When writing a blog or an article online it is wise to keep in mind the shelf-life that your post will have. But at the same time writing something that is a 'hot topic' can bring in more views. People like new but these also want something they can keep coming back to. It is a difficult balancing act. Do you want something that will last long enough that it will come up in search results for the future? Or do you want something that will drive heavy traffic for a short period of time? And is it possible to do both?
The Power Of Timeless
It seems like a funny idea having something timeless on the internet. One of the things the net does best is the constant uploading of new, exciting and current information. But some posts, mostly how-to guides, can be shared and discussed for years to come. This is a matter of what you are writing about. Techniques that are proven to work, even if new techniques come out, are timeless. Ideas can be timeless. You are timeless. There is only one you and stories about your life that are positive and inspiring, regardless of the era that they happened in, can always be shared. And the internet is not always as fast as people think it is. As quickly as the search engine can archive something, it still takes time to be seen. Even if the post is worth sharing, it will still need to be found by someone, they in turn have to read it and then share it, the people on their network have to see it and read it and share it and so on and so forth. Unless you have a forum with an established reader list, your blog will take time to get out there. Blogs get archived. And no one is going to care about the 2016 election when 2017 rolls around Slow and steady can win the race, but it also can be at a disadvantage in the faster paced world of the internet.
The Power Of The Trend
The way the system is set up now, I cannot deny the power of the trend. If you mention Hillary or Trump in my article title there is a better chance that people will click it. People are searching for things that are current. Even in their own field of interest, people want to know what is new. Techniques and technological advancements are present in every field. That doesn't take away what has worked but when you are looking for viewers, a lot of them want new. Plus when you write about something current, it is being talked about. You can be apart of the conversation and gain momentum from other posts on the same subject. But trend is short lived. This means quality is going to pay a price. And if your post doesn't go viral soon, it will sit on your hard drive with little reuse factor in the future.
Combining The Two
Of course the best thing is to write an article that is both. But as the two can be at opposite ends, it may be difficult to achieve this. One stragety is to use a trending topic to introduce a more timeless idea or talk about a timeless idea with trending examples. For example, the examples I'm using in this blog about the the current election. This post has timeless elements to it, it should be useful as long as blogging and article writing are a part of the internet. But using examples of the current election in my title and in the post give it a relenvce factor. It makes the idea come to life and attracts users to the idea. Don't abuse that. It is easy to just staple a popular topic to a post to bring in views but that will angry and push away a lot of your readers. Think of a relevent topic that is a useful example or match for your ideas and if you pair the two properly, you can get the views for the post while keeping the article from fading quickly.
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