Standing out in the sea of online resources can be tough even for established publishers. And for those who are new to the industry, it’s even more terrifying.
Being on top of the search engine results is a never-ending competition that will go on for years. That’s why more and more types of content are being made to cater different needs of different types of readers.
For content marketers, there’s a type of content that will help their blogs rank higher in search engines and drive traffic for years. This content offers a long-term value and is a very smart move to add into your own blog.
It’s called “evergreen” content.
What is evergreen content?
Evergreen content is a timeless piece that can be in different forms like video, blog post, infographics, or podcast.
It’s an in-depth research with tons of valuable information that solves readers problems on a certain topic.
Think of it as a goldmine of information that will stand the test of time. Not only does it help your readers but it also provides enough content that will be useful for ranking in search engines.
Benefits of creating evergreen content
Nothing but good comes out of this type of content, not unless you don’t do it properly. Here are some benefits of having an evergreen content on your own site:
Good for SEO
An evergreen content is SEO friendly because you can naturally insert your target keywords into the post without sounding repetitive. But remember that while your main purpose is to drive traffic and you want your keywords to be on the important parts of your post, you don’t want your blog’s readability to suffer.
One more thing is, this type of content increases your chance to get backlinks from publishers because of the high value it brings to readers. Backlinks are part of Google’s ranking factor and are vital for ranking higher in the search results.
Steady traffic
Because of the timeless nature of your blog, you’ll find that the traffic it generates grows steadily. Trending topics will spike up your traffic for a few days but after the trend, you’ll lose readers quickly.
Minimizes work
Evergreen content has long-term value and will keep benefiting your website for more years to come. Meaning, you’re not required to always keep up with the daily happenings. For example, for a news site, the demand for new content daily is extremely high whereas an evergreen content only needs to be updated every once in awhile.
Builds authority
As mentioned above, an evergreen content includes highly valuable information to its audience. It positions your brand as a trusted source which will eventually boost your reputation. Being a credible source is very important in the industry. Aside from getting your name out there, the effects of having great reputation will also influence people to be your paying customers and loyal readers.
Examples of evergreen content
Infographics
Creating a visually appealing and easy to understand content called infographics can be a form of evergreen content. People are more likely to read and believe a summarized version data pictures. They are also easy to recall especially because humans are visual learners.
If you are going to present statistics and facts, turning it into an infographic is a good content strategy. There are hundreds, if not thousands of people who look for information to back up their own content.
Videos
A good example of an evergreen video content is an explainer or a how-to guide. A YouTube channel called Kipkay seem to have mastered this one. Guides are almost never going out of style. One of their most popular videos is a guide on making cat toys. Content for pets is a good niche and will never go out of trend anytime soon.
Product reviews
Comprehensive product reviews are a great way to gain traffic. For example, Web Hosting Secret Revealed shows an ultimate list of web hosting reviews. While it’s only a single reference page, notice the number of products in there and how they allow for sorting through the best one. It feels like the only source you will ever need if you need to look for the best hosting provider for you. If you have this kind of source, would you look somewhere else? Plus, each one contains their own pages separately that will definitely stay relevant for a long while.
Tips on writing an evergreen content
While some pieces of content may be in different forms, you will find that most of them have standard features they follow.
It should be comprehensive
You need to create one that is long enough to deliver the message of the post. Most evergreen contents have typically longer words but it’s not only exclusive to that. Even a short one that is packed with information will go a long way.
Keep it updated
While most of the information you will add can still be relevant in the next three years, it’s still better to review and keep your content updated. This means you will have to read over your content again to ensure that you are not giving out an outdated information.
Always consider your audience
Some content marketers think about themselves and how they are going to benefit from their blog. Instead, what you should prioritize is what your targeted audience will gain from it.
Use tools
Several tools will help you on finding the best piece of content to write or improve. Google Analytics is always a must-have tool if you’re a blogger. For example, you see that your most popular content is spiraling downwards, it may be good to do a makeover. You can also run an analysis to see which type of content get more traction within your competitor.
Conclusion
To sum it up, your evergreen content is a high-quality and informative piece that will be valuable and still relevant today, tomorrow, or in the next coming years.
It’s a whole new level of content strategy. But just because of it’s incredible benefits, it doesn’t mean that all the content on your site should be evergreen. You will need a mix of different types of post to keep it balanced and still get your users to be engaged.