First of all, let’s make clear on what evergreen content is! Evergreen content is content that is always relevant Interesting and relevant content that does not become dated is necessary in order to be found online by search engines. Evergreen content can help deliver traffic to your website and hold a valuable position in search engine rankings for months or even years from when it was first published.

Sustainable or Timeless

The trick with creating good evergreen content is that it must be sustainable, not necessarily timeless. What’s the difference when it comes to content? Quite simple really.

A timeless piece of content can include ideas such as, “How to Grow a Sunflower Plant.” In all likelihood the method of growing a sunflower – planting it in the soil, watering it, etc., will not change anytime soon.

However, a piece entitled “How to Take a Screenshot on an iPhone” is a piece of content that likely will need updating between models. As the original iPhone doesn’t take screenshots in the same way, the current model does. In this instance, the content must be updated to stay relevant.

In both cases, however, they can both be considered evergreen pieces of evergreen content. As people will always likely search for these types of guides, the sustainable guide simply needs updating periodically to ensure its value to readers.

Research Extensively

Good evergreen content is created off of the back of extensive research. The aim of this type of content is to be valuable for the reader. So, false facts or misleading information can be extremely damaging to your brand if it is placed in any intentionally evergreen content. If you wish to be considered a leading voice in your industry then being accurate, well-informed and educational is vital.

Including your own research at the end of evergreen content, such as citations and references, can also help your piece to appear that much more trustworthy. Especially if you use this to offset your personal opinion. With the right time and resources, it may also be valuable for you to conduct your own original research. Doing so may attract references and citations to your evergreen content itself – which could make the piece extremely sustainable in the long term.

The Beginner’s Guide to Evergreen Content

Use Great Visuals

In the modern world, more and more people are digesting content that is less wordy and much more visual. This means videos, infographics and good graphic images throughout your articles is imperative to make content as evergreen as possible. Investing in good stock photos, bespoke design work and the like may seem like a big investment (especially if only used in one blog), but it can be greatly rewarding in the long term.

Visuals can also act as proof to the reader that your content is more valuable. As in many instances, it is much more appealing to the modern internet user, as they can understand and digest information at a more advanced speed.

Don’t Be Afraid to Update Content

At the end of the day, just because your content is intended to be evergreen doesn’t mean it can’t – or shouldn’t – be updated. If new information, studies or the like arise, then it is much more valuable for your audience if you do update the piece.

To be effective with this, you should be aware of any updates and make additions to your articles accordingly as soon as possible. This means being aware of industry changes, keeping on top of news and having a process in place to make these updates as effectively as possible. If you don’t update articles with relevant information as soon as possible, then your evergreen content will quickly fade and become irrelevant, defeating the purpose of the content.

So, keep on top of industry news and update your content as necessary to keep in line with it.

Thanks to Zara Rose Smith