Introduction
Creating evergreen and trending content sounds simple, but many creators make critical mistakes that reduce their effectiveness. Some errors cause SEO issues, others hurt credibility, and some just waste your time.
This article explores the top mistakes you should avoid when working with either evergreen or trending content—and how to fix them.
❌ Mistakes in Evergreen Content
1. Being Too General
Evergreen content should be timeless—but not vague.
Bad Example:
“Tips for a Better Life”
Better Example:
“10 Daily Habits That Improve Productivity for Remote Workers”
✅ Tip: Be specific. Focus on solving a real problem that stays relevant.
2. Ignoring SEO Fundamentals
If your evergreen post doesn’t follow basic SEO rules (like keyword optimization, internal linking, etc.), it will never rank.
✅ Tip: Always include:
Keyword in the title, headers, and intro
Meta description
Clean URLs
Internal and external links
3. Failing to Update Content
Evergreen doesn’t mean forever unchanged. Even timeless topics need updating with new stats, tools, or examples.
✅ Tip: Review evergreen articles every 6–12 months.
4. Not Promoting Enough
Just because a post is evergreen doesn’t mean it promotes itself. If you don’t share it, no one will find it.
✅ Tip: Schedule evergreen articles for regular reposting on social media and newsletters.
5. Overstuffing Keywords
To make it evergreen, some creators over-optimize their content. This leads to robotic, unreadable text.
✅ Tip: Write for humans first, optimize for search engines second.
❌ Mistakes in Trending Content
1. Jumping on the Trend Too Late
If you’re slow, your article will be buried by hundreds of others. Trending content is all about timing.
✅ Tip: Use tools like Google Trends, X (Twitter) trends, or TrendHunter to spot viral topics early.
2. Lack of Original Perspective
Rewriting news without offering your own take or value makes your content blend in.
✅ Tip: Ask yourself:
“What’s my unique angle?” or
“How does this trend impact my niche?”
3. Forgetting to Optimize
Even trending content should have:
Meta title and description
Image alt tags
Headings (H1, H2, H3)
Short paragraphs and bullet points
✅ Tip: SEO still matters—even for short-lived content.
4. Clickbait Headlines Without Substance
Promising something huge in the headline but not delivering will hurt your reputation.
✅ Tip: Match the headline to the actual content value. Don't bait and disappoint.
5. No Call-to-Action (CTA)
Many trending posts go viral but don’t guide the user on what to do next.
✅ Tip: Always include CTAs like:
“Read more about this trend”
“Subscribe for updates”
“Try our tool to leverage this trend”
🧠 Common Mistakes in Both
| Mistake | Evergreen | Trending |
|---|---|---|
| No clear structure | ✅ | ✅ |
| Weak visuals | ✅ | ✅ |
| No internal links | ✅ | ✅ |
| Forgetting mobile optimization | ✅ | ✅ |
| Not tracking performance | ✅ | ✅ |
✅ Final Advice
Avoiding these mistakes can drastically improve the impact of both your evergreen and trending content. Here’s the formula:
For evergreen: Be helpful, timeless, SEO-friendly, and up-to-date.
For trending: Be fast, unique, relevant, and optimized.
When you create content the right way, it doesn’t just fill space on your blog—it drives results.