For all you bloggers out there, it takes a LOT of effort to craft a compelling, relevant, visually appealing blog post. It’s not as easy as just sitting down and typing out a few words – blogging takes time! If done correctly, though, your blog can be one of your best sources of traffic and referrals to your small business.
One problem that happens to small business owners is that their blog content is momentary. A piece about a wedding, special sale, or recent life events is relevant for a very short amount of time. While potential clients may be able to find this content in the future through searches, there is a way to create blogs that will last. This is referred to as evergreen content.
According to Wordstream, Evergreen Content “is SEO [search engine optimized] content that is continually relevant and stays “fresh” for readers” over a long period of time. While it’s important to maintain a consistent blogging schedule, another important facet to blogging is making sure it can be relevant time and again.
I first learned about evergreen content by accident. I wrote a blog intended for potential photography clients to help guide them through specific details of their upcoming session. What happened was that I created content helpful to people all over my local area that has created more portrait referrals to me than any other marketing strategy – even word-of-mouth referrals!
3 ways to create evergreen blog content that will stay fresh and relevant over time:
1) Who is my ideal client? What information would they need in order to discover my services? Honing in on your ideal client is the first thing you should do before writing a post – or even before starting a blog! Decide who you are talking to and what problem you can solve that will bring them to your page time and again. Think about their shopping habits, lifestyle, and search habits as you formulate a post to reel them in.
2) What keywords can I seamlessly integrate into my blog that will both answer my potential client’s questions and keyword it for my geographic area (or style, if you’re an online business)? When I mention keywords, I have to be careful – search engines will quickly be able to tell if you are ‘keyword stuffing,’ or packing as many words as you can possibly fit that may be relevant to your target audience. Before you write a blog, plan out a few words or phrase you can seamlessly integrate into your post so that the content both feels natural and generates web traffic at the same time. 3) What are a few different words clients might use to search for the same results?If you are struggling with the right words, just Google it! One quick tip I always recommend is to search for keywords surrounding your topic. Scroll to the bottom of your search and you will find searches related to the post you are creating. Use these words as a launching pad to create content that will be relevant to a wider market than you had originally planned.
My challenge for you is to write one piece of ‘evergreen’ content this month that will make a positive impact on your SEO. As you write it, remember to update it over time as necessary! For example, I occasionally revisit my old blog post to update the images to best reflect my brand. Evergreen doesn’t mean it never changes – it just means that it will be helpful both to you and potential clients for years to come!
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Maria Grace is a Hampton Roads and destination wedding photographer with a love for travel and a heart for seeing marriages last. She is passionate about running, all things organic, and creating memories that last longer than a lifetime.
