PracticalDermatology

Evergreen content is ever-relevant content. It doesn’t age, lose value, or become outdated. In several weeks, months, or years, the information will still be accurate, the topic will still be interesting, and the content will still be valuable to your readers or viewers.

Benefits of Evergreen Content

Your landscaping probably includes some evergreen plants. They don’t put on the spectacular seasonal display that summer flowers do, but they provide value all year long. Your dermatology content marketing strategy should include some evergreen content, for the very same reason.

• Backlinks. A high-quality, evergreen article will increase in performance over time. People who find it useful will bookmark it, return, and read it again. They will share it with others and link to it from their own blogs, even months or years later.
• SEO (search engine optimization). A blog post discussing that celebrity who just announced she uses Botox is likely to be popular. If it is optimized for the keywords “benefits of Botox” and “antiaging treatment,” you will probably rank well for those keywords—until people lose interest in the story. By contrast, well optimized evergreen content can keep you at the top of Google’s results indefinitely.
• Branding. Every dermatologist wants to be seen as a thought leader, expert in the field, and exceptionally skilled doctor. Patients are looking for above-average care, and professional opportunities open for those at the top of their field. Highly informative, evergreen articles become reference sources, positioning you as a credible expert.
• ROI. It takes time to thoroughly research a topic. If you are speaking from experience, it takes time to brainstorm and transform your thoughts into concise content. Text, images, and video all need editing. Simply stated, creating top-quality content isn’t cheap or easy. With evergreen content, your investment will increase in value over time.

Benefits of Time-sensitive Content

At this point, evergreen probably sounds like a much better deal. It is like the gift that keeps on giving. If you can have something with lasting value, why would you bother with content that will become irrelevant in a few days or weeks?

• Short-term performance. Evergreen content is less likely to go viral, and it generates less interest when published. An article about preventing acne scars will be just as relevant next year as it is today. However, it will never be a hot topic, unless a medical breakthrough puts it in the news. A blog announcing that breakthrough would attract a high volume of traffic, for a short time.
• Social media. Make no mistake, evergreen content is widely shared across social networks. However, most users are focused on the current moment. They are discussing what they saw in the news, what they are doing tomorrow, and what’s on their minds. Therefore, you will always find a high percentage of time-sensitive material, posted while it’s still relevant.
• Audience loyalty. While evergreen content can keep people coming back to the same article, a regular supply of trending topics will keep them coming back to the website or blog. Be creative, be current, and your audience will grow. Time-sensitive content keeps your site fresh and relevant, providing it is added regularly.
• SEO. Both content types can help your search ranking. While evergreen content builds authority and accumulates backlinks, time-sensitive content can up your freshness factor. Google has a preference for fresh, original content and websites that are frequently updated.

Find a Balance

The ideal dermatology content marketing plan includes both evergreen and time-sensitive content.

A few examples of evergreen topics include:

• How-to articles (the best technique for washing your face)
• Basic information (symptoms of acne)
• General tips and advice (10 common rosacea triggers)
• Case studies (how scar revision helped heal emotional wounds for a trauma survivor)

Common time-sensitive topics include:

• Seasonal—Related to holidays or weather
• News—Announcements, new products, groundbreaking research
• Trending—Celebrity styles, viral videos, the latest fad
• Frequently changing topics—The latest laser technology, “most popular” lists, reviews of cosmetic products

As you can see, the line between time-sensitive and trending isn’t always clear. A blog discussing dermal fillers may be relevant for many years. However, if you mention specific product names, your article becomes outdated as soon as the company updates its line. Even general information can evolve. Next month a company might introduce an entirely new type of formula, changing basic facts such as what is and isn’t possible.

Refreshing Content with Updates

Regular updates to your blog and website content will keep these semi-evergreen articles relevant. When new scientific research, product launches, or other events render your content outdated, change it. For blogs and other dated articles, add a note of when it was updated and a summary of what changed. Frequent updates also have the benefit of increasing the content’s freshness factor, which improves search rankings.

Some time-sensitive content can also be made relevant again with a quick update. This is especially true of holiday articles and videos. A warning about allergens and impurities in cheap Halloween makeup will be just as valuable next October as it was last year. Add a little new information and turn it into a current post, updated for this year.

Recycling Old Content

You can also recycle some content, bringing it back into public attention without doing an update. A social media post about spring allergies can include a link to last year’s blog. An old holiday video can be included in this year’s newsletter. A current article can include links to old blog posts that provide background information on the topic.

There are many effective ways to revamp old content, but there is also a wrong way. Imagine you published an article about winter sun protection for skiers in 2016. When ski season 2018 rolls around, you copy some or all of the text to a new article, and simply publish it as something new. What will happen?

Google will see two pages with identical blocks of text, and regard them as duplicate content. The older page will drop in search ranking, and the new page will probably never rank well. If you want to bring old content back to life, either add updates or simply share links.