Timeless content

2 minute read

clockicon.jpgI have talked before about creating timeless content but never in detail till now. Its one of the first things I check when searching for content is when it was written.

Content is king. The internet is about content, about finding answers to your questions, it"s supposes to make things easier. As people search the internet for content they are dropped off on your pages. If the content is relevant or useful they will stay and read it, if not they will go somewhere else to find what they need.

Current events only live a short time. When you write a post about a current event in your local town or new and shinny toy, that content is only useful for a short period of time, a few weeks before the event happens and maybe a week after it happens. After the even has taken place and everything has been cleaned up the post becomes useless no one is going to search for it and if they do find it randomly it will not be useful to them, its dead content.

Old information is regarded as useless and out of date information.

I"m not saying there is no place for current events sites (I subscribe to more then a few) but there archives past a few months are useless. Once they stop posting they will fall out of interest with in weeks.

It"s all about timeless content Instead you should be writing timeless content. Content that will still be valid and useful 5 to 10 years after it"s been posted.

This is one of main reasons that I started my offline games website, the rules and games posted there will still be useful in 5-10 years. Maybe even 50 years down the road people will still be searching for how to play crazy 8s, big 2, or king"s cup.

One of the easiest ways to write timeless content is to write about history. The history of a place or person is easy timeless content.

Tips for creating timeless content

  • Include extra information - When writing about a current events or new project, include a history, Include a time line of events that that caused it, and its predecessors. Add extra information that will be useful even after this event as passed and the product has been replaces.
  • Avoid words that give a sense of age - Whenever it is possible don"t mention dates or any reference to how old this content is. If you have to reference the date use a full date Feb 2007 instead of 3 days a go, or last year.
  • Don"t talk about things that change - Don"t talk about things that may change next year. If you are caught it"s a sure sign of the age of the content.

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