Information Gain: What It Means For Your Content
Most content doesn’t fail because of poor writing or grammar. It fails because it doesn’t say anything new.
Search engines prioritise content that shows originality and real usefulness. Yet most articles still replicate the same H2s as the top-ranking SERPs — or slap on a fake author profile to try to boost expertise.
Information gain matters more. It asks: What will readers learn from yours that they don’t already know from the top results?
Below, I’ve explored what information gain means, how to actually add new information, and why you can’t add fake writer profiles to trick Google, all based on my own experience as a freelance content writer.
What Information Gain Means
Information gain refers to the ‘additional useful information’ your content provides in comparison to existing content on the same topic.
In SEO theory, taking into account Google’s information gain patent, this concept relates to how search systems may identify pages that introduce novel, relevant, or differentiated information.
Put in plain English:
If your content only repeats what already ranks, it has low information gain. If it introduces meaningful new insight or primary research, it has higher information gain.
Good content should reduce the need for a user to keep searching. If they leave your page and immediately go back to Google, the content has likely failed to deliver sufficient information gain — and so your page’s ranking drops.
This is why you should do more than just copy the structure of posts that rank for your keyword.
The Problem With Fake Writer Profiles
One emerging trend – or problem — in content marketing is the attempt to simulate authority through fake author bios to hack information gain or to trick Google and their readers into thinking they offer expertise.
I have seen this first hand. When talking to potential clients, one asked me to provide my name and bio to go on their site without any written work.
A real email from a prospective client.
Likewise, many of my writing peers have been asked by old clients if they can use their likeness even if they have not worked together for years.
And in the worst cases, some writers have found that sites that they have no affiliation with have stolen their credentials.
While this may temporarily improve perceived trust, it does not contribute any long-term E-E-A-T signals.
Strong content relies on demonstrable experience, not decorative profiles! If credibility cannot be verified beyond the page itself, it is unlikely to sustain long-term trust with either users or search systems.
What Google Is Actually Looking For
While Google does not explicitly confirm “information gain” as a ranking factor in its Creating Helpful Content literature, its guidance points marketers in the same direction.
Google encourages creators to produce content that includes:
- Original information or analysis
- Substantial and comprehensive coverage of a topic
- Insight beyond what is immediately obvious
- Clear expertise and trustworthy authorship signals
- Content people would genuinely want to bookmark or recommend
Again, this just means that content should contribute something meaningful to the existing web, not replicate it.
For example, most articles on “SEO copywriting tips” will repeat the same surface-level advice:
- Write clear headlines
- Include keywords
- Optimise meta descriptions
A higher information gain version would go further by:
- Showing real performance differences from A/B testing copy changes
- Explaining which SEO copy techniques fail in specific industries
- Including examples from actual client work or campaigns
- Breaking down decision-making processes, not just outcomes
That difference is what separates generic content from genuinely useful content.
And to stand on business here, in my experience, the blogs and landing pages I have written for clients always perform best when we either include real case studies or use primary research within.
Of course, this may not always be possible, but for strong rankings that remain consistent, it’s worth investing more time (and sometimes money) into helpful content that will stand the test of time.
How To Add Information Gain To Your Content
You don’t need to reinvent the wheel.
However, you do need to stop writing like everyone else — which typically means avoiding the default SERP structure and instead building your content around original research and experience. Get out there and dig into the topic!
Pro Tip: This criteria also works for refreshing old content.
Practical ways to increase information gain include:
1. Add First-Hand Insight Or Data
Include experience from real projects or campaigns. Even anonymised examples significantly improve perceived originality. And your team may want to conduct small experiments for the purpose of content.
2. Go Beyond Structural Replication
Do not simply mirror competitor articles section by section.
Instead, use SERPs as a reference point. After all, they do show what readers are interested in.
But once you have assessed them, introduce additional angles, missing context, or deeper explanation. Use your own expertise.
3. Include Contrasting Perspective
Where appropriate, acknowledge common advice and explain where it breaks down in practice. This adds credibility and depth.
For instance, I would say that it’s great to follow the content writing best practices. Most SERP results say that these rules are made from gold. Yet sometimes, they do not work, and content marketers may need to experiment and break a few rules to find their audience.
4. Introduce New Evidence Or Interpretation
This could be original research, synthesised insights from multiple sources, or a clearer framework for understanding the topic.
Ask yourself: What would you need to understand this topic better?
Add New Information to Your Content
Information gain and genuine new research, strategy, or opinion will always matter more than a fake author profile.
If you want to bring fresh angles or expert research into your content, a freelance writer can help strengthen your output.
Contact me today to learn how I can help or head back to the blog.
