When a chill fills the air, often the only trees that look alive in the woods are the pines.

But these deciduous plants aren’t the only things that should be able to last through even the coldest winter night – your content should also stay “evergreen.”

With the Internet being an evolving phenomenon that changes by the second, it might seem like your content should follow suit. However, designing evergreen articles, blogs and pages to consistently draw in users can have incredible benefits for both your brand and your website.

What Makes It Grow?

The push for evergreen content sprung up in response to the acceptance of the ideal that “content is king.” Since it is quality articles that drive a user to engage with a site, it is in that site’s best interest to create content that continually captivates consumers.

However, some websites still try to take the easy way out, creating “clickbait” articles or pieces meant to generate online revenue quickly, often sacrificing quality and accuracy in the process. But these fly-by-night pieces only last as long as the trends they touch on.

Well-done works are a better investment in the long term as consistent attraction helps create a lasting impact on your users, which brings them back and can help boost your website’s traffic.

Over time, the steady stream of users who visit your site to read relevant material can help improve your site’s level of credibility through social shares, and generate a higher search engine ranking and even your lead generation.

What Makes It Last?

Evergreen content can come in many forms, including:

• How-to guides
• FAQs
• Tutorials
• Testimonials
• Glossaries
• Histories of events
• Timelines
• Definitions

Even if your content does not fall into one of these categories, it can still be considered evergreen if it is able to be:

Relevant

Your content must speak to users on some level. Be it informational or emotional, leaving an impression on your reader is essential for making your content worth reading months after posting.

Sustainable

Your content should also have the ability to continue to influence users well past the initial publishing date. This means discussing subjects that change quickly, such as electronics or statistics, will date your content and tie it to a specific era rather than allow it move forward.

Timeless

While this might seem like a synonym for sustainable, a piece should also be timeless or be able to be read at any point in a year. Mentioning holidays, seasons or anything that can tie your piece to a specific time of the year could make the content irrelevant for the other eleven months.

How Much Green is Enough?

Lasting pieces can help draw users to your site on a regular basis; however, there is such a thing as too much green.

Relying solely on evergreen content to fill your site will make it timeless, but can make your brand seem unattended to or behind the times.

Your brand will appear balanced by applying the evergreen content in a balanced fashion, rather than relying on only timeless or only timely works.

For example, if creating a landing page for your company’s services or products, the piece should avoid mentioning Christmas, unless your company sells ornaments or twinkle lights.

But, if creating a blog on the latest update to your company’s services, it is absolutely acceptable to date the piece. To ensure that your evergreen content does not get buried under newer pieces, you can create a “most popular” column on the landing page, listing all of your lasting content to ensure your users can find it quickly.

Green Might Not Be Your Color, But Try It On

Going green can be a difficult process, particularly if your brand relies on the latest trends to make a profit, such the electronics or fashion industries.

But even if your company sways to the latest technology or style, keep in mind that the classics prevail season after season while trends fade. With quality reigning supreme over quantity, even a single high-quality blog can draw in users for months if the content is the most relevant, timeless and sustainable in that market.

By: Blueprint