If you’re involved with SEO, content marketing or any kind of web marketing, you’ve probably heard the phrase “evergreen content” and been told that your site needs to have it. So what is evergreen marketing, and why are evergreen articles good for SEO?
Today we’ll be explaining the basics of evergreen articles, how to write an evergreen content piece, and why incorporating evergreen posts into your blog strategy is essential for killer content marketing.
What Is Evergreen Content? A definition
Evergreen content is SEO content that is continually relevant and stays “fresh” for readers.
So Why Is It Called “Evergreen”?
The term “evergreen” sounds familiar even to the non-marketing ear because evergreen trees (usually the pine or fir variety) are often used to decorate homes at Christmas. The evergreen tree is a symbol of perpetual life because they retain their leaves throughout the seasons, rather than shedding. Like the trees, evergreen content is considered sustainable and lasting.
Maybe you are thinking, “Hey, wait a minute. All content online is sustainable; the articles and blog posts don’t ever disappear.” When we talk about a piece of content being “evergreen,” we mean that evergreen content is content that continues to be relevant long past its publication, so traffic grows over time.
What Evergreen Content is Not:
- News articles
- Statistics or numerical reports that are likely to change and go out of date
- Pieces about a specific holiday or season
- Articles focused on a current trend or pop culture fad
- Latest clothing and fashion trends
Below are some common evergreen formats you might consider in generating lasting content:
- Lists
- Top Tips
- Instructional “How To” Tutorials
- Encyclopedia-esque Entries
- Product Reviews
- Videos
Writing in these formats does not automatically make your piece evergreen, but these structures tend to work well with evergreen writing. Videos are especially effective when you need to illustrate how to do something, like how to frost a cupcake or how to grout a tub. If videos aren’t possible, consider using a series of images (photos or illustrations, diagrams, etc.) to your advantage.
Examples of Evergreen Content
Here are some specific examples of what would be considered evergreen articles:
- How to Build a Dog House – Clear, concise tutorials with attractive photos make great evergreen pieces.
- 10 Ways to Enjoy Bacon – Can you imagine a future where people don’t like bacon? I sure can’t.
- Top Tips to Soothe Crying Babies – There’s always a regenerating population of new parents, and those with screaming babies are probably pretty desperate for advice. A quick “best tips” will hold its value for years and new parents can share the list with their panicky peers.
These are pieces that would be considered evergreen content because the topics will continue to be relevant into the foreseeable future.
Examples of Evergreen Sites
These sites are major producers of evergreen content:
- about.com
- wikipedia.com
- answers.com
- imdb.com
- ehow.com
These sites publish huge quantities of evergreen articles on a wide variety of topics. Wikipedia, for example, ranks on the first page for almost half of all Google searches! However, in an effort to churn out pieces, some of these evergreen sites end up producing low-quality articles. It’s good to visit these sites not only to see good examples of evergreens, but also to investigate how some of these sites are lacking, and what you could write to improve them.
Evergreen SEO: Combining Sustainable Content with Popular Keywords
Evergreen content is a valuable part of a good content marketing strategy for the web, but it becomes even more powerful when combined with SEO techniques. Consider basing your evergreen pieces around keywords you’d like your site to rank on. Even the most lasting evergreen piece isn’t worth much if people aren’t searching for that topic or if it doesn’t relate to your business, so do your keyword research.