Google Panda Refresh is Around the Corner

At SMX Advanced last week, Google’s Gary Illyes revealed that a Panda refresh will be coming in the next few weeks, which means some sites are likely to see a dip in rankings, traffic, and worse, sales. The Panda refresh will impact sites that are not producing high-quality content on a regular basis.

As Google continues to up its content standards, content marketers, digital copywriters and organic SEOs are continually trying and testing new strategies that are not only search engine friendly but will also provide the best user experience possible. So let’s talk about evergreen content and why it stands strong.

What is Evergreen Content?

Evergreen content comes in many forms, from blog posts and articles to checklist and comparisons. Really, it’s any type of informative content that withstands the test of time. It isn’t a news bite or a press release.

Rather, evergreen content offers immediate value to users, and continues to hold its value for months, even years, after the original publish date. Evergreen content is also easy to keep fresh with regular updates—and we know how much Google’s Panda loves to snack on those fresh new chutes.

I’ve always said, “Top Google rankings don’t mean a lick if you don’t get that click.” That’s my way of saying that web content has to speak to real people (users) and search engines (algorithms). Catering to one without the other is futile.

For instance, you can craft a great piece of content for users, but if it isn’t optimized for search engines, no one will find it. On the flipside, you can write a piece of content to feed the search engines and get ranked, but if you don’t speak to your audience, no one will want to read it.

This rule applies to all types of content, including evergreen.

Let’s look at three proven ways to sow the seeds and reap the benefits of evergreen content.

Beginner Guides & How-to Articles

There will always be someone who has never heard of your brand, products or services. They’re beginners, newcomers, and there’s always another following behind the last.

Evergreen content is designed so that it will never be obsolete. Since there are always going to be newcomers, beginner guides and how-to articles are a great source of evergreen content. You write them, you plant them, and they’ll continue to thrive indefinitely.

Pet store owners might create pages like this:

• Introduction to Golden Retrievers: How to House-train Your New Puppy
• What to Do When Your Pet Refuses to Eat
• Long-hair vs Short-hair: A Beginner’s Guide to the Feline Family

How-to articles and beginner guides keep both newcomers and loyal customers coming back for more.

Frequently Asked Questions

Users love FAQ pages. So do search engines.

The advantages of FAQs reaches beyond the obvious, which is to help your readers find quick answers to their questions. When FAQ pages are available online, call volume to your customer service team is drastically lowered. A more efficient team means cash in your pocket.

Larger sites can really take advantage of this content opportunity by building out multiple FAQ pages that focus on various topics, products and services. Cull through the common questions you hear from prospects and customers, then separate them into categories.

Software companies may think categorize FAQs into:

• Installation & Compatibility
• Updates & Bug Fixes
• Technical Support

Checklists & Templates

No one wants to reinvent the wheel. And a many prefer not to cook from scratch.

Checklists and templates offer instant user gratification by solving an immediate need. Plus you want to feed that Panda! Keeping up with industry best practices and making small adjustments to checklists and templates are a quick and easy way to generate evergreen content that never goes out of style.

A digital marketing company might offer:

• PPC Analytics Spreadsheet Template
• Powerpoint Templates Your Boss Will Love
• Website Redesign: Pre & Post Launch Checklists

Don’t forget—the Google Panda refresh is quickly approaching. Will you be ready? The sooner you sow the seeds for your evergreen content, the sooner you’ll be reaping the long-term benefits of them.

Have a hot new idea for producing evergreen content? Share with us in the comments below!