Information gain refers to the net new, unique insight a piece of content adds beyond what’s already available in existing top-ranking content on the same topic, a concept associated with several Google-held patents related to ranking and content evaluation.
Content that merely restates or rehashes information already thoroughly covered elsewhere provides little information gain, while content offering a genuinely new angle, original data, or deeper analysis provides meaningfully more value.
Prioritizing genuine information gain, rather than simply matching or slightly rewording existing top-ranking content, is an important principle for creating content that can meaningfully differentiate and compete.
We prioritize genuine information gain within our SEO Content Strategy service.