The Everlasting Importance of Evergreen Content Writing

There are three ways to keep your website performing strong year in and year out. One is to remember to update your pillar pieces frequently. A second option is to write a LOT of content —many news outlets produce multiple articles a day. Door number three is one of the best methods for increasing search rankings and attracting new customers: starting from the beginning with creative content writing that captures attention and ranks high for years. This is often called evergreen content.

You may have heard the term “evergreen” bounced around before. What do pine trees have to do with digital marketing? Well, real-life evergreens stand out because they look vibrant all year, every year. That’s exactly what digital marketers want their content to be like.

What Is Evergreen Content?

Content writing that is evergreen stands the test of time. Evergreen blog articles and web pages stay interesting and relevant to readers for years. These pieces don’t lose their value just because modern trends change. Everything about the content, from topic to vocabulary, is designed to appeal to a wide audience.

Evergreen pieces don’t have an expiration date. When content writers use this style, readers who happen upon your blog posts from years ago still find high-quality information that helps. This allows evergreen pieces to capture the attention of baby boomers, generation X, millennials and gen Z equally well.

Examples of Evergreen Content

If you own a dental practice, some topics that may interest your clients include oral health, cavities, braces, dentures and tooth extraction. Using those main ideas, you can create evergreen articles, such as “10 Ways To Protect Your Dentures,” “The Pros and Cons of Traditional Braces” and “How To Prepare for Wisdom Tooth Extraction.”

If your company focuses on business software, valuable evergreen topics include SaaS, productivity, remote work, e-commerce, online payments and data security. Any of these topics can lead to stellar blog posts, such as “The Benefits of Business Software,” “10 Tips for Increasing Business Productivity” and “What Is PCI DSS Compliance?”

If you’re a general contractor, some relevant topics are interior decorating, outdoor entertaining, remodeling, real estate and mold. Here are a few evergreen article ideas: “What To Do if Your Home Has Mold,” “The Best Remodeling Projects for Increasing Home Value,” “DIY Versus Hiring a Pro for Deck Installation” and “The Complete Guide to Kitchen Cabinets.”

What Articles Benefit From Evergreen Content Writing?

Certain types of digital content have a format that’s ideal for staying evergreen. The information they contain tends to be accurate even years later. Here are a few evergreen legends to add to your repertoire:

• How-to guides
• FAQs
• Articles that break down complex topics
• Tips and tricks
• Listicles
• “The complete guide to” pieces
• Product reviews and comparisons
• Glossaries

By putting together this kind of creative content writing, you’re making a great investment in your website’s future. People are still going to want to know “10 Ways To Save Money on Marketing” or “How To Install a Smart Thermostat” years from now.

It’s Easy Being Green … for Certain Topics

Many blog topics fit evergreen content writing like a glove. Any beginner’s guide can be relevant for years, whether your company sells furniture or web development services. Other long-lasting ideas include parenting advice, finance tips, nutrition information, recipes and work-related themes.

If you mainly market to small businesses, great evergreen topics include how to fill out an SBA loan application, what to look for when hiring employees or tips for improving cash flow.

Not All Content Is Evergreen

Some types of important content will never be evergreen. That’s not necessarily a bad thing. The following topics are designed to grab maximum attention from your target audience right now:

• News
• Trends
• New products
• Discounts and sales
• Pop culture
• Fashion

A blog post about the advantages of the latest Jeep Wrangler will likely appeal only to people interested in that specific year’s model. The same thing occurs with fads related to clothing, interior decor and investments.

What Are the Benefits of Evergreen Writing?

There are many advantages to creative content writing with an evergreen angle. In fact, many of the techniques used for this kind of content represent the best SEO practices possible. Here are seven reasons to go (ever)green:

• Solid SEO performance: Forget about trendy clickbait. Evergreen SEO content writing will always rank high with search engines. This type of content writing deals with topics that people are genuinely interested in, and it provides trustworthy answers to questions that your readers are asking.
• Increased backlinks: When your company consistently puts out definitive content that stands the test of time, your articles are likely to be referred to in backlinks. As your authority increases with search engines, so do your rankings.

Check out the number of backlinks SEO giant Moz has for its piece on “The Beginners Guide to SEO,” an exceptional evergreen example.

• Effective lead generation: Being evergreen usually means giving articles a broad focus. This is excellent for top-of-funnel marketing channels. Smart SEO content captures a wide variety of organic searches and gradually entices purchases.
• Enhanced brand authority and reputation: One of the most important goals of any business is to develop a reputation for excellence. Since evergreen pieces are the epitome of content with substance, they can help establish your brand as the go-to source for industry tips.
• Dependable long-term page views: Flashy, trendy pieces often have a period of intense interest followed by a massive drop-off in page views. The opposite happens with evergreen content. Over time, page visits rise steadily and significantly.
• Awesome ROI and CPL: Why spend money on in-depth market research, A/B testing and expert content writing only to throw out a spectacular article after a year or two? By using an evergreen marketing strategy, you maximize your ROI and minimize cost-per-lead. This valuable initial investment keeps on generating leads.
• Streamlined social media marketing: Amazing evergreen blog posts can do wonders for your social media marketing. The tips and info from a single pillar piece provide an enormous stream of insights for social media posts. This also helps your marketing channels funnel people directly to your website.

With so many benefits, it’s not surprising that creative content writing experts make a habit of following evergreen techniques. Evergreen articles tend to be authoritative, trustworthy, helpful and fun to read.

How Can You Create Evergreen Content?

Great blog posts are like skyscrapers: If you want your content to tower above the competition and last for ages, you have to invest in a solid foundation. Building timeless content isn’t complicated, but it is important to do your homework beforehand. Follow these tips:

1. Choose the Best Topics for Your Audience

Evergreen content shines with organic search results. That means you need to do some research into the questions your target customers are asking. What articles will grab their attention today, tomorrow and 10 years from now? Start by thinking of general concepts and then formulate specific questions.

When you select topics your audience cares about, you’re practically guaranteed to get repeat page visits. No matter how much time passes, people still want to know more about alleviating pain, raising happy kids or saving money.

2. Follow SEO Content Writing Best Practices

Ensure your blog posts reach the right audience by following reliable SEO guidelines. SEO content writing experts produce copy that sounds great, but they also build the articles around important keywords. Select one main keyword with high search volume to focus on and several secondary keywords to strengthen the piece’s organic SEO value.

For the best results, use one or more keywords in URLs, headers, title tags and meta descriptions. Reinforce main points using subheadings, and include bullet points and numbered lists for additional substance. These elements can turn an ordinary article into an SEO superstar that captures more searches with each passing month.

3. Make Your Content Reader-Friendly

Remember that evergreen pillar pieces are mainly for top-of-funnel organic search results. This means your articles should use simple language aimed at a wider audience. Short phrases and easy-to-understand concepts appeal to beginners, who are usually the ones searching for your keywords in the first place.

4. Include Evergreen Links

Save yourself a lot of time down the road by linking only to reliable sources for your blogs. This reduces the number of broken links you have to replace. Also, referencing industry experts gives weight to your pieces and makes your business seem more professional.

5. Invest in Engaging Creative Content Writing

Readers can tell the difference between excellent, well-designed content and poorly written articles instantly. So can search engines. The content you feature speaks volumes about your company, so you always want to offer the best articles possible. What are the keys to blogs with high value? Solid research, clear information and a style that is conversational, positive and friendly.

This kind of article hooks readers and delights them, teaching them something of value and making them feel more connected with your company. There’s no substitute for amazing content writing when it comes to generating leads and maintaining a strong online presence. It’s not easy to produce pieces of this caliber unless you have the support of creative content writing professionals.

What Words and Phrases Should You Avoid in Evergreen Content Writing?

Certain expressions are not evergreen and can detract from the quality of your content writing. Here are a few of the most common mistakes in evergreen writing:

• Superlatives: Calling something the fastest, lightest or strongest doesn’t do you any favors for keeping your article relevant years from now. A camera may be the lightest right now, but it probably won’t be in six months. Stick to normal adjectives, e.g., “fast,” “light” and “strong.”
• Time expressions: Expressions such as “this week,” “this year,” “last month” and “currently” are mistakes that sound odd when reading past articles.
• Buzzwords: If you have a habit of talking about “secret sauce,” “low-hanging fruit” and “touching base,” please don’t include these buzzwords in your evergreen pieces. They won’t sound as “sexy” as you think in a few years.
• Future dates: Words such as “soon,” “upcoming,” and “next year” aren’t just bad for longevity. They can be downright confusing or misleading for your readers. Avoid them at all costs.
• New: One of the biggest offenders in evergreen pieces is “new.” The problem is that new things don’t stay that way for long.

These words and phrases make older articles sound strange after a year or two. Worse, they add a lot of wasted time when it’s time to update important content.

How Important Is Evergreen Content?

Shouldn’t you be updating your blog posts and web pages regularly anyway? Is it really worth taking the time to design articles that remain relevant for years? Actually, the answer to both questions is yes.

Refreshing your content is an important way to show that your information is up-to-date. This can have a huge impact (+1,800% traffic growth in one example) on organic search rankings, click-through rates and customer engagement.

However, it’s still smart to write as evergreen as possible. This can significantly reduce the amount of time it takes to refresh your content. Instead of having to rewrite whole 1,500-word articles, you may only need to update a few statistics, repair a link or two, and include a few paragraphs of fresh content.

Statistics — Evergreen or Not?

It’s obvious that many statistics aren’t evergreen. Mobile retail e-commerce sales in the U.S. were $56.67 billion in 2014, but that number shot up to $207.15 billion in 2018. Articles using the 2014 figure need some serious updating. Does that mean that you should avoid featuring statistics?

Not at all. A few well-chosen figures can grab attention and give your articles an air of authority. Titles featuring the current year can be effective for similar reasons. Compare the power of “The Best Antivirus Programs of 2020” against a generic “The Best Antivirus Programs.” You just need to remember to update the article.

A Variety of Tools

The best articles don’t need to be black and white. Producing attractive pieces is more like skillfully painting with many different colors. You shouldn’t hold back from using powerful statistics or mentioning important SEO trends just because you know you’ll have to update them. Start with an evergreen foundation and then use available tools for creative content writing with epic flair.

What Is Your Goal With Evergreen Writing?

When everything is said and done, search engines often give priority to well-researched evergreen content writing when deciding which pages rank. This isn’t surprising. After all, if an article has authoritative content, numerous backlinks, engaging writing and smart SEO, it’s obviously a high-quality piece.

What’s your objective in choosing an evergreen marketing strategy, then? To appear on page one, to capture leads or to increase conversions? All of those things and more. In reality, you can sum up the goal of evergreen content writing in one idea: to be the best. Always feature creative content writing that’s better than what your competitors have. Period.

When your branded blog provides trustworthy answers to the questions your customers ask, it’s natural to attract more clicks and more page visits. The same thing goes for the info you share on social media. You can triumph with the best evergreen content. These spectacular, motivating articles that resonate with your target audience are yours forever. Make them count.