Evergreen content is any piece of content that is useful long after its original publishing date. It helps you gain authority and attract more visitors by building trust and increasing your reputation.
Keep reading to learn about evergreen and its significance.
What is Evergreen Content?
Evergreen content provides value for readers long after they're published. It allows authors to establish their expertise, build trust, and earn credibility within their fields.
Evergreen content is content that will always be useful, regardless of time or place. It should appear the same wherever it is found.
The term was coined by Brian Dean, founder of Backlinko, who says that evergreen content helps you build authority and attract new readers.
Blog posts that are evergreen (will never go out of date) are always useful because they provide timeless advice for anyone.
Why Is Evergreen Content Important?
Evergreen content isn't about making short-lived buzz; it's about developing long-lasting trust and credibility.
Evergreen content usually ranks better than timely content. It doesn't disappear from the Google search results, and it doesn't become less relevant with time. Instead, it keeps gaining authority and legitimacy with each new month.
Evergreen content gives websites a long tail of visitors. If someone searches for something specifically, they're likely looking for related content. So, if you create evergreen content, you stand a better chance of attracting them again and again.
Let me explain. Suppose you're running a travel website. You've written an article about a particular place and answered the following questions: Is the city dangerous? Yes/No. Does the country have any terrorist activity? Yes/No. Are there any active war zones? Yes/No. Do people get robbed often? Yes/No. How safe is the area where I'm staying? Yes/No. What is the best hotel in town? Yes/No. Should I bring my passport? Yes/No. And so on...Now, if someone searches for "safe places", they'll see your article. However, if they type in "dangerous places" or "unsafe places", they won't see your article.
Evergreen means that your posts remain relevant even if no new information comes out. It shows people that you're not just posting to get visitors but rather to provide them with valuable information.
What Isn't Evergreen Content
While there are many types of content that fall under the evergreen category, there are also some types of content that should probably stay out of your marketing mix. We’ll take a closer look at some of these types of content and explain why they may not be right for your business.
Here are some examples for content that aren't evergreen:
News Posts & Articles
News posts and articles are great because they allow you to quickly share breaking news stories. They are also a good way to keep up with current affairs and industry developments. However, there is no guarantee that a news post will still be relevant months later. For instance, if you publish a listicle about the most popular names for babies in 2016, it might not be very interesting to read five years later. Therefore, it's best to update your blog regularly to ensure that it remains useful.
Product Announcements
Another common misconception is that product announcements are evergreen content. This couldn't be further from the truth. If you're announcing a new product, you don’t want to wait too long to release it. Your customers are likely to forget about your announcement. Also, once the product goes live, you won’t be able to update it anymore.
While some of these pieces of content might still generate traffic and interest over time, they don't necessarily provide value to readers anymore. This is why it is important to clearly define what type of content is included within your evergreen content strategy.
Popular Evergreen Content Formats
Evergreens offer an ongoing chance to connect with customers.
How-to guides
All these posts provide detailed instructions for accomplishing certain types of actions. For example, one “How to Grow a Beard” post may include pictures and videos showing bearded men growing their facial hair.
Lists
Lists are another great tool for writing evergreen articles. A list of the top 10 restaurants in Brisbane City might include Cicada Café, Felix for Goodness (which serves delicious breakfasts), The Gardens Club, Riverbar & Kitchen, and so on.
Tips
A short tip is useful when trying to solve a particular issue. For example, if you need to know how to properly wash your kitchen sink, then you may want to read a short tip about how to do so.
Top Tips
Top tips are similar to lists, except that they don't offer a chronological or alphabetical arrangement. Instead, they present a set of related ideas in order of importance. For example, here are three ways to increase sales:
- Free shipping
- Use coupons
- Offer promotions
How to use evergreen pieces in content marketing
Evergreen articles can help drive traffic to websites, generate leads, and support sales. Here are a few examples.
- To get people’s attention and to gain their interest.
- Building trust and authority in the eyes of potential clients.
- Educate prospects about your business and its services.
- Generating new sales opportunities and closing deals with existing customers.
- To maintain customer loyalty for an extended period of time.
- Offer an ongoing service throughout the customer lifetime.
Sharing evergreen content on social media
Posting evergreen content on social networks like Facebook and Twitter makes it easy for people to see them. If you want to make sure they're seen, here are some tips to keep in mind.
Your primary objective isn't simply to post content; it's to connect with your followers and engage them.
Second, consider what types of posts your audience would find interesting. Who are they? What do they care about? How can you make them feel something?
Finally, wait patiently for your posts to appear in search results.
Go forth and Create
Evergreen is both easy and hard. It’s easy because it’s simply about writing good stuff that people will love to read again and again. Hard because it takes thoughtfulness and forethought. But if you do those things, the results are huge.
If you don't know how to write evergreen content, contact us for help.
