I’ve been having this discussion with one of my clients recently. When it comes to their blog, they happen to be very fond of repurposing current news articles related to their industry. Now, there’s nothing that’s necessarily wrong about this.
Good News and Bad News
The content is of good quality. It is fresh. It is relevant. It enables both internal and external link opportunities (as in links to the source articles and other informational sites). Above all else, it is timely.
However, the concept of “timely” news is a double-edged sword. On one hand, blog articles based on current news and events are good for customer engagement, especially if you have a large stable of regular blog readers and social media followers.
On the other hand, current news is just that. How long will it actually be relevant? In a year (maybe a month, maybe even a week), that article topic may have little-to-no resonance with readers. Let’s say you are in real estate and you write a blog article about current housing trends (home prices, sales ratios, mortgage rates, etc.). That’s great information that regular readers will love to have. Unfortunately, it won’t be long before that information is useless. In a month, the housing trends are probably going to be completely different. An article like this should be a monthly or quarterly feature on your blog, so it can always stay up-to-date.
Finding the Right Balance
I’m not trying to talk anyone out of doing timely and current news articles. In fact, next week’s article will talk more about the importance of having a nicely balanced and blended approach to business blogging. The point I am trying to make in this article is that you should aim to have a good portion of your web content be “evergreen.”
By evergreen, I mean content that won’t get as dated (if at all). Certain blog articles such as consumer tips, product/service details, customer case studies and general industry-related topics will include information that will be relevant for a long, long time.
Even certain company news items such as awards, certifications or other recognitions can stay evergreen for a long time. Heck, if you won a Nobel Prize in 1997, that still holds a lot of weight today even if someone is just reading the original news article now.
How Much Content Should Be Evergreen?
I would typically argue that at least half of your blog content should have evergreen qualities that will be good for organic SEO. At the same time, it doesn’t have to be 100% evergreen information. Ultimately, your blog should feature a healthy blend of different topics and article approaches. This will enable your business to accomplish various goals, including organic SEO growth, existing customer engagement and new customer attraction/conversion.
To learn more about blogging for your business or to get started with a custom blog campaign, contact me today and let NextGear Marketing take your content to the next level.
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