Is there any evergreen content on your website or blog? Most of the information we publish has a shorter shelf life than this type of content. Evergreen content is relevant for years and attracts inbound links because it isn't tied to the latest headlines.

Google, as you may know, favors sites with a large number of genuine inbound links. So here are some suggestions for creating evergreen content:

Where to Start

How-to videos and blog posts, white papers, and "explainer" pieces are all good examples of evergreen content. An explainer does more than just define something; it clarifies and simplifies it.

I'll let you in on a little secret: I occasionally rummage through my own inbox for ideas for evergreen content. This is something you can do as well. If you get the same question from a lot of clients, you should consider turning the answer into an evergreen blog post, podcast, or video.

Examine your Google Analytics and Search Console at the same time. What types of content do people go to on a regular basis? If your blog is anything like mine, the first few dozen posts get the most attention.

Finteza can give you a more in-depth look at your content's performance by showing you how its traffic interacts with your sales funnel:

Image Credit: Business2Community.com

How to Ideate for Evergreen Content (Topics)

You can quickly generate lots of new, evergreen content ideas. Here are a few ideas to get you started:

• Examine your own files or your email inbox to see which questions you get asked most frequently by clients and prospects.

• Examine your web analytics to see what topics your audience is most interested in learning about.

• Consider writing a blog post about "how to work with (your profession)." So, if you're a freelance writer, you'd write a blog post about how businesses can make the most of their freelance writer relationship. A post like this could be written by a graphic designer or web developer. Any professional could do the same.

• Make a list of the best information sources in your field, or a directory of the top 10 podcasts in your niche, in your opinion. You get the drift. Curate information and create useful content using your expertise and knowledge.

  Evergreen Creation Tips

  Here are some pointers for creating the content itself:

  • Keep written content succinct and to-the-point. People frequently skim rather than read.

  • Make use of bullets and subheadings.

  • To draw attention, include a photo or graphic.

  • Keep your video to one or two minutes in length. Make sure the sound is clear and the quality is good.

  • When creating meta-data for text, audio, or video content, remember to keep SEO in mind.

  Get the Best Out of Your Evergreen Content

  So you've come up with an evergreen content idea and put it into action. With time, you should start to see some inbound traffic. And here's the big question: What does it have to do with your company?

  You see, traffic isn't important in and of itself: it doesn't affect your bottom line unless it converts. So the final step is to devise an evergreen conversion optimization strategy that will last for a long time. Here are a few suggestions:

  Create in-content CTAs

  Using in-content CTAs to funnel your readers into your sales channel is the most effective way to use your evergreen content. Hubspot is a great example of a properly done one:

  

  Image Credit: Business2Community.com

  Set Up Lead Generation Forms

  Because they were brought to your site by an informational search query, your content readers may not be your immediate buyers. As a result, rather than treating them as buyers, you might want to treat them as leads (people who will buy later after clicking a link in your email).

  Prioritizing a lead generation form (rather than your primary call-to-action) is usually a good idea in this situation (when it comes to evergreen content). Conversational forms work well here because they blend in well with the content.

  Set Up Web Browser Notifications

  With email fatigue on the rise, it's a good idea to try a different form of engagement that doesn't require your readers to share any personal information. Web push notifications allow readers to subscribe to your website without having to give you their email address. This method has the advantage of being able to segment notifications in order to personalize those:

  

  Image Credit: Business2Community.com

  Final Thoughts…

  It may take some time to come up with ideas for evergreen content, but it is well worth the effort because this type of content can bring in traffic for months or even years.

  Best of luck!

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