02/03/2022 | Marketing
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How to create evergreen content
Is your website crying out for more timeless content? Here’s why evergreen content works wonders for businesses.
What do we mean by ‘evergreen content’?
“Evergreen: adjective
Having an enduring freshness, success, or popularity.”
Simply put, evergreen content is content that stays relevant for customers over a long period of time. Just like a tree that doesn’t lose its leaves, evergreen content remains functional as time goes by without being held back by changing seasons or current trends.
A well-done and thoughtful piece of content, be it a well-written landing page or article, or an eye-catching graphic, will stand the test of time. That means it will keep providing value to your customers for months, or even years, after it has been created.
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What are some examples of evergreen content (and why do they work)?
Some types of content typically have more longevity than your average piece. As a general rule, content that’s practical and helpful will reward you with a longer shelf life. This could include:
- How-to guides
A guide that solves a reader’s problem and teaches them something will see a lot of long-term success. “How to tie a tie” is one of the most common search phrases on Google, so this how-to guide from ties.com is a brilliant example of evergreen content – it’s constantly relevant and genuinely handy. - “Listicles”
Or, in other words, an article made up of a list. Listicles offer an easily digestible roundup of ideas or facts. While there are a lot of low-quality, “clickbaity” listicles floating around, legitimately helpful list-style articles will always have a place on the web. Some great examples would be Time Out’s ‘100 Best Movies of All Time’ and Forbes’ ‘12 Tips for Public Speaking’. - Case studies
A good case study highlights the effectiveness of your products or services, which has undeniable long-term value for your business. Interested readers can refer to your case studies long after they were written as the content will always be relevant.
- High-quality visual imagery
Evergreen content isn’t limited to written content; rich visual content is also fantastic for engaging your audience long-term. Helpful infographics, professional photography or a well-made video can last your business years.
One way to get your head around evergreen content is to recognise what’s not evergreen. This includes anything timely or related to a specific month or year, like recent stats, reports or breaking news.
Similarly, anything focused on current events, pop culture or trends will quickly become outdated. That doesn’t mean you should forgo these pieces altogether. The sweet spot for most businesses is a blend of topical and evergreen content.
Why should you create evergreen content?
While a timely piece of content may perform well initially, its reach will dwindle rapidly. Evergreen content, on the other hand, sticks around. This is especially good news for smaller businesses who don’t have a huge marketing budget to play with – evergreen content means getting more bang for your buck.
Driving (and keeping) website traffic ultimately results in sales, so offer value to your reader by teaching them something new or helping them better understand a subject and they’ll be more likely to hang around.
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Evergreen content for SEO
SEO is a powerful tool. Ideally, any evergreen content that you create will be optimised for search engines. Sites like Google love content that solves problems, and that’s exactly what they want to put in front of their users. There are a few ways you can give search engines a helping hand to ensure your content is seen by those who need it. Answering timeless questions, giving actionable advice, using clear headings and including popular (and relevant) keywords and phrases is a great start.
The wonderful thing about evergreen content is that it naturally helps attract organic traffic. If what you’ve got to say is interesting and useful, it’ll keep people on your website longer. And a low bounce rate (the speed in which a user leaves your website) is great for your SEO. Search engines will realise that readers are engaging with your content, which in turn will help boost your rankings.
How to follow best practices for evergreen content
Your content should position you as an industry leader. Remember that your audience will be likely to have different levels of understanding of your chosen topic, so it’s best to tailor your content towards beginners. Imagine you’re explaining the topic to someone who knows nothing about it. Does it still make sense? Are you using unnecessary, industry-specific terms and jargon? To make sure your content is seen by as many people as possible, it needs to be honest, accessible and easily understandable.
Ultimately, all great content comes down to one thing: providing your reader with value. Master the art of creating timeless content that genuinely benefits people, and you’ll get them returning to your website time and time again.
Could your business benefit from evergreen content? If you have any questions or want to find out how we can help you improve your content marketing, we’d love to chat. Drop us an email on hello@yourengineroom.com.