The Mulch of the Digital Landscape: What Evergreen Content Is and Why Your Business Needs It
What is “Evergreen Content”?
Simply put, evergreen content is information that retains its usefulness despite the progression of time. Evergreen trees are known for being resilient, robust, and beautiful all year long, whether they’re showcasing holiday ornaments or shading wildflowers from the summer sun. This type of content is invaluable to a business because its usefulness isn’t based on a trend or temporary event, therefore people will always be searching for it.
On a more magnified level, think of evergreen content as mulch.
Used alone, without soil, compost, or the natural earth, mulch is not as effective at encouraging growth. However, when mixed with other materials, mulch’s usefulness is enhanced. Another great thing about mulch? Nutrient-rich mulch doesn’t just bolster the value of whatever else it is mixed with- it also has a unique quality that enables it to be a foundational, decorative centerpiece on its own if.
In terms of content, evergreen material is not based around news or trends; this type of content continues to be useful and relevant long after its publication date. Evergreen content is timeless because there are topics that will always be of interest, despite the day, month, or year of publication. Tutorials, “How-to”s, reviews, and definitive, insightful articles on a particular subject are all examples of evergreen content.
Any topic that has perennial usefulness for your industry, even amidst trends or news developments- can be classified as evergreen content. While best examined with discerning eyes, About.com is an example of a source that’s chock-full of evergreen content. Why is the content on About.com classified as evergreen? Well, the types of topics discussed are going to be relevant for the foreseeable future. Even if fashion and entertainment trends come and rock popular culture, the questions answered in About.com’s content will continue to provide insight for many people.
For instance, while a list of “Top Toothpastes of 2019” isn’t going to be as relevant in 2020, a list detailing “Great Ways to Keep Your Teeth Clean” will be useful as long as teeth exist. (Hopefully, awhile.)
Examples of Evergreen Content:
1. FAQs
Frequently Asked Question articles (FAQs) are excellent channels for evergreen content due to their timelessness. (Periodically updating the material when, and, if needed is a great best practice.)
For instance, answering questions about the core aspects of your business is always wise, since new customers will likely have similar questions when they find your business (regardless if that’s this month or next year).
Ex. Frequently Asked Questions About the Installation Process
Ex. Frequently Asked Questions Regarding Sprinklers
Ex. Questions Frequently Asked by New Customers
2. Reference Guides
“Cheat sheets”, often implementing FAQs, are excellent tools for prospective, new, and existing customers. These valuable collections of information can run over tips, tricks, definitions, and FAQs- the whole shebang!
Ex. Quick Reference Guide: All About the HP Envy 7
Ex. Job Aid: Understanding the Duties of a CSM
Ex. The Cheat Sheet: Tips to Make Cooking Easier
3. Product/Service Reviews
Even if new products or services are being released to replace or supplement others, there will always be customers who opt for the originals, and therefore appreciate when reviews of older products are available.
Ex. The iPhone 6: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
Ex. Review: Is Mario Kart 64 the Best Nintendo 64 Game?
4. Tutorials & How-Tos (For Both Beginners and Advanced Users)
It never hurts to have a video, infographic, or written guide available that details how to correctly utilize one of your business’s products or services.
Even if a new version of a product rolls out, many customers will keep the “older ” model and seek out information that pertains to their choice.
Or, advanced users may be looking to understanding products or services on a deeper level with farther-reaching applications.
Ex. How to Use the Roomba 690
Ex. How to Remove and Replace Your Existing Showerhead
Ex. How to Create a Page on Facebook
5. Core Industry Information
Reference guides, articles, videos, or infographics explaining elements of your business’s foundation are incredibly useful.
Ex. What SEO is and Why Your Business Needs It
Examples of Non-Evergreen Content:
1. Year-Specific Seasonal Content
Content geared around a holiday, whether significant or minor, has limited use outside of the time it was written for.
Ex. Must-Have St. Patrick’s Day Recipes
2. News and Statistics
While industry-specific news is great to discuss, the “new story” can and will soon be replaced by a “newer story”.
Similarly to news, statistics are frequently replaced by updated numbers reflecting new experiments, procedures, or survey results, so their use is limited to “at-the-time” or “looking back” purposes.
3. Trends
Similarly with news-oriented content, discussing relevant trends is a great way to attract seasonal/time-specific traffic. However, other than using the older news stories as an example of how the industry has changed over time, trend-oriented information has limited application.
Why Your Business Needs Evergreen Content
1. Lead Generation & Organic Traffic for Your Business
Because evergreen content is timeless, it will always be searched for. Because your optimized content will constantly appear on search results (Check out more about SEO here), your site will constantly be visited by new customers checking out your blog.
Once customers arrive, if you have a landing page complete with a clear call-to-action, you can expect continuous traffic for years to come!
2. Continuous Backlink Generation & Improved Google Search Ranking
Evergreen content is relevant and applicable regardless of the time it is published, so why wouldn’t people be referencing it down the road? The more references your content receives, the more likely Google is to look fondly onto your article- and, consequently, your site.
3. Evergreen Content Saves Time
Because evergreen content is chock-full of in-depth, detailed information about a specific topic, it is classified as canonical. In other words, your evergreen piece generally is your business’s definitive interpretation of an important topic or issue.
Canonical information minimizes work because you can quickly go through some of your older evergreen content and refresh it, versus starting over from scratch.
4. Your Brand Authority and Your Perceived Industry Knowledge Increases
If your business is confident enough to take the time to create definitive evergreen content, that alone makes you stand out from the generic-content-slinging competition! Writing a core piece on an important, meaningful topic for your industry makes your business look more knowledgable, and consequently, more attractive to prospective customers.
Tips for Creating and Implementing Evergreen Content
1. Don’t Exclusively Use One Type of Content.
While evergreen content on its own is fantastic, be sure that your company’s blog or social media is utilizing other forms of content, such as user-generated content and seasonal material.
If there was only evergreen content, we would not hear about breaking developments in the news or read about fun things to do in Oregon this Easter.
While, “Christmas Shopping for 2019” has limited potential in the long term, the subject matter is still incredibly useful for its given time frame.
2. SEO is a must!
Search engine optimization is essential to reap all of the potential benefits of evergreen content.
Utilizing keyword research ensures that your content will be discovered by people searching for relevant, core information about your industry.
To optimize your content, make sure you use the same keywords throughout the entirety of the piece. This ensures crawling software bots from Google’s search engine are able to determine the continuity of subject matter.
Additionally, to bolster SEO, make sure you are implementing both inbound links (to locations on your website) and outbound links (to external sources of relevant information).
3. Write For Beginners, Not Experts.
While it can be tempting to infuse jargon into your content that boldly asserts “I know what I’m talking about”, your primary audience is likely people new to your industry. Unless you’re sure that the bulk of your audience will understand the jargon, don’t use it!
FAQs and How-To’s are successful because they explain complex industry-specific topics in ways that resonate with people that have a beginner-level understanding of the fundamentals.
Plus, someone that can explain a high-level topic in a more layman-oriented manner is truly a master at his or her craft!
4. Refresh Popular Posts
As mentioned above, implementing evergreen content is equivalent to decorating your yard with mulch.
The only upkeep required to keep your mulch looking fresh throughout the year is that of occasionally replacing some of the existing mulch with new mulch. The same goes for evergreen content posts.
While evergreen content is timeless, it is both useful and efficient to periodically update that type of information, versus starting entirely from scratch to create seasonal content. (Remember, both are beneficial for a business!)
Fusion Group USA
Fusion Group USA understands that digital marketing is an incredibly powerful tool for today’s businesses. With so many social media platforms and ways to market your message, it’s incredibly easy to accidentally skip steps or neglect to pay attention to important processes.
From in-depth analysis of factors such as reach, exposure, and audience to “big picture” strategizing, Fusion Group USA is here to put your business on the center stage. Contact us today to learn how easy it is to succeed with us at your side!
Don’t have the time to manage your business’s social media? That’s what we’re here for!
