It is impossible to overstate the importance of quality content. It keeps the users on your site, makes them come back for more, increases your search rankings, helps you build a reputation, and of course, boosts your conversion rates! There are different content formats, and evergreen content is one of the most important ones for SEO. In this article, you will learn all there is to know about this content type and its importance.
Now, if you’re ready, let’s get a detailed look at evergreen content!
What is Evergreen Content?
In simple terms, evergreen content refers to the type of content that stays relevant for a long period of time. It is the kind of content that never goes out of date but stays “fresh”, retains its value regardless of the changing times and trends, and -naturally- keeps generating organic traffic.
Popular Evergreen Content Formats
Here are some of the common evergreen content formats you can frequently see on the Internet:
- How-to content – as long as methods stay the same, these types of content stay relevant.
- Tips – Helpful tips usually remain evergreen. A few examples would be language learning tips, guitar tricks, tips for brewing better coffee, etc.
- Factual listicles about interesting topics – There are a lot of topics that are always interesting, regardless of trends, and “Top X Facts” types of content always generate views.
- Reviews – mostly, reviewed product/service stays the same and the content stays evergreen. Although it should be noted that what is reviewed itself might go out of fashion eventually -this is especially the case with technological devices- and that might mean content losing its relevance, though indirectly. So, whether a review content is truly evergreen or not, actually depends on the reviewed product/service.
To give some live examples, here are a few quick ideas for evergreen content, off the top of our heads:
- X Tips to Make Perfect Bloody Mary – You can decide on the X, but as long as you give valuable information, this content will stay green- and you can make additions anytime you want, increasing your number of X!
- Best Shooter Games of All Time – “All time” is a magical phrase- first, it doesn’t require you to be updated regularly, and second, it always generates interest. Obviously, this type of content can be updated with the recent entries, but most of the time, it will serve you well for a long period of time with very little to no need for maintenance.
- How to Tune Your Guitar – Provided you give valuable information that is easy enough to understand and put into practice, this content will stay relevant as long as there is Internet-and guitars!
What is NOT Evergreen Content
Content that is not evergreen is typically time-sensitive or tied to a specific event or trend. It might be useful and popular for a short period of time, but it loses its relevance and usefulness over time as the trend or event passes.
Examples of content that are not evergreen include news articles about current events, social media posts about trending topics, product launches, seasonal content, and content related to a specific holiday or event. These types of content have a short lifespan and become outdated quickly.
Why Is Evergreen Content Important for SEO?
Evergreen content is important for SEO (Search Engine Optimization) for several reasons:
Provides Long-term Traffic: Evergreen content is designed to be timeless, and therefore can continue to generate traffic to a website over a long period of time. This consistent traffic flow can help boost a website’s search engine ranking and authority.
Increases Dwell Time: Since evergreen content provides value to readers over a long period of time, users tend to spend more time on the website, increasing the dwell time. This can signal to search engines that the website has valuable and relevant content, which can improve its search engine ranking.
Generates Backlinks: High-quality evergreen content is more likely to generate backlinks, which are links from other websites to the original content. Backlinks are an important signal to search engines that a website has valuable and relevant content, which can improve its search engine ranking.
Improves Keyword Rankings: Evergreen content that targets specific keywords and topics can help a website rank higher in search engine results pages (SERPs) over time. As more people discover and link to the content, it can continue to improve in search engine rankings.
It provides long-term benefits for SEO, helping a website to rank higher in search engine results and generate more traffic and engagement over time.
How to Write Evergreen Content?
The secret to writing evergreen content is to find the right topics. Once you distinguish seasonal topics -such as Valentine’s Day gift ideas- from the ones that are actually evergreen -like bodyweight exercises- an important part of the task is done. Of course, you must make sure there is enough interest in the topic as well- you can obviously write a blog post about your five favorite colors, and yes, it will be evergreen, but how many people would really like to read it? Find interesting ideas, and do your keyword research!
But of course, finding the right topic is something, and creating quality content is something else. You will be competing with countless websites, so you must stand out with your content. Google’s objective is to present its users with the best pages on a given topic. If you want your pages to appear among the top, you should make sure to publish high-quality content.
And another thing, evergreen content doesn’t mean you won’t ever need to touch it again after publishing. The evergreen content you published on your website might -and probably will- need polishing here and there over time, maybe with new and interesting information, maybe with new keyword combinations, maybe with something else. So, don’t forget to check your content from time to time and see if it needs any touch-ups!
Conclusion
Today, it is close to impossible to make it on the Internet without a successfully planned & implemented content strategy, as it directly affects both user experience and your SEO score. And sustainable content that will keep attracting readers for years and years to come will be a priceless asset for your website. A successful evergreen content guarantees two things- your keywords will be always searched, and the information you provide will always retain its value. So, as tempting as the latest trends are, remember that in the end, longevity always wins!