The UL website is the go-to resource for information about the University, whether that's for current staff and students, or the general public.
This means that it's vital that all information on our website is up-to-date, and doesn't leave the user confused or misinformed.
Content needs to be updated regularly to ensure that it's still relevant and factual however creating “evergreen content” that can stand the test of time is a practical way to help keep on top of this.
What is evergreen content?
Unlike news articles, event postings, or other time-sensitive pieces, which lose their relevance after a certain date, evergreen content maintains its usefulness and appeal regardless of when it is accessed.
This type of content continues to attract traffic, engagement, and shares long after it's initially published.
Every piece of content apart from news and events on the UL website should be evergreen.
How do I make my content evergreen?
First of all, assess if the content is needed. Evergreen content should aim to educate, inform, or solve problems for UL's online users.
Our content needs to offer actionable advice, step-by-step guides, or practical tips.
Future events
Similarly, be careful when talking about future events. "Training will be held next week for staff and students," will be inaccurate if read the following week.
Instead, write “Training will take place on Thursday June 28, 2023…”
Note: Once the event has happened, this mention of the date should be removed entirely or adjusted to reflect the fact that it's now in the past.
Referring to time
Avoid non-specific references to time where possible, and never include the creation date in any evergreen content.
When sharing an achievement or event, state exactly when it happened.
For example, “The department won a prestigious award last week" is not evergreen as if someone were to read that sentence in a week, a month or five years, it would be misleading and incorrect.
Web best practices
Remember to also apply other web best practices, such as keeping content concise, using SEO, using hyperlinks correctly, keeping language simple and optimising for mobile.
Images
Please ensure your chosen images are accurate. For example, avoid using the old UL logo, dated photos of the campus, or of people no longer affiliated with the University.
Monitor
Once you have created your evergreen content, keep an eye on it. Update links when new content is created, and remove what is no longer needed.
If you have an initiative or event that runs every year create one page for it and update the content every year.
This saves having several pages for the same thing, which is very confusing for the user and will result in poor Google search results.