Sustaining Engagement: The Power of Evergreen Content for Online Communities

In the world of online communities, content is the backbone of engagement. Trending broad topics can capture short-term attention, but evergreen topics and content—posts, articles and discussions that remain timeless—offers lasting value.

For online community managers like yourself, using and writing evergreen content is a powerful strategy to build long-term engagement and trust and strengthen community relationships with your target audience.

Unlike short-lived posts (non-evergreen content), timeless content can consistently provide useful information, spark new conversations and attract fresh members, making it the key to sustainable community growth and content marketing strategy.

This article will explore how to create, use and maintain evergreen content to keep your community thriving, even as trends and pop culture shift. By focusing on topics that stand the test of time, you can ensure that your community remains active and valuable to its members.

What is evergreen content?

Evergreen content is the kind of content that remains fresh over time. It's a type of content that doesn't have an expiration date and continues to provide value to its target audience long after it's been published.

Let's consider a forum thread in a customer community around "How to use Feature X of Product Y". This kind of content is evergreen because the usefulness of the instructions isn't tied to a specific event or a time frame.

📖 Check out how to create an ideal online community forum.

As long as Feature X remains a part of Product Y, new and existing users can return to this thread for practical help; it's continually relevant. This contrasts with a discussion about a limited-time promotional offer or a topical event (even breaking news), which becomes outdated after the promotion ends or the event passes.

Examples of evergreen content include:

• Articles
• A how-to guide
• A beginner's guide
• A blog post
• A frequently-asked-questions (FAQ) page
• An engaging video tutorial
• Other evergreen writing pieces

Regardless of the common evergreen formats, the defining characteristic of such content is its enduring relevance and value to the community proven by high search volume.

It's about creating a resource that users can return to repeatedly, providing long-term value that exceeds when it is posted. There's no shelf life when it comes to this content.

Why you should create evergreen content for your online community

Evergreen content is not just a one-hit wonder, providing quick bursts of engagement and then fading into obscurity. Instead, it continues to serve, educate and engage members of a community over time.

Here's a deeper look into how evergreen content can influence various aspects of online communities.

Improving SEO rankings

In the realm of Search Engine Optimization (SEO), evergreen content is a powerful tool, as it's search-optimized content based on search intent. Since it remains pertinent over time, this type of content continues to attract web traffic, signaling to Google that your community is a source of valuable, timeless information. This consistent organic traffic can improve your community's search engine rankings.

For instance, let's take an online community for gardening enthusiasts, no matter the keyword difficulty factor. A blog post titled "10 Timeless Tips for Growing Roses" would likely draw consistent traffic and generate leads, as the information remains useful and relevant long past its publication date.

As this page attracts more visits, Google will recognize its ongoing relevance and improve its ranking in search results, making it even easier for rose enthusiasts to find your community.

You can view evergreen articles as free SEO tools that can help your community rank higher and even end up on the first page of Google.

📖 Read more about SEO best practices for online communities and forums.

Community growth and engagement

Evergreen content serves as a pillar for community engagement plan and content marketing. It is relevant to your business, sparks conversation, encourages participation and can draw in new members. A well-written guide or insightful discussion can be shared across multiple platforms and can even encourage users to join the community for access to more such valuable content.

Take, for instance, an online community centered around photography. Write content on "Understanding Camera Aperture: A Comprehensive Guide for Beginners". It's a good tactic, as such an evergreen article will remain a timeless resource. Plus, incorporating insights from news articles statistics can enhance evergreen content by contextualizing information with up-to-date trends and data.

This content format can lead to ongoing discussions, further questions and even user-generated content as community members apply what they've learned and share their results. This dynamic fosters a lively, engaged community and evergreen content is at the heart of it.

📖 Get inspired by our list of community engagement techniques.

Increasing content lifespan and relevance

The typical lifespan of a piece of content on the internet can be relatively short, particularly if it's tied to time-sensitive or trend-driven topics. Timeless content, however, has a much longer lifespan and a steady stream of engagement.

Evergreen content helps communities retain their value and relevance in the long run, creating a knowledge base, a complete glossary, that continually serves its members.

Crafting sustainable content requires a thoughtful, intentional approach so you can find keywords. The goal isn't just to produce content that remains pertinent over time, but also to create a resource that serves as a cornerstone for your community's knowledge and generates leads and more traffic overtime. Below are some refined strategies to help you in this process.

Identify timeless topics

Aim to identify topics that will always hold relevance in the context of your community's purpose. These are typically topics that educate on fundamental principles, answer common questions, or offer timeless advice.

Rather than focusing on trends or news that will eventually fade in relevance, consider the enduring questions and interests, including an evergreen topic, your community shares.

Understand your community's interests and needs

Making timeless content is not about guessing what your community might find valuable — it's about knowing and creating clear, best content marketing strategy. This demands an understanding of your audience that can only be gained by consistent engagement.

Monitor popular topics, keep track of recurring questions and note what types of content spark lively discussions. Doing this will uncover the evergreen pieces that your community will appreciate..

Focus on quality over quantity

Long-lasting posts are meant to be perennially valuable and achieving that demands a focus on quality. An in-depth, thoroughly researched piece will carry more lasting value than a multitude of shallow, cursory posts.

It's not about the volume of content you produce but the value each piece offers. Investing time and effort into crafting a comprehensive resource can pay off with years of relevance and usefulness.

Make your content comprehensive

Aim to cover your chosen topical articles thoroughly. If a community member (or even advanced users) or an external visitor finds your content through a search engine, ideally they should get all the information they need from your content without having to look elsewhere. The more comprehensive your content is, the more valuable it will be to your community and search engines.

Incorporate a unique perspective or valuable insight

Remember that the Internet is filled with content. The unique perspective or valuable insight it offers will make your evergreen article stand out. Sharing expert advice, unique anecdotes, or little-known facts can elevate your content from standard to exceptional.

This is your opportunity to go beyond general knowledge and offer something that only your community can provide.

Avoid unnecessary technical jargon

It's tempting to use industry terms or phrases and other technical language when you've become accustomed to using it inside your own community. When it comes to evergreen content, you should communicate information clearly and concisely to cater to the experts and beginners in your community.

Avoid overly technical language or acronyms. If you must use jargon, explain precisely what you mean so you don't confuse or alienate your readers. This will limit the content's accessibility, long-term effectiveness and, ultimately, organic traffic. When in doubt, keep it simple. 

Understand and use keywords effectively

Evergreen content is often informative and answers questions that people regularly search for. Understanding the keywords related to your topic (by using a keyword tool) and incorporating them effectively into your content will help Google understand and index your content properly.

This could mean the difference between your timeless content being a rich resource only for your community members versus it being a magnet that pulls in visitors from across the web.

Conduct thorough keyword research and pay attention to search volume, search intent and search traffic and use these insights to optimize your article for search engines and rank higher.

Use multimedia to enhance your content

Adding multimedia elements to your content not only makes it more engaging, but it also accommodates different learning styles. Including relevant images, videos, infographics, or even audio files can enhance the comprehension of your evergreen topic.

This additional layer of information can help ensure that your content is accessible and engaging to a wide range of community members.

Techniques to sustain evergreen content

Once you've created sustainable content, your job's still not done. You must ensure that your content continues to thrive, stay relevant and rank high. Here are some effective techniques for doing just that:

Regularly update content to maintain relevance

No matter how timeless a topic might be, there will always be new developments or information that could enhance your existing content. Regularly revisiting and updating your timeless content ensures that it remains accurate, up-to-date and as valuable as possible to your community.

Use internal links to drive traffic to evergreen content

Strategically linking to your timeless posts in newer posts or in popular threads can help drive traffic to these foundational pieces. Not only does this boost the visibility of your evergreen content, but it also encourages newer members to delve into your community's resources.

With Bettermode, this community-centric strategy becomes even more streamlined and impactful. Bettermode content organization tools (and templates like Reddify, Podders, Even Quest and Enjo) allow you to feature long-lasting evergreen posts prominently within your community through pinned threads, widgets, or a dedicated knowledge base.

The platform's analytics dashboard provides insights into which evergreen posts drive the most engagement, helping you refine your strategy further.

Here's an example of a community built with our community website builder.

Promote evergreen content in community discussions and social media

Evergreen content doesn't have to sit passively in your community archives. Promote it in relevant community discussions and on your community's social media channels, as a part of your social media marketing strategy.

Regularly bringing these pieces back to the forefront can help new and existing members discover and engage with them.

Encourage community members to contribute evergreen content

Your community members can be an excellent source of timeless content. Encouraging them to share their own insights and experiences can result in valuable content that you might not have created otherwise.

This can also boost engagement, as members see their contributions being valued and used as resources for the community.

Sustaining such content requires ongoing attention and strategy, but the benefits in terms of community engagement and growth make it well worth the effort.

Evergreen content ideas for online communities

Creating evergreen pieces starts with identifying topics that are perpetually relevant to your community. Here are some blog topic ideas that could inspire your own evergreen content creation:

1. How-to posts and tutorials: These pieces offer practical value to users and can be consulted time and again. For instance, in a gardening community, you might create a "Complete Guide to Organic Gardening," or for a tech community, a "Step-by-step Guide to Building Your First PC."

2. Expert interviews: Conversations with industry leaders or influencers offer timeless insights. For instance, an interview with a renowned chef in a cooking community can offer valuable tips and inspiration that remain relevant. Integrating new research into an existing piece of evergreen content not only keeps it fresh but also ensures its continued relevance and authority in search rankings.

3. Listicles: Well-organized lists on a variety of topics provide digestible, timeless content. "Top 10 Coding Best Practices" for a programming community or "7 Must-Visit Destinations for Solo Travelers" for a travel community would be examples of evergreen articles. Similarly, season articles focused on trends like summer travel or winter recipes attract short-term attention, so incorporating timeless advice can help transform these pieces into evergreen content.

4. Case studies: Real-world examples that illustrate success or lessons learned make for engaging, sustainable content. For a business community, a case study on a successful start-up journey could offer valuable insights.

5. Glossaries or encyclopedic entries: Content that clearly explains industry terms, concepts, or trends can serve as a go-to resource. For a photography community, a "Comprehensive Glossary of Photography Terms" would be a classic piece of evergreen content.

6. Reviews and comparisons: In-depth reviews or comparisons of products, services, or methods retain relevance. In a fitness community, an article like "Treadmill vs. Outdoor Running: A Comparative Analysis" would be continually valuable.

💡 Pro tip: The key is to create content that remains relevant and builds and sustains your community's interest over time. Mixing these evergreen content types with timely content that addresses current trends or events allows you to maintain a vibrant and engaging content strategy.

Measuring the performance of evergreen content in online communities

Effectively gauging the performance of your timeless content is crucial in understanding its impact and optimizing your community's content strategy. Let's walk through some metrics and methods to measure evergreen content performance and how Bettermode, one of the community engagement platforms, can help you do so.

1. Page views over time: Evergreen content should consistently draw traffic. Track the page views on your sustainable content over weeks, months, even years. You're looking for a steady line of visitors, rather than a spike and drop.

With Bettermode’s analytics dashboard, you can monitor traffic trends to your evergreen posts over time. The platform's intuitive reporting tools allow you to see consistent traffic patterns, helping you identify whether your content is maintaining long-term relevance.

2. Engagement metrics: Examine likes, shares, comments and the time users spent on the page. High engagement signals that the content is resonating with your community. Pay particular attention to comments for insights into what aspects are particularly valuable or could be improved.

Bettermode tracks key engagement indicators such as likes, comments, shares and time spent on content. Its member activity tracking features provide insights into which pieces of evergreen content resonate most and create meaningful discussions.

3. SEO rankings: Check where your content is ranking on search engines for relevant keywords. Timeless content often gradually climbs the search rankings as it gains backlinks and demonstrates consistent relevance.

Bettermode optimizes your community for engines by indexing posts, ensuring they appear prominently in search results. The platform supports custom metadata and SEO tags, helping you boost keyword rankings for your content (and considered evergreen articles).

5. Conversion rates: If your evergreen content includes a call-to-action, track the conversion rates. This could be newsletter sign-ups, account creation, or product purchases, depending on your community's goals.

By embedding calls-to-action directly within posts, Bettermode enables you to measure conversions such as sign-ups or purchases. It integrates with marketing tools (like Fullstory, Custom Code Snippet, Mixpanel, Hotjar and Google Analytics), allowing you to track the effectiveness of evergreen writing and content in driving desired outputs.

6. Community contributions: In community settings, sustainable content can spark discussions or encourage user-generated content. Track the number and quality of these community responses.

Bettermode’s content collaboration tools make it easy for members to contribute to or discuss evergreen articles. The platform also offers user-generated content tracking, enabling you to measure the volume and quality of member interactions inspired by your evergreen materials.

Overcoming challenges in creating evergreen content

Creating everlasting content, while immensely rewarding, also poses a set of distinct challenges. Here are a few more tips on potential roadblocks and the strategies to navigate them.

Dealing with the saturation of popular, evergreen topics

When you decide to create content around a timeless topic, you'll often find that the space is already crowded. This saturation can make it difficult for your content to stand out or offer something fresh. The key here is differentiation.

👉 Consider the unique aspects your community brings to the conversation. Does your community have a specific focus or a unique perspective that can provide a fresh spin on the topic? Perhaps you could go more in-depth than typical resources or approach the topic from an angle that hasn't been explored extensively. By differentiating your content, you can discover your niche within even the most populated topic areas.

Keeping evergreen articles engaging and interactive

Evergreen content, by its nature, is often informational and can risk being perceived as static or unengaging. However, it's crucial to remember that your timeless content doesn't exist in a vacuum. It's part of an active, dynamic community.

👉 To keep your sustainable content engaging, consider how it can encourage interaction. This could be as simple as posing questions to your readers or inviting comments. You could also incorporate elements like quizzes, polls, or user-generated content. By making your evergreen content a two-way conversation, you can increase its long-term engagement.

Balancing between trending and evergreen content

While timeless content provides long-term value, trending content taps into the immediacy of the current community interests and conversations.

👉 The solution lies in a blended approach. It's possible to create content that is both timely and evergreen. For example, when a relevant trend arises in your community, consider how you can address it in a way that will also hold value over time. This might mean focusing on the underlying principles or what the broader implications of the trend could mean for your community.

Future of evergreen content in online communities

As we look ahead, sustainable content will continue to play a vital role in the growth and sustainability of online communities. However, it's essential to anticipate trends and adapt to the evolving landscape. Here's what we can expect:

• Interactivity and inclusion. Just as the digital world evolves, so do the techniques and strategies for timeless content. We're likely to see a greater emphasis on interactivity and personalization.
• Community members increasingly want to be part of the conversation, not just passive consumers of information. As such, common evergreen formats will transform into content that invites interaction or is tailored to the user's needs and will gain prominence.
• The demand for inclusive and accessible content will rise. Evergreen content creators will need to consider factors like readability, visual accessibility and cultural sensitivity, ensuring their content can be enjoyed by the broadest audience possible.

Adapting to new formats and platforms

As technology evolves, new content formats and platforms continue to emerge. From podcasts and webinars to immersive VR experiences, the possibilities for evergreen content are expanding. Content creators need to stay informed about these trends and be ready to adapt their content to new formats.

Consider, for example, an evergreen guide in a DIY community. While it may originally have been a text-based article, it could be adapted into a step-by-step video tutorial or an interactive infographic, thereby reaching different segments of the community who prefer those formats.

Here's how Bettermode's Knowledge Base looks.

Evergreen content and emerging technologies

Emerging technologies also present exciting opportunities for sustainable content. Tools powered by AI and machine learning can help identify what content resonates most with your community, providing insights to shape your marketing strategies.

Moreover, advancements in natural language processing could make it easier for community members to discover your timeless content. For instance, voice search could allow members to find your content through voice-activated devices, so considering voice search optimization in your strategy could be crucial.

The role of AI chatbots in SEO and evergreen content

As AI becomes more sophisticated, chatbots like GPT-4 are increasingly becoming a go-to resource for users seeking information. Instead of performing a traditional Google search, users can now pose their questions to these intelligent bots and receive instant, contextual answers.

This shift has significant implications for enduring content and SEO. If users are turning to chatbots for information, the visibility of evergreen content on search engines may decrease. However, this doesn't mean the importance of evergreen content diminishes. Instead, it shifts.

Foundational content can be used to train and improve these AI systems, as they often provide the comprehensive, detailed information that these tools need to provide accurate answers. Content creators in your community may start developing content with the dual purpose of serving their human audience and training AI systems.

Moreover, as these AI chatbots become more integrated into online communities, evergreen content could be used directly within these platforms. For instance, a chatbot in a fitness community could be programmed to share links to sustainable content on workout tips or nutrition guides when users ask relevant questions.

The future of evergreen content in online communities is not static. It will evolve and adapt, just as our communities do. By staying on top of trends and being willing to innovate, we can ensure our sustainable content continues to deliver value and drive engagement in the years to come.

What is an example of evergreen content in an online community? 

To truly understand the impact and potential of timeless content, let's look at a few concrete examples where it has significantly benefited online communities.

One notable example is Stack Overflow, a community for developers. They have built an extensive library of sustainable content in the form of question-and-answer threads. These threads cover everything from basic programming principles to complex coding problems. Over the years, this content has remained relevant and valuable, drawing in countless new users and keeping existing members engaged.

Another example is the personal finance community, Mr. Money Mustache. The founder has written several evergreen blog posts that provide timeless advice on frugality and investing. These posts continue to attract and retain community members, long after they were first published.

What makes these instances successful is the quality, depth and relevance of the content. Both Stack Overflow and Mr. Money Mustache have identified their community's needs and interests, have consistently delivered high-quality content that provides long-term value and, as a result, got search traffic.

Timeless content is much more than a buzzword. It's a powerful tool for sustaining and growing vibrant online communities. It boosts SEO, promotes continuous engagement and most importantly, it stands the test of time. 

However, it's not without its challenges. From staying relevant in a sea of saturation to evolving with technological advancements, it takes insight and effort to keep this type of content fresh and engaging. But when done right, everlasting content is the gift that keeps on giving, offering immense value to both the community and the content creator. 

Conclusion

Timeless content is the foundation of thriving online communities, offering long-term value through consistent engagement, SEO benefits and sustained traffic.

By using tools like Bettermode's analytics and SEO optimization, you can effectively track performance and refine your strategies. When crafted thoughtfully, sustainable content enriches the community experience and establishes a lasting foundation for growth, relevance and meaningful interactions over time.

Get started with Bettermode today; it's free!

This article was originally published on August 15th, 2023, and was updated on November 20th, 2024.

FAQ

What is evergreen content?

Evergreen content refers to timeless, relevant content that remains useful and valuable to audiences over an extended period, requiring minimal updates (e.g., how-to guides, tutorials, FAQs).

What does evergreen information mean?

Evergreen information means knowledge or facts that are not bound by time, Google trends, pop culture, or news cycles, offering consistent value regardless of external changes.

What is an evergreen content strategy?

An evergreen content strategy involves creating and promoting content that continuously attracts traffic, engagement, and value by addressing relevant topics over time.

What is an evergreen concept?

An evergreen concept is an idea or principle that is consistently applicable and valuable, regardless of shifting trends or circumstances.