Evergreen content has long held pride of place in content strategies. The idea: create a solid “ultimate guide,” a how-to, a definitive resource—something that stays relevant for months or years, sends steady organic traffic, and requires only occasional updates. But with AI-powered search summaries, answer engines, and generative models extracting and summarizing content, critics are asking: is the evergreen play obsolete?
In fact, that very question was at the core of a recent Search Engine Journal article: “Are AI Search Summaries Making Evergreen Articles Obsolete?” The upshot: yes, some facets of evergreen content are under pressure, but the evergreen model isn’t dead—it just needs recalibration in a new ecosystem.
At Pineapple Digital, we believe AI isn’t killing content—it’s reshaping how content needs to show up and accelerating the need for smarter content mixes. Think of it as a new playground, and you absolutely want to be one of the first kids there.
Let’s dig into why evergreen content is under scrutiny, how you can mix content to serve both Google and LLM-driven systems, and what types of content are truly thriving right now.
What’s the Threat to Evergreen Content?
In the SEJ piece, Ahrefs’ Tim Soulo (via tweet) provocatively declares: “The era of ‘evergreen SEO content’ is over. We’re entering the era of ‘fast SEO.’” He makes the argument that many evergreen topics are now so well covered that AI and search engines can satisfy user queries via summarization—extracting the answer directly without forcing a click to your page.
In addition, a phenomenon called “query fan-out” is shifting how users interact with search results: instead of just the initial query, search engines (or AI overviews) serve follow-up questions or related subtopics. And if the answer to a subset or adjacent point is compelling, the click might go to a different site—or even be satisfied inside the AI summary itself.
The irony: evergreen content that covers the “main topic” may lose traffic, because readers are being served summarized or derivative answers before ever landing on your page.
Still—evergreen content hasn’t vanished entirely. There are core, foundational queries people will always search for (“how to tie a tie,” “how to set up WordPress”) and strong authority sites can become canonical sources over time. The key is to lean on quality, authority and differentiation—not just covering what’s already been done.
How to Think About Your Content Mix Now (For Google and LLMs)
Evergreen content was always meant to serve people first. What’s different now is that your audience includes both humans and machines. Search engines and AI models reward content that’s structured, authoritative and laser-focused on audience needs. That means it’s time to rethink evergreen as “pillar hubs for personas”, supported by timely, trend-driven and unique insights that both your readers—and the algorithms—can’t help but highlight.
To thrive, you need to serve two masters—traditional search engines (Google, Bing, etc.) and generative/LLM-based systems (ChatGPT, Perplexity, Google’s AI Overviews, etc.). Here’s how to build a content mix that works for both.
1. Build Smarter Pillar Pages (Persona-Driven Evergreen)
Evergreen content isn’t about writing a one-size-fits-all “ultimate guide” anymore. The real winners today are “pillar pages” that act as curated hubs—deep resources designed specifically for a target audience or persona.
Why does this matter? Because both Google and LLMs reward clarity of intent and authority and nothing makes your intent clearer than writing directly to a well-defined audience.
- Know your audience deeply. Are you writing to busy marketing directors who want high-level insights and action plans? Or to hands-on SEOs who crave step-by-step breakdowns? Each persona has different pain points, goals and levels of expertise.
- Map content to persona needs. A pillar page for a CMO should organize strategy guides, ROI calculators and trend analysis. A pillar page for practitioners should link out to tutorials, checklists and tool breakdowns.
- Curate, don’t just cover. Think of pillar pages as a curated library. They don’t just present one long essay—they connect the dots between all the supporting content (micro-pages, FAQs, case studies and trend pieces).
- Signal authority. A persona-driven pillar page demonstrates to Google, LLMs and your audience that you understand exactly who you’re talking to and why you’re the best resource for them.
In short: build your evergreen core not around “topics for keywords,” but around personas and problems. That shift is what makes evergreen content evergreen in today’s AI-powered search world.
2. Trend, “Fast SEO” & Timely Content
This is the content that captures what’s new, hot or shifting.
- Monitor industry news, algorithm changes, new tools, emergent topics in your niche.
- Be nimble—faster turnaround (while maintaining quality) can get you first-mover advantage.
- Use trend posts to feed into evergreen pillars: link from trend content back to pillar pages (and vice versa).
3. Authoritative, Experience-Driven & Unique Content
This is where you outrun AI’s summarization capabilities.
- Case studies, original research, data insights, interviews, first-hand expertise—these are types of content that AI can’t easily replicate.
- Personal storytelling, lessons learned, behind-the-scenes processes—these amplify credibility and uniqueness.
- Supporting authority signals: author bios, credentials, references, external linking, expert quotes—all part of what Google and AI systems look for (E-E-A-T).
4. Micro-content, Snippets & Component Pages
These are “mini evergreen” or niche pages targeting highly specific sub-questions or micro topics (especially side questions that might be surfaced by query fan-out).
- For example: if your pillar is “SEO Strategy,” a micro page could be “how to audit internal links in 2025” or “best anchor text strategies.” These pages can be more narrowly focused, easier to update and more targetable for AI excerpts.
- Use schema, FAQ markup, table-of-contents jump links—optimize these content components to be extractable by AI.
Why Investing in Good Content Still Matters
You might ask, “If AI already serves the answer summary, why bother writing content at all?” Great question. Here’s why the investment still pays:
- Authority & Trust: AI and search engines favor content they trust. If your brand becomes a cited, authoritative source (cited by other sites, referenced by AI, linked in answers), you win long-term. Pineapple’s philosophy is that too often brands treat content as SEO fodder; the future is about content earning authenticity.
- Control & Branding: You can’t brand or fully monetize what the AI summary shows. But when users click through, you get the attention, the design, the calls to action, the brand impression and the conversion chances.
- Deeper Engagement & Conversions: Summaries satisfy “just-the-facts” users, but many users want more depth. Your content is where you get time on page, engagement, opportunities for related content exposure, lead capture, upsells, subscriptions, etc.
- Citation/Referral Traffic from AI: Generative systems increasingly reference or cite source sites—if your content is well structured, you might earn “referral traffic” from AI-generated answers. (As pointed out in Pineapple’s blog: AI tools linking to your content is already happening.)
- Resilience: Search engines and AI systems evolve. If you build content infrastructure (pillars, internal linking, authority, diversifying topic coverage), your site is better able to adapt when the algorithms change.
What Kind of Content Is Crushing It Right Now?
If you want to pick winners, look at the types of content that are resonating across both AI and SEO today:
- Tool reviews, tests & comparisons: AI may summarize what the tool does, but your hands-on breakdown, pros/cons, screenshots, use cases, performance metrics—that’s unique content users (and AI) cite.
- Trend/opinion pieces + “state of the industry” reports: People want the latest take. These get shared, linked, timestamped and can become source material for AI.
- Case studies, original data and experiments: Doing your own experiments—A/B tests, data analyses—gives you content others cite, which can be pulled into AI summaries.
- How-to, step-by-step with visuals and multimedia: Again, AI might capture the core steps, but your annotated screenshots, process videos, nuanced caveats and unique framing create value that entices clicks.
- Niche microcontent and FAQ pages: Because query fan-out surfaces sub-questions, having pages built around edge queries (but that link back to your core topics) can help you capture traffic that AI’s summary may skip over.
- Long-form content with “chunked” units: Very long guide posts are still useful—if they’re modular, scannable, deeply referenced and structured so AI can extract sub-answers.
- Content optimized for citation and “answerability”: AI-friendly formatting (FAQs, schema, clear headings), data callouts, bolded summaries—these increase the chance your content gets quoted or surfaced in AI.
Final Thoughts: Evergreen Isn’t Dead—It Just Needs Help
Because of AI’s rise and answer-engine behavior, evergreen content by itself can’t be passive anymore. The rules have changed. But the underlying principle—a reliable resource that earns trust and traffic over time—remains relevant. The brands that thrive will:
- Lean into authority, originality and experience, not regurgitated summaries
- Architect content modularly so AI/answer systems can cite micro-units
- Blend evergreen, trend and niche content for both long-term stability and agility
- Optimize not just for ranking, but for citation, trust and extraction
- Treat content as strategic infrastructure instead of one-off SEO stunts
At Pineapple Digital, we call this “playing in the new content playground.” It’s not optional—if you want your site to remain relevant, visible and engaging, it’s time to evolve how you think of “evergreen.”