Evergreen content is a content marketing concept that has gained a lot of traction over the years. It’s the type of content that remains relevant and useful for a long time after it is published. This is in contrast to digital marketing content based on current events, news, or trends (timely content), which quickly becomes outdated.
There are many benefits to writing evergreen content. For one, it can help you attract organic traffic to your website for months or even years after you publish it. This can be a big help in growing your audience and building your brand.
Additionally, evergreen content is more likely to be shared and linked to on social media than other types of content, which can also help boost your traffic.
But how does one go about creating evergreen content?
Let’s take a look at a simple step-by-step process for creating evergreen content.
Step 1: Find evergreen topics
It stands to reason that in order to write successful evergreen content, you need to start with finding evergreen topics. These are topics that people will always be interested in and that will never go out of style.
Just some types of evergreen content include:
- How to guides
- Lists
- Product reviews
- Case studies
- Interviews
- Buying guides
- Definitions, and more.
However, even though you have a clear idea of what an evergreen topic is, it can still be tricky to come up with some on your own. Luckily, there are a few methods you can use to generate content ideas for your evergreen content strategy.
- Consider the problems your target audience is always facing. These can be problems related to your niche or industry, or they can be more general problems that people in your target demographic have. Once you have a list of these problems, you can start thinking about content that would help people solve them. This is one of the main ways How To articles are created.
- If you already have a blog, look for posts that have a good amount of website traffic that is stable or increasing over time. (Google Analytics should be helpful here.) These are usually indicative of topics that people are always interested in. Are there any similar or related topics you could write about?
- Check out your competitors. See what topics they are writing about and try to come up with content that is even better. If you have access to an SEO tool (such as Semrush or Ahrefs) so that you can see the amount of traffic each of their posts is getting, that can be helpful in deciding which topics are worth writing about.
Step 2: Discover relevant keywords
Let’s say that you are running a business that sells natural cosmetics. And you want to write an evergreen blog post about the benefits of using natural cosmetics.
In order to ensure that your post is found by people who are interested in reading it, you need to use relevant keywords throughout the content. These are the words and phrases that people are typing into search engines when they are looking for information related to your topic.
In the cause of our benefits of natural cosmetics topic, some relevant keywords could be: “natural cosmetics”, “organic cosmetics”, “benefits of natural cosmetics”, “why use natural cosmetics”, etc. All of these can and should be included in the evergreen article to help people find it.
How can you find these keywords? There are a few methods.
- Using a keyword research tool (like the ones we mentioned above) – By typing in a seed keyword (like “natural cosmetics”) into the tool, you can get a list of related keywords that people are searching for. If you cannot afford a paid one, the Google Keyword Planner tool, while meant for Google Ads, is actually a fantastic free keyword research tool for content writing.
- Checking out competitors – See which keywords they are ranking for by entering their evergreen post URLs into a keyword research tool.
- Using Google search – When you type in your seed keyword and hit enter, Google will provide you with a list of related searches at the bottom. Along with the People also ask section in the search results, this can give you some good ideas for relevant keywords to use.
- Brainstorming – Simply sit down and think about the different ways someone might search for the information you are providing. This isn’t a recommended tactic, however, as it’s the slowest and least effective in generating a large number of keywords.
Once you are satisfied with the number of relevant keywords you have, you can prioritize the ones that you want to use in your content.
The best keywords for an evergreen piece have a high search volume, don’t peak and decline seasonally (as opposed to seasonal content), and have low competition. This means that not a lot of people are writing about the keyword, but there is still interest in it.
Step 3: Write the content
With the right topic and keywords in mind, it’s time to start writing your evergreen content.
The truth is that writing evergreen material isn’t all that different from writing any other type of content.
You still need to make sure that your grammar and spelling are on point, that your sentences flow well and connect to each other, and that your overall message is clear.
Headings and subheadings, as well as images, videos, and other visual media, can be used to break up the text and make it more readable.
Here are a few extra tips for writing evergreen pieces:
- Include a lot of detail – The more information you can provide, the better. Be thorough in your explanations and leave no questions unanswered.
- Make it actionable – Evergreen content should be packed with tips, tricks, and advice that people can actually use. The more actionable your content is, the more valuable it will be to your readers. (Though this depends on the type of evergreen content you’re writing.)
- Avoid using dates – If possible, try not to include any dates in your evergreen content. This will help it stay relevant for longer.
You can find out more on what makes good content in our article on how to write helpful content.
Step 4: Publish, but don’t forget about it
Yes, the entire point of evergreen content is that it is always relevant and always useful. But that doesn’t mean you can just publish it and then forget about it.
Your evergreen content still needs to be updated once in a while if you want it to maintain its ranking in the search engines.
Google’s algorithm is constantly changing, so what works today might not work tomorrow. In order to make sure your existing content is still being found and read, you need to keep an eye on it and update it as needed.
A good rule of thumb is to go through your old content at least once a year and update any outdated information, as well as add any new relevant information that you may have.
You should also keep an eye on your traffic data to see how people are interacting with your evergreen content. If you notice a sudden drop in traffic or engagement, that could be a sign that your content is no longer relevant and needs to be updated.
We have an entire guide on updating content if you need more information on how to do it.
Should you have only evergreen content on your site?
No, you should not have only evergreen content on your site. Your site should have a mix of both evergreen and non-evergreen content. Evergreen content is great because it can provide a steady stream of traffic and leads over time. But it can’t do everything.
Non-evergreen content, such as news articles and trendy blog posts, can be a great way to attract attention and generate traffic in the short term. But this type of content will eventually lose its relevance and stop being found by people who are looking for information on the internet.
The best way to maximize your traffic and leads is to have a mix of both evergreen and non-evergreen content on your site. This way, you can attract attention in the short term with your non-evergreen content and then keep people coming back in the long term with your evergreen posts.
The StrongWP blog is a prime example of that. Under our Latest News section, we have non-evergreen content like news articles. But we also have an extensive evergreen content section with guides, tutorials, and other helpful information that people can always come back to.
Conclusion
Evergreen content is a valuable asset for any website or blog. In the long run, it can boost your traffic, leads, and sales. And in the short run, it can help you weather any algorithm changes or temporary dips in traffic.
In essence, writing evergreen content isn’t that different from writing any other type of content. The key is to provide value and be as helpful as possible. But if you can do that, then you’re well on your way to writing evergreen content that will stand the test of time.
If you have any questions about evergreen content creation, or if you need help getting started, feel free to contact us, and we’ll be happy to help.