What is Evergreen Marketing?
Creating new content can be haaard. Seriously! You need to do a lot of research into what topics are worth covering, and what people want to know about that topic, and then you need to spend a bunch of time actually writing the content. That ain't easy!
But here's the deal: not all content is created equal. Some will bring you traffic to your website for literal years, while others… won’t.
Which is where evergreen marketing comes into the picture.
So… what is evergreen marketing?
Evergreen marketing is all about creating content that stays relevant and useful no matter when someone consumes it. Instead of focusing on specific events or trends, it covers topics people always care about, like "how-to" guides, tips and tricks, infographics, case studies, FAQs, or deep dives into concepts that don't change much as the years go by.
For example, if someone wrote a blog post in 2007 called "How to Start a Vegetable Garden," it would still be relevant today. The basics of gardening don't change much, so people will always find that info helpful.
On the flip side, a blog titled "Top Fashion Trends of 2007" is only really useful for that year. It might be fun to look back and see what was trendy in 2007 (like skinny jeans or platform flip-flops), but it wouldn't be helpful for someone looking for fashion advice now, so in all likelihood, that piece of content will stop getting a lot of traffic as people start searching for "Top Fashion Trends of 2008," then "2009" and so on.
The benefits of evergreen content
There are so many benefits to evergreen creating content for your business.
Long-term traffic
One of the big benefits of evergreen content is that it keeps bringing in traffic to your website for a long time. Unlike time-sensitive, trendy content, which tends to fade in popularity overtime, evergreen blog posts stay relevant and useful for years. This means people keep finding and sharing the content long after it's published. For example, that blog post on "How to Start a Vegetable Garden" will always attract gardening enthusiasts, no matter when they find it. This keeps a steady flow of visitors coming to the site. On the other hand, trendy topics might generate a short-term spike in traffic but quickly lose relevance, leading to a rapid decline in engagement.
Better ROI
One of the biggest perks of evergreen content is that it delivers a better return on investment (ROI). Because evergreen content stays valuable and relevant over time, it keeps attracting traffic long after it's published. This means the initial effort put into creating it continues to pay off, which makes it incredibly cost-effective.
Can help you build backlinks
There are two things that really matter most when it comes to growing your blog, the quality of the content and the domain authority of your blog (which is highly influenced by the number of backlinks you have). Since evergreen topics remain relevant over time, they're more likely to be cited (linked) by others looking for reliable sources of information. Quality evergreen content can become a go-to reference for bloggers, journalists, and researchers, leading to organic backlinks that can help boost your site's authority (and search engine rankings).
Builds trust
Evergreen content is a great way to build trust with your audience. Since this type of content stays relevant and valuable over time, it shows your audience that you’re a reliable source of information. When people consistently find helpful, accurate, and up-to-date info on your site, they’re more likely to trust your brand.
Saves you time
Even Tim Ferris says that “the most labor-efficient way to build an audience over time is to have evergreen content.” If your whole content strategy relies on trends and time-sensitive content, you’ll have to continue creating brand new content in order to get traffic. This obviously takes a lot of time.
However, with evergreen content, you spend less time constantly churning out new posts and more time focusing on other aspects of your business. And you can even take a break from writing and not expect your traffic to plummet.
How to create evergreen content
Now that you know what evergreen content is, how do you create it?
Write what people are searching for
Creating evergreen content that keeps bringing in traffic starts with knowing what your audience is searching for. This means diving into keyword research. By looking at the phrases and questions people type into search engines like Google, you can shape your content to match those queries, making sure it stays relevant and useful over time.
An important thing to note, though, is that just because a topic is evergreen doesn’t mean it will get a lot of search traffic or attract your target audience. For example, a blog post about “The History of Pencil Erasers” might be evergreen, but it probably doesn’t get much search traffic and might not be relevant unless you’re in the pencil business.
To create effective evergreen content, start by picking broad topics related to your niche. Use tools like Google Keyword Planner, Ahrefs, or SEMrush to find out what specific terms and questions your target audience is searching for. Look for keywords with high search volume and low competition to boost your chances of ranking well. Then write content that matches the search intent of those queries, so that people find value from the content year after year.
Avoid trends & pop culture references
When creating evergreen content, it's important to avoid trends and pop culture references. These elements can quickly date your content, making it less relevant over time.
For a non-blog related example, take the TV show "Friends." Interestingly, the show's jokes rarely relied on current events or pop culture references. Instead, it focused on the universal theme of friendship and the everyday lives of its characters. And this has made "Friends" remain popular with new generations who can easily understand and relate to its themes, as to other shows that may have been more time-sensitive. People born in 2003 can watch it, understand it, and relate to it. In many ways, it’s an "evergreen" show, which shows the power of evergreen content in a variety of types of content.
Update your content
To make sure your content stays evergreen, keep it updated. Even if you write content with the intention of being timeless, things change. For example, a blog post from 2001 titled "How to Start a Website" still addresses a relevant question, but the steps to do it have changed a lot since then. Regular updates to that post would keep it useful and current.
In the shorter term, studies or sources you referenced might become outdated. To keep your content fresh, review and update these elements. Adding new examples, case studies, or statistics can give your content new life. This can be done relatively easily, and certainly more easily than creating brand new content from scratch.
When to create trendy content
While news sites focus on content that's only relevant for a short time, most businesses find evergreen content more beneficial since creating blog posts takes a while. However, there are benefits in making more trendy, non-evergreen content.
Trendy content can help you connect with your audience in real time and show off your expertise by addressing current topics. It can also drive short-term traffic spikes since timely topics can be less competitive if you jump on them early.
And using trendy content lets you engage with what's happening now, making your brand feel more relevant and up-to-date. This is especially effective on social media, where quick, topical posts can get a lot of engagement and shares. And since social media posts don't typically last long anyway (usually lasting about 48 hours), creating time-sensitive content can actually be a great idea.
While trendy content might not have the same long-term impact as evergreen content, there's a time and a place for it.
Want to learn more?
Clearly, evergreen content is pretty powerful. And hopefully, this blog has given you some helpful tips on how to create evergreen content for your business and why you should. And if you need more advice on creating content for your business, check out our other blog posts:
40+ ways to increase your blog traffic
Do People Still Read Blogs in 2024?
How to write a blog post: Step-by-step
How to repurpose blog content to save time and your sanity
Marketing without social media (15+ strategies for your business)
