You’ve probably heard people talk about evergreen content – but do you really understand what that means?
In basic terms, content is evergreen if it continues to grab readers, social shares, comments and links well after it’s first published.
And because it continues to draw people in, Google’s algorithm will see that your content is getting a lot of engagement and will therefore rank it higher. Because it then appears high up in the search results (for queries including your content’s keywords), it gains more clicks and even more engagement – and so it goes on.
Sounds great doesn’t it? So how do you achieve evergreen content?
How to write evergreen content
What is evergreen content?
It is anything (landing pages, emails, web content, videos, blogs or articles) that remains relevant, useful and informative. That means it’s information that doesn’t date and that readers will always want to learn about.
So, in the world of copywriting it could be something along the lines of…oh, I don’t know…a blog post on how to write evergreen content.
It may take quite a bit of thought to come up with an idea, and a few hours to craft your content into something that’s a joy to read, valuable and relevant to your audience, but you only have to go through that once to benefit from content that’s going to bring a constant stream of visitors to your website.
So how do you write it?
1. Common problems
In every industry there are problems that everyone faces.
The bigger the problem, the more people there will be searching for an answer – your answer.
The trick is working out what that problem is.
One way of finding out is to use sites like Quora, ask your customers, use keyword tools to see what information people are searching for.
Once you’ve identified the issues (yes, there will be ore than one), write an informative post about it.
2. Linking
A lot of people, when writing content for their website, don’t like to link out to other stuff because they’re afraid they’ll end up losing readers.
That’s not the case.
If you link out to other, relevant information, you’ll be displaying your wider knowledge, that you’ve done your research and Google will love you for it because you’ll be enriching the readers’ experience.
3. Write well
Writing well doesn’t mean writing in formal, hard to read language that (you think) makes you sound intelligent.
Readers want information that’s easy to read, understand and take on board. Be clear, concise and make sure your content contains easy take-aways that people can use to make a difference instantly.
4. Keep it updated
There are times when even your evergreen content will need to be updated because of new ideas, technologies or changing standards. When changes do happen, go back to your post and update it where necessary to keep it relevant.
That’s a quick run down on how to write your evergreen content, but for it to work you have to let people know it exists. That means promoting it through:
- Your blog
- Emailing to your mailing list
- Your social media channels
The louder you shout about it, the more attention it will get.
The more evergreen content you can produce the better because you’ll gain more engagement, more traffic, more social sharing and more comments. Before you realise it you’ll be seen as a thought-leader in your field and the ‘go-to’ person in your industry.
It takes time to produce, but it’s well worth the effort and you’ll be reaping the benefits for months and years to come.