Explore All In SEO
Recent Articles
Recent Articles
Recent Articles

Evergreen Content - The Art Of Writing Timeless Articles

Have you heard a lot about evergreen content and are wondering what it is? You’re in the right place. Unlike trending content, evergreen content still holds its value years after it is published.

Aug 21, 202216.2K Shares378K ViewsWritten By: Alastair MartinReviewed By: James Smith
Jump to
  1. What Is Evergreen Content?
  2. What Is Not Evergreen Content
  3. The Importance Of Evergreen Content
  4. A Guide To Writing Evergreen Content
  5. Tips For Success In Writing Evergreen Content
  6. Maintain Evergreen Content On Your Blog
  7. Refresh All Evergreen Content Frequently
  8. Consider The Following Factors As You Update Your Content
  9. Examples Of Evergreen Content Websites
  10. Trends Should Never Be Ignored
  11. People Also Ask
  12. Conclusion

Have you heard a lot about evergreen contentand are wondering what it is?

You’re in the right place.

Unlike trending content, evergreen contentstill holds its value years after it is published.

Temporarily popular content can get a lot of attention for a week or two, but only evergreen articles or videos can keep people coming back.

When compared to content that just follows a trend, the return on evergreen content is huge.

If you’re serious about creating quality content that generates a high ROI, you’re going to have to focus on producing evergreen material.

In this article, I’ll explain what evergreen content is and how you can produce more of it to stay relevant over longer periods of time.

What Is Evergreen Content?

Evergreen content is search-optimized content that is always relevant and stays "fresh" for readers for a long time, as the name suggests.

You may think that all online content is sustainable; after all, a blog post doesn’t just disappear after you publish it.

But evergreen content is different. It's still useful years after it was published and the number of people searching for it has grown over time.

Common Evergreen Formats

Below are some common evergreen formats you may consider creating:

  • Listicles
  • Tips
  • How-to content
  • Product Reviews
  • Videos

These types of content tend to be better for evergreen writing than others, but just because you write in one of these formats doesn't make your piece evergreen.

Videos that offer practical instruction, like how tochange a tire, last longer than those that don't.

Video unavailable
This video is unavailable: Original link to video

What Is Not Evergreen Content

Let's look at what evergreen content is not first in order to further define it.

We can look at what kinds of writing are specifically not evergreen in order to better define what kind of writing is regarded as "evergreen."

  • news articles
  • reports or statistics that will soon become outdated.
  • popular culture or a popular trend.
  • current fashions and clothing trends.

Even though the presidential election or this year's marketing trendsmay be popular right now, they don't count as "evergreen content," which doesn't go out of date and keeps its value over time.

Man standing in front of newspapers
Man standing in front of newspapers

The Importance Of Evergreen Content

The BBC wrote about Boris Johnson's role in "Partygate," which led to a huge increase in traffic.

But it was only there for a short while. As people left, interest waned and traffic decreased.

You'll experience a brief spike in traffic (a "spike of hope") after publishing a post of this type.

This quickly declines into a "flatline of nope" as interest wanes over time:

You are a victim of the content creationhamster wheel. You need to keep writing. Your traffic will slow down once you stop.

But if you're writing evergreen content about evergreen subjects, you'll be able to draw organic traffic to your post month after month without experiencing a sharp drop in visitors after a couple of days.

This Is What Marx Communications Does

We never cover trends, hot button topics, or news that people won't be interested in the following week.

We only focus on topics that are timeless, and we make every effort to produce content that is as timeless as possible.

A Guide To Writing Evergreen Content

Look For Evergreen Topics

The key to finding evergreen topics is to avoid those that are time-sensitive and instead focus on those that have a steady chance of being searched.

Researching keywords is necessary to accomplish that.

Look For Keywords That Have The Potential To Generate Traffic

  • Think of a few topics you'd like to focus on in your blog.
  • In the Ahrefs Keywords Explorer, type in those keywords.
  • Using Ahrefs' Keywords Explorer, estimate the potential traffic for the keyword "pistol squat."
  • If there are any additional evergreen subjects you can target, you can also check the keyword ideas reports:
  • Using Ahrefs' Keywords Explorer, find potential keywords from the matching terms report.

Look For An Upward Trend Over Time

It shouldn't be on a downward trend because it is an evergreen subject.

Check out the trends graph in Keywords Explorer to see if a topic is becoming more popular or less popular over time.

For instance, we can see that while "website templates" have high traffic potential, their popularity is actually waning over time:

The trends graph for "website templates," as seen in Ahrefs' Keywords Explorer

Cross-referencing these trends with Google Trendsis also possible:

The Google Trends graph shows the trends for the term "website templates."

Produce SEO Content That Is Evergreen

When you create evergreen content, you aim to produce something that will always be timely.

It ought to demonstrate to Google that it merits being the top result today, tomorrow, and for many months to come.

Tips For Success In Writing Evergreen Content

Here are some specific pointers for writing evergreen content now that you are aware of what it is and isn't, as well as the formats that work best:

Pick the relevant search terms.

Longtail keywords may be the best, as we have already briefly mentioned.

Make sure people are searching for that subject, because even the most long-lasting evergreen article won't be very valuable if they aren't.

Enhance Your SEO

Once you have your keywords (one per piece), don't forget to optimize the page using SEObest practices.

Don't stuff your keywords; instead, add alt text to images and use them sparingly in the title, URL, and body copy.

You should also link similar evergreen articles together to improve your SEOrankings.

Write For Beginners

Even if you feel the need to share what you know, do it in a way that newcomers can understand.

You want to make evergreen content for a large audience that comes back again and again, since experts probably won't search for broad topics.

Avoid using excessively technical language.

In keeping with the previous point, beginners frequently cannot understand overly technical language.

Try to avoid using it as much as you can.

Write your ideas sign
Write your ideas sign

Repurpose Your Content

When you produce quality content, there are numerous ways to repurpose it and apply your brilliant concepts to different formats. For content editors with busy schedules, check out these fantastic suggestions.

Maintain Evergreen Content On Your Blog

Once you've written your evergreen content, don't just leave it unread on your blog.

You won't achieve your desired outcomes if you publish your content and "set it and forget it."

Instead, you should work to make sure that site visitors can easily find and access your valuable evergreen content by emphasizing it. You can do this in a few different ways:

Create training guide pages for beginners in the industry on your website to help your audience quickly and easily point to your how-to and terminology content.

Your evergreen blog posts should be shown in the sidebar of your blog or in a banner on your home page.

To reach the most people, you should republish your blog's most popular evergreen posts from time to time, making any necessary changes.

Make a page on your website called "start here" that guides visitors through the fundamentals and includes instructional content.

Make a social media campaignaround your content and share it on all of your networks.

It is more important to highlight the content and give it the best chance of success than which call-out strategy you use.

Refresh All Evergreen Content Frequently

You must not only draw attention to your content but also take steps to keep it current.

Although you shouldn't have to do much to update evergreen content, there will be new discoveries, articles you can link to, and other new developments.

Updated content and its publication date can also benefit SEO rankings.

Use the Ahrefs position tracker to see if your content needs to be updated if its search rankings have dropped over time.

By using this tool to check your weekly digest email, you can determine which of your pages needs more work if you want your pieces to be found.

Keep in mind that new content is constantly being produced, some of which will compete with yours for the keywords you're aiming to rank for.

To stay on top, you must keep your content comprehensive and up-to-date.

Consider The Following Factors As You Update Your Content

  • Utilizability: Can users act right away?
  • Clarity: Is there any jargon I should avoid using? Is the argument logically constructed?
  • Tone: Is your writing friendly, approachable, and packed with knowledgeable commentary?
  • Shareability: Can readers share the content on social mediawith ease, using sharing apps or in other ways?

Examples Of Evergreen Content Websites

Citrix

The blog of Citrix, the maker of GoToMeeting and other tools for modern offices, is where many of the ideas mentioned above can be found.

People who are interested in the topic can get good, useful, correct, and relevant information from their blogs. This is one reason why their blogs are so popular.

They do not, however, promote their products. In fact, it can sometimes be a challenge to identify the company that runs Citrix's Work Shifting blog.

But the fact that they prioritize the audience's needs in a way that supports the readers' needs and interests is what makes this blog so successful as a businessresource.

Even though they are downplaying their involvement, they are still present.

With their logos and pictures, they have a recognizable visual brand.

They refrain from referring to themselves repeatedly, though. Instead, they offer excellent, evergreen content aimed at assisting their audience.

Glacier Skywalks

The Glacier Skywalk in Sunwapta Valley is a path that sticks out from a cliff. It has been under construction for a few months.

By May 2014, the attraction should be accessible to the public.

You can feel your heart racing in your chest after just 15 seconds of watching a video.

If you're not sure what the structure is going to look like, watching the video can make you think the man in the video is about ready to walk right off a cliff.

It's a thrilling sight to see someone walking on the glass floor, and it's enough to make anyone want to venture to Glacier Skywalk and try it out for themselves.

They’ve created interest in their product and made it evergreen by appealing to the sense of awe and apprehension we all feel about walking on the edge of a cliff.

When you visit the blog, you'll see that they've included posts about the construction of the Glacier Skywalk, as well as information about the stunning mountain and glacial vistas.

This will encourage two types of people to come back: those who are interested in the construction of what will be a long-standing technological curiosity, and those who just love nature.

Glacier Skywalk keeps their material evergreen by doing two things right: first, by getting emotional content on the site, content that appeals to the sense of awe and fear we all feel when watching the video; and second, by doing two things right:

Second, the site has information about their subject that is always useful, like how the bridge is built and what it is used for.

But they’ll need to work to make sure the thrill doesn’t get lost in the details of construction.

Keeping the thrilling content at the top will be a key there.

Buffer

Buffer's blog tackles aspects of social media and online marketing. It puts up blogs that are mostly about how-tos, tutorials, listicles, and tips from experts.

Although this content relates to social media, which is a fairly new trend, it tackles overarching topics and questions that marketers might have on many different platforms, such as making video ads.

On top of the blog, Buffer also has a solid social media presence on many of the major social platforms.

They regularly post content from their blog along with social-specific content that relates to something they recently posted on their blog.

Wikipedia

As mentioned above, Wikipedia is an encyclopedia-styled evergreen site where anyone can add information to a person, event, or thing's biography.

Because anyone can add, verify, and change information, all posts are updated often and stay useful for longer.

This means that the entire site is a gold mine of evergreen content—especially when it comes to posts or pages about historical topics.

Wikipedia's main focus is on making evergreen content, but they also have an "In the news" section where they can mix in trendier, less evergreen content for people who want both evergreen and breaking news.

Laptop with wikipedia article open
Laptop with wikipedia article open

Creating evergreen content doesn't mean that your blog should never post up-to-date information or that it always has to educate, inform, or help your audience.

But blending in posts that show you recognize their needs and want to help with reliable information for today and many days and years into the future is the best way to create evergreen content that will pay off for your company.

People Also Ask

What Is An Example Of Evergreen Content?

"How To" Guides are an example of content that is considered evergreen.

Over the next 50 years, instructions on "How to Tie Your Shoes" or "How to Plant a Rose Bush," for instance, are unlikely to change.

What Is Evergreen Content And Why Is It Important?

Content that your audience can still use every year is known as evergreen content. It is not based on news or trends.

It addresses a fundamental problem that your audience experiences, and that will always be pertinent.

Evergreen content is the kind of post you save and come back to again and again because it is so useful.

What Is The Opposite Of Evergreen Content?

Timely content.

Long after you publish it, your audience will still find value in evergreen content since it is relevant for a very long time.

Timely content is the opposite of evergreen content. It includes articles about trends, news stories, and eventsfrom pop culture.

What's An Evergreen Niche?

An industry with enduring appeal is known as an "evergreen niche."

It doesn't rely on fads or seasonal trends to draw clients because it offers goods and services that people innately need or want.

One of the main reasons why evergreen companies are good investments is that they make moneyevery year.

How to make evergreen videos for YouTube - Grow a channel in your sleep

Conclusion

Focus on things that don’t change - Jeff Bezos

These are your evergreen topics.

If you want to see consistent traffic coming to your blog over time, you should target evergreen topics.

Then work to maintain their evergreen status by republishing and repromoting them.

Recent Articles