Evergreen content is what stays useful and searched-for months or years after publishing it (a guide on "what is CRO", for example. Trending content responds to something happening right now) a Google update, a passing trend — and generates fast traffic that then almost completely fizzles out.
Why evergreen content is the base of a profitable blog
A well-ranked evergreen article keeps bringing in visits consistently for years, with no need to promote it again. It's the part of a content strategy that builds up traffic month after month, instead of depending on constantly publishing new things.
Why trending content still has a purpose
Even though its useful life is short, this kind of content captures one-off traffic from high-volume searches at a specific moment, and shows that the brand is on top of its industry, which also builds trust even though it doesn't bring lasting traffic.
A reasonable split between the two
For most small and medium businesses, putting most of the effort (around 70-80%) into evergreen content and the rest into trending content usually gives the best balance between stable long-term traffic and presence in current conversations.
Frequently asked questions
How do I know if a topic is evergreen or trending?
Ask yourself whether someone would still be searching for that information in two years the same way they do today. If yes, it's evergreen; if it depends on a specific development that will soon change, it's trending.
Does evergreen content ever need updating?
Yes, even though it stays relevant for a long time, it's worth reviewing it every so often to update data, examples or screenshots that have gone stale, without which it loses some of its credibility over time.
Is it worth publishing trending content if I have little time?
If time is limited, it's usually more cost-effective to prioritise evergreen content, which keeps generating value long after publishing, and save trending content for the occasional high-search-volume moment.