The Dos and Don’ts of Evergreen Content
Evergreen Content – What is it? How do I write it?
Table of Contents
Evergreen content is static, but always fresh, and never deciduous. It’s copy that never tires, and is always relevant. For example:
- Case studies
- How to guides
- Checklists
- Thought leadership
So, how do you write it, and what are the benefits?
1. Don’t age the page
There’s a big difference between ‘since’ and ‘for’. What do I mean? Well, if you had written a thought leadership piece that relates to how long someone has worked at your company, you should avoid using temporal terms. For example, don’t write ‘Richard has been working with us for three years’. This will date and misrepresent Richard’s contribution to the team. It would be much better to write ‘Richard started with us in 2016’, which allows the visitor to work out how long he has been there.
2. No news is good news
Referencing current events or what’s on television at the moment may seem like a good way to engage with your audience, and it certainly would be in a blog post or tweet, but not on content that needs to be relevant all year round.
3. A unique perspective
Provide your audience with some thought leadership that represents who you are. If you’re going to write about a popular article, or react to something going on in the world of business, you need to set your piece apart from the variety of other platforms who will, most likely, be doing the same thing.
4. Keep it simple
Evergreen content is, generally, aimed at beginners. Why is this? Well, more in depth information or instructionals tend to be more to do with current trends. For example, ‘how to arrange your office in a sensible way’ is timeless, whereas ‘the best chair for your office’ is changeable, and could shift by the time you publish your work.
5. Keep it specific
If your article or page is about, for example, wine, then make it about that. Keep is concise and contained, for example, ‘the ten best wines ever’, and not ‘which wine is the best?’.
6. List? Check. List? Check. List? Check.
People don’t want to read reams and reams of text much anymore. Lists help to break up the flow of longform copy, and can act as a handy reference point for a reader who is trying to find specific information quickly.
7. Re-writes
Don’t be afraid to change or add to evergreen content. Unlike blogs, this content is permanent and should be subject to alterations due to world events, or even changes of opinion. From an SEO perspective, it’s also good to demonstrate that your content is evolving and keeping up with the times.
Why bother?
There are lots of reasons why evergreen content is good for your site:
- It is timeless, and will always attract readers
- It’s shareable, all the time
- It’s good for SEO and provides measurable metrics over time
- You can build a loyal audience
Want to write engaging evergreen content that keeps your customers coming back for more? Contact us to find out how.