- History of X
- Explanatory content (What is…)
- X benefits of X
- The complete guide to X
- Your blueprint to success in X industry
Evergreen content can live anywhere on your site and it should be something you actively create on a routine basis.
5. Have a promotion plan
While the content itself can fall into the notion of “set it and forget it,” you should not forget to share this content! Why create it if you won’t promote it long past its publish date? Make sure your social media strategy includes times to share evergreen content, as well as saving a spot for it in email nurture campaigns.
6. Update it
I know, I know! I said you don’t really have to update this content but hear me out! You should have a plan to at least review evergreen content once a year to make sure the content hasn’t expired or changed too much. Updating the content without changing the link is also a great signal for your SEO that the content still has its authority but is fresh.
What tips do you have when it comes to creating evergreen content? Share your best practices in the comments below!
