What is Evergreen Content?

With so much content out there, it’s easy to get overwhelmed and not understand what the best type, style, or format might be the best for your situation.

If you’re looking for time-tested tips on creating evergreen content that will keep your audience’s attention over time, then in this article, you’ll learn: What evergreen content is, why it’s so important, and how to create it.

Evergreen content is text, video, or graphic content that has a long lifespan. The idea is that it will always be helpful and find an audience, even months or years after it is published.

Evergreen content is often highly informative; think of how-to guides, listicles, or definitions. The key to evergreen content is that it does not have a particular expiration date.

Why Is It Called Evergreen?

“Evergreen” is used because it is a metaphor to describe the fact that such content is always fresh and viable and, thus, reusable in perpetuity.

Timely vs. Evergreen

The opposite of evergreen content would be something timley. Timely content is only relevant for a shorter period and can become outdated. It is often related to current events, trends, or news stories. Timely content is vital for keeping readers informed about current happenings.

Evergreen content, on the other hand, is timeless. It is relevant for any period and does not expire.

Types of Evergreen Content

Evergreen content can take on any form. The content is what matter. It’s what makes it “evergreen.” For example, here are two listicles: timely - 5 Gadgets to Get For Mother’s Day, and evergreen - 7 of the Best Mother’s Day Gifts. From the titles alone, you really can’t tell, but let’s say the first list includes specific items like the iPhone 15 or a Sony Bravia X95J. These are items specific to 2023; they will be outdated in a few months or years.

On the other hand, the second list (7 of the Best Mother’s Day Gifts) includes items such as a card, flowers, and artwork. While styles might change over time, the objects themselves are timeless. That is what makes the second list evergreen. So, as described, the type or style of evergreen content is not as important as the text and context. That being said, a few types of pages lend themselves to content that will have a longer lifespan.

How-to guides and tutorials: These pages provide step-by-step instructions on how to do something. They can be related to anything from changing a flat tire to starting a small business.
Lists: Listicles, like the one stated above (7 of the Best Mother’s Day Gifts), often lend themselves to evergreen concepts and things in an easily digestible format.
Resource pages: Resource pages often explain a concept or product. If they are describing something that many never change, or change infrequently, then they can be a great home for evergreen content.
FAQ pages: FAQ pages provide answers to common questions about your products and services. These can always be helpful for both new and experienced readers.

Definitions and glossaries: Similar to resource pages, definition pages can provide you with a format to describe something more permanent and that is relevant for people over time.

How Do You Use Evergreen Content?

Evergreen content is used to earn positive performance for months, if not years. So when determining what to write about or include in your content, think about topics, themes, and spaces you or your company can attribute to.

Why Is Evergreen Content So Important?

Quality evergreen content will always find an audience and bring in traffic. It can help you build long-term relationships with your audience and see increased engagement with your brand. This is important because it gives you a consistent source of users and, hopefully, leads or customers.

How To Create Evergreen Content: Tips and Ideas

Aim for originality and timelessness - Originality is always important. Ensure that you not just reposting something your competitors have already. It is perfectly okay to tackle the same topic but make sure to make it your own.
Stay in your lane - Keep E-E-A-T in mind. (Experience. Expertise. Authoritativeness. Trustworthiness.) This acronym is a part of Google’s algorithm and an ideaed in their Search Quality Evaluator Guidelines. Essentially, Google uses E-E-A-T to help determine if a piece of content is accurate and coming from a quality source. Practically speaking, this means, creating content about what you know and do best.
Keep it engaging - Make it useful - Your content has to actually be useful. If readers don’t learn anything from it or take action, you may not see the results you were looking for.

Conclusion

Now that you know what evergreen content is, why it’s so important, and how to create it, you’re in a great position to create engaging content. With evergreen content, you can build a long-term relationship with your audience. This will help you bring in more leads, build your brand, and win over hearts and minds.

Your Guide to Evergreen Content