Trending content spikes. Evergreen compounds. You need both. But the ratio matters.
Evergreen: 80% of Your Content
How-to guides. Definition posts. Comparison pages. Content that answers questions people will still be asking in 3 years. These articles bring steady traffic month after month. One good evergreen post can outperform 50 news articles in lifetime traffic.
Trending: 20% for Burst Traffic
Industry news. Tool launches. Algorithm updates. These spike then die. Good for short-term attention and social shares. Bad for long-term ROI. Write them sparingly.