What Is Evergreen Content? Meaning, Benefits, Formats, and Examples

Evergreen content never goes out of style or relevance, helping you bring in more traffic, leads, and customers long-term. And when it comes to growing your business, the content you create and publish can make all the difference. But how do you know what type of content is most effective?

Enter evergreen content. But what is evergreen content exactly, and why should it be a part of your content marketing strategy? In this blog post, we’ll explore exactly what makes a piece of writing “evergreen,” and why having timeless pieces is crucial. Plus, we’ll show you the best formats to use and examples of evergreen content so you can create your own strategy today.

Key Takeaways

  • Evergreen content is search-engine-optimized content that remains relevant, useful, and informative to readers indefinitely.
  • It can be recognized by its timeless topics, value, shareability, and flexibility.
  • Examples of evergreen content formats include how-to guides, lists, case studies, infographics, video content, and more.
  • To create an evergreen strategy, you should identify evergreen topics, create comprehensive content, optimize for search, repurpose existing content into new formats, and refresh existing content.
what is evergreen content

Evergreen Content Definition

What does evergreen content mean? Evergreen content is search-engine-optimized content that remains relevant, useful, and informative to readers indefinitely. It is not time-sensitive or dependent on any particular events or trends. Instead, it provides value to the reader no matter the time, season, or year.

Unlike news articles or timely blog posts, it enjoys a long lifespan and continues to drive traffic and leads to your website. It establishes your business as a thought leader in your industry and provides value to potential customers. This content has the potential to rank higher in search and attract quality leads over time.

Evergreen vs. Non-Evergreen Content

Still not sure how these two content types differ? Take a look at the headline examples below:

Evergreen Content Headline Examples

These evergreen topics will retain their value long after publishing and may only require minor yearly tweaks to keep them fresh:

  • 10 Timeless Tips for Boosting Your Productivity
  • The Ultimate Guide to Starting a Garden
  • The Top 20 Classic Books Everyone Should Read
  • The Definitive Guide to Crafting Compelling Sales Copy
  • 5 Proven Strategies for Generating More Leads

Non-Evergreen Content Headline Examples

These non-evergreen topics will lose their value quickly after publishing and will need major overhauls to keep them relevant:

  • 5 Marketing Trends to Look Out for in 2023
  • COVID-19: How to Pivot Your Marketing Strategy
  • Recap: 2023 Marketing Awards Ceremony
  • The Best Holiday Gifts for 2023
  • Top Trends for Spring Fashion This Year

As you can see, the evergreen content headlines focus on providing value, while the non-evergreen content headlines are time-sensitive or depend on a specific event, season, or year. While non-evergreen content can be great for your audience, your content strategy should also focus on evergreen articles that can stand the test of time.

Benefits of Evergreen Content

benefits of evergreen content

Creating evergreen content is essential to any content strategy. This is because an evergreen article will remain relevant long past its publication date. In comparison, trending or timely pieces become obsolete fairly quickly after an event, season, or trend has passed.

Check out all the benefits of evergreen posts below.

Builds Brand Authority

When you create evergreen content, your brand can become your industry’s go-to source for reliable information, boosting authority. By producing and sharing invaluable knowledge that can be used for years, you’ll increase trust and credibility long-term.

Increases Organic Traffic

Evergreen posts can generate organic traffic to your website long after publication. This means you can still see results from this content, even if you’re not still actively promoting it at the time.

Saves Time and Effort

One of the biggest challenges of content marketing is creating high-quality, relevant content at scale. Evergreen content, however, when done right, requires less effort and fewer resources since it remains relevant for a long time. You’ll save time and effort by giving your target audience a resource that can be shared repeatedly.

Drives Sales

Evergreen content educates and informs your audience about your product, service, or industry in general. With well-crafted content that speaks to your prospective customers’ pain points and interests, you can position your product or service as exactly what they need to solve their problems. A strong piece of evergreen content can even drive people to your website to learn more, which could lead to increased sales.

Characteristics of Evergreen Content

Evergreen content may get old — but it will still get clicks, shares, and traffic. Below, we cover the essential elements of evergreen pieces.

Timelessness

One of the defining characteristics of evergreen content is that it’s not tied to a specific event, trend, or news cycle. It will not be irrelevant or dated in a few months or years. Rather, it’s content that speaks to a need, a problem, or an interest that is timeless and universal.

Think of how-to guides, tutorials, explanatory pieces, or inspirational stories that offer insight, value, or entertainment regardless of when you read them.

Here’s how to keep your content timeless:

  • Don’t tie it to specific events
  • Don’t incorporate current trends
  • Don’t focus on pop culture content
  • Avoid using “this year,” “this season,” and “this month” in your headlines
  • Avoid adding the year to headlines and content unless you plan to update these pieces yearly

Useful

Another key feature of evergreen content is that it’s practical, actionable, or informative. It’s content that helps people solve problems, make decisions, or improve their lives. It’s not just fluff or filler, but something that delivers real value and helps establish your brand as a trusted source of expertise or help.

Avoid overly technical language (unless your target audience is highly technical), as this can turn off readers and cause a high bounce rate.

Shareable

Evergreen content is highly shareable and makes for great curated content, as people tend to bookmark, save, or repost valuable or interesting articles. This can help your brand gain more exposure, extend its reach, and build social proof.

However, to make your evergreen content more shareable, focus not only on the content itself, but also on the format, visual elements, headlines, and calls to action. Make your content easy to read, digest, and share, so your readers will want to share it too.

Flexible

Evergreen content is flexible and adaptable. You can use it in various ways and contexts, such as on your website, in email campaigns, in social media posts, or in offline marketing materials.

You can also repurpose, update, or spin it into new pieces, such as infographics, videos, podcasts, or ebooks. Evergreen content is not a one-hit-wonder but a valuable resource that can keep boosting your brand for years.

Evergreen Content Format Examples

Ready to keep your content fresh, relevant, and attracting website traffic year after year? Check out the best examples of evergreen content formats below and why they’re effective.

How-to Guides

Evergreen content must be timeless, and how-to guides are among the most effective evergreen formats. If there’s something people need to know, they’ll always be interested in learning how to do it. For instance, a how-to guide on building a website or cooking a roast is something people will always search for online. Provide in-depth instructions, tips, and visuals to make the guide more engaging.

Lists

Listicles or numbered articles are staples of online content. They are easy to read, informative, and can cover a wide range of topics. Research and curate a list of resources on topics your audience is interested in.

For example:

  • 10 Reasons You Should Create Quality Evergreen Content
  • 5 Reasons Why Everyone Needs a Personal Brand

Case Studies

Case studies are a verifiable way to demonstrate the value of your product or service. They are an excellent way of providing social proof and legitimizing your brand. Case studies can showcase how your product helped a business/customer achieve their goals or overcome a challenge. They help your readers understand what sets you apart from your competitors.

Infographics

Infographics are a great way to visually present complex information in an easily digestible format. They’re an effective way to convey statistical data and are typically shared widely on social media. Infographics are also shareable and can attract backlinks from other websites. Make sure your infographics are visually appealing and can be easily embedded on other websites.

Video

Creating engaging video content that resonates with your audience is a great way to keep them on your website for longer. You can use video to feature product demos, interviews, summaries of white papers, or how-to guides.

How to Create an Evergreen Content Strategy

evergreen content strategy

Creating evergreen articles is a smart way to build a valuable content library for your target audience. Here’s how to create a strategy for your business:

Identify Evergreen Topics

Before making evergreen content, you need to identify the best evergreen topics. Research common keywords and phrases people search regarding your business or niche. You can also look at your competitors and see what type of content they create. Tackle a different subject to reach another niche or compete with competitors by going after the same topics — but providing more value.

Create Comprehensive Content

Evergreen content should cover a topic comprehensively to serve as your audience’s go-to resource. Start by extensively researching your topic and gathering as much information as possible. Break down the core components of your topic and develop a content outline that covers each of these areas for your evergreen pieces. Your goal is to create content that provides incredible value to your target audience.

Optimize for Search Engines

Search engine optimization (SEO) is crucial for creating evergreen content. Conduct keyword research and optimize your content for the terms and phrases your target audience searches for. Use tools like Google AdWords and Moz’s Keyword Explorer to research the best keywords for your content. Optimize your content for on-page factors like titles, meta descriptions, and alt tags.

Repurpose Into New Formats

Repurposing existing content is one of the most effective ways to create evergreen content in various formats. Review your existing content library and look for pieces that can be repurposed. For example, repurpose a blog post into an infographic or podcast or create a series of videos based on a popular blog post.

Refresh Existing Content Yearly

While you shouldn’t have to update it often, you’ll want to make minor tweaks to evergreen content ever so often (yearly at minimum should do it) to ensure it’s still relevant. This will help keep your content fresh and ensure it remains useful and up-to-date for your audience and search engines.

Promote Your Content

Creating evergreen content is only half the battle. You also need to promote it effectively. Share your content on social media platforms, send it out to your email subscribers, and reach out to other industry blogs for link-building opportunities. Look for opportunities to collaborate with industry influencers, which will help boost visibility and generate more traffic to your content.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I Repurpose Evergreen Content for Different Platforms?

Yes, repurposing evergreen content for different platforms is a great way to extend its lifespan and reach a wider audience. By adapting your content to different mediums, from TikTok to LinkedIn, you can tailor it to suit different audiences and engage with them in different ways.

How Often Should I Update My Evergreen Content?

There is no fixed frequency for updating evergreen content, as it depends on the nature of the content and the industry you are in. However, as a general rule, updating your evergreen content at least once a year is a good idea to keep it relevant and up-to-date. Additionally, you should update your content when there are changes in your industry or when there is new information to add.

How Can I Measure the Success of My Evergreen Content?

There are several ways to measure the success of evergreen content, including monitoring traffic, engagement, backlinks, conversion rates, and time spent on page. These metrics can provide insight into the effectiveness of your content and help you make informed decisions when creating and updating content.

Is Evergreen Content Suitable for All Industries?

Yes, evergreen content can be suitable for all industries. An evergreen article should be relevant and retain its value over time, which means it can work for any niche. While some topics may be more timeless than others, any industry can benefit from creating content that provides long-term value to the audience. It’s important to identify the topics most beneficial to your audience and then create relevant content around them. With effective planning and execution, evergreen content can benefit any industry.

Final Thoughts

Evergreen content requires time and effort, but the payoff is well worth the investment. Now that we’ve answered the question, “What is evergreen content?” you can start reaping the benefits of this strategy. By focusing on providing long-term value, you can create content that resonates with your target audience for years to come.