High-quality evergreen content is a huge asset to any business. Evergreen content is content that is always relevant to an audience. No matter when they encounter the content, they can still use it.
You create it once but it continues to earn income. For example, evergreen blog posts, videos, or podcasts with ads or affiliate links attract traffic and earn money passively for weeks, months, or even years.
An evergreen product (ebook, course, workbook, etc.) can keep selling consistently. However, it must deliver something your audience wants to learn. It’s likely some content has grown a little stale if you’ve been running a business for many years.
This was the case for my blog. Over the last few months, I’ve been undergoing a content audit. This helps ensure each post feels fresh. Here are a few steps I’m taking to achieve an evergreen content facelift.
Edit Current Events
The first thing is edit posts that discuss current events. I’m a money and productivity blogger. My audience is looking for personal finance tips. Most of my blog posts give readers tips based on lessons I learned from personal experiences.
I’ve been blogging for over three years now. Therefore, many of the financial experiences I wrote about happened years ago. To refresh the older content, I put parts of my personal stories in past tense.
In some posts, I also put an editor’s note to explain how a money struggle I faced has since been resolved. My goal is to have a new reader understand how older posts fit into my overall message.
Plan to Make Updates Frequently
We live in a world of changing trends and best practices. Blog posts with detailed tutorials and guides become outdated. It’s important that you go back and make updates when necessary.
Otherwise, readers don’t know if your content is still useful.
Removing dates from blog posts entirely is a controversial practice.
Share the date it’s last updated to spotlight new content. AmyLynnAndrews.com and ShoutMeLoud.com use this tactic. They update blog posts constantly instead of letting them collect dust. And, they make sure to show their readers there are content updates at the top of each post.
Delete Liberally
There’s always a learning curve when you start creating content. To be blunt, the older content may not be good enough to keep. At the time, you were inexperienced. However, your writing most has vastly improved since then.You can always put past work in a private folder to review when you want to reminisce.
But, when certain blog posts, videos, or audio are no longer enhancing your brand, consider deleting them from your site. I’ve deleted many posts during my audit. These posts weren’t worth editing to achieve evergreen status. Don’t be scared of the delete button!
Final Words on How to Make Older Content More Evergreen
A content audit seems tedious, but it’s something you’ll be thankful you did when it’s complete. Having evergreen content that attracts new prospects, raving fans, and passive income is worth the extra effort.
