5 Examples of Evergreen Content to Make Your Blog Flourish

Evergreen is an attractive word. But what exactly is evergreen content? It refers to high-quality online content that can stand the test of time. Simply put, this is the content you publish that does not become outdated with each news cycle. Evergreen content is very cost effective as it can drive traffic for a long time without minimum to no updating at all.

Evergreen content is interesting, easy to understand, relevant to the topic or theme of the website and the target audience can keep referring to the content for a long period. It’s the content that’s hard to lose interest in. That’s not necessarily because the content is sensational, but because the content is informative. If well optimized for SEO, evergreen content can be a reliable and long-lasting traffic booster for your website.

It’s also important to understand what evergreen content is not. Evergreen content is never news articles because they become outdated very soon. Statistical reports are also not considered because these require monthly or annual updating. However, statistics can be used for comparative or historical purposes. Articles covering trends are not evergreen content because these are highly time sensitive.

Before you write evergreen content, you should be well aware of what it is and what it is not. Now that you have a basic understanding of those qualities, you may want to refer to several examples of excellent evergreen content. Read ahead and get an idea of how to create evergreen content the correct way:

#1. The How-To Article

Positionly, an SEO and inbound marketing blog, has a lengthy article on how to create evergreen content. When you Google around looking for articles on the subject, as you may have very recently done, the Positionly article is one of the first to pop up. And it’s also one that you are very likely to click on. How-to guides have no time stamps. They are relevant whenever a user is looking up the subject. So, writing lengthy and very detailed guide articles can be considered creating prime evergreen content.

These articles can stand the test of time. The Postionly article linked here was written over a year ago, but it’s still relevant. How-to articles are also useful because they can keep users returning. These articles also get shared among people seeking the same type of information. How-to articles also have a higher chance of getting shared on message boards or forums. So, considering the long shelf life and shareability, this should be one of the foremost types of evergreen content you should consider creating.

#2. The Case Study Article

Understandably, case studies are not suitable for very blog or business. However, case studies are some of the best evergreen content out there. First of all, if you are writing about a case study, then you are creating truly high-quality content. Because these articles tend to be analytic, you don’t have to worry about expiration dates. Interested users will continue to refer to case studies no matter how long ago the articles were written.

Case studies are best suited for service sector companies. Consider for example Visual Website Optimizer, an A/B testing software company, has a whole page dedicated to case studies. This is evergreen content at its best. Considering that the sites serve a niche audience, the case studies they have provided are extremely relevant and will result in users returning for more. Catering to a niche audience with such evergreen content is something your blog should consider.

#3. The Tracking Article

Check out this “Google Algorithm Change History” article created by Moz, an SEO company. The article presents statistics in a historical context, so the numbers are never outdated. The content presented is very informative, relevant and intriguing for those interested in SEO. Moz has included small updates for every year, so the content remains relevant each year. Depending on your blog’s topic, this is something you should consider creating when aiming for evergreen content. Sure, it will take some time to research the topics, but the results are worth the time and labor. Keep track of a trend or a set of data that your readers are very interested in. Then, they will make your blog the reference point for the information. That results in more loyal readers and subscribers who cannot do without your blog.

#4. Reviews

Most blogs publish reviews for various types of products or services. However, not all review articles can be considered evergreen content. For example, if you write a review for a smartphone published this year, the article will only remain relevant for a dozen or so months until a new version of the phone comes up. Evergreen reviews can withstand the test of time for longer than that.

Consider this blogger’s review on a2hosting. The review is not tied to a recently released product. It refers to a service that has been around for a while and is not going to be supplanted by a newer version anytime soon.  Every time a user is interested in this service, he or she will very likely stumble upon this article, whether it’s this year or in two others. Publishing reviews is a solid form of income and traffic for many blogs. You can get the best traffic numbers with evergreen reviews of products and services as shown in the example above.

#5. Listicles

You may know of listicles as the business model for Buzzfeed. The web is indeed littered with them. But what sets evergreen listicles apart from everything else? That would depend on information that can remain relevant for an extended period. If you publish a listicle about the most popular shoes in 2017, that is not an evergreen article because it’s only interesting for one year. So, consider this listicle for “49 Evergreen Content Ideas.” There is no time stamp on that one, and it presents highly informative facts. Length is key for evergreen listicles. The longer it is, the better. Blog readers love listicles so instead of publishing scores of them each month, post one or two evergreen listicles that will drive traffic for a longer period.

Carefully analyze the above-presented examples for evergreen content. Get inspired by them when creating evergreen content for your blog and you will experience better retention numbers in the coming weeks.