Google's "Information Gain" Filter: Why Summarising Page One Isn't Enough
What’s in this article
- Google’s Information Gain concept rewards content that adds something new rather than repeating information already available in search results.
- Simply summarising top-ranking pages may not give readers a compelling reason to visit your website.
- Include original research, expert opinions, practical examples and first-hand insights.
- Identify gaps in competing content and answer questions that existing pages overlook.
- Focus on delivering unique value and deeper insights to improve content quality, search visibility and user engagement.
Search for almost anything today and you’ll notice a strange pattern. The top ten results have similar content, sequences, and examples. For digital marketers and their clients, the winning formula was publishing rehashed content, adding a few examples,and discovering their websites landing on page one.
Unfortunately, that approach doesn’t work anymore.
In today’s competitive digital landscape, Google prefers pages that bring something new to the table. A Google patent explains how it can measure information gain—fresh, riveting, high-ranking content you can’t find elsewhere. This strategy doesn’t merely settle for mediocrity, it strives for webpage copy that adds value to the reader.
As trusted Australian digital marketers, we can help you adapt the information gain concept, produce original content for your website, and drive business growth. This blog explains Google’s information gain filter, enabling you to understand what makes content valuable to readers, stand out from your competitors, and strengthen your SEO performance.
What Is Information Gain in SEO?
Information gain in SEO refers to new or additional information a website provides compared with others publishing the same content. Fresh, exclusive webpage copy adds value to your readers instead of repeating information from other websites.
Uploading new information to your webpage is similar to getting advice before a holiday. Your first friend tells you to pack sunscreen, a second friend says the same, and your third friend tells you the local markets only take cash and the last ferry leaves at 6pm. That third friend leaves a lasting impression because he told you something the others didn’t.
Google information gain works the same way. A page that repeats what ten competitors already say may be accurate and well written, yet still add almost nothing for a reader who has seen those other pages. A page with fresh facts, first-hand experience, or a different angle offers more, and that makes it more appealing to the reader, who will come back for more.
What the Google Information Gain Patent Actually Says
The Google information gain patent is called Contextual estimation of link information gain (US 11,354,342), which was filed in October 2018 and granted in June 2022. Victor Carbune and Pedro Gonnet Anders were named as the inventors.
In plain terms, the patent describes a system that sorts documents into two groups: pages a person has already viewed and new pages they might see next. Each new page is then given a score based on how much information it presents beyond a user’s existing knowledge. A machine learning model does the scoring, and the patent notes that search results may be ranked partly on those scores.
Two cautions are worth keeping in mind:
- A patent shows what a company wanted to protect, not proof of what runs in its live systems: Google hasn’t confirmed information gain as a named ranking factor.
- The direction is hard to ignore: Google’s own helpful content guidance has long asked whether a page offers original information, research, or analysis and whether it adds real value compared with other pages in the results. The patent backs up this advice, encouraging digital marketers and their clients to produce new knowledge and fresh website copy.
Why Google Information Gain Patent Matters
The timing is no accident. Near-identical pages have proliferated on the internet, and it’s growing at an alarming rate.
When Ahrefs analysed 900,000 newly created web pages in April 2025, it discovered that 74.2% contained some AI-generated content. Only 25.8% were classed as fully human-written, while 2.5% were judged to be pure AI.
These findings aren’t a biased judgement on AI tools. Plenty of good writers use them. Remember, the issue is what happens when thousands of people ask similar tools to summarise the same page one results. The search results reveal thousands of pages that sound alike because they’re drawn from the same handful of sources.
For a search engine, that’s a heap of pages with little value. For this reason, information gain is an effective digital marketing strategy that sorts the useful from the repetitive.
How to Make Your Content More Original
You don’t need a huge research budget to incorporate information gain and make your website content more original. You will impact more customers and improve your SEO presence if you offer exclusive webpage copy your competitors cannot.
The following information gain strategies can help you achieve these goals:
- Share first-hand experience: Describe your actual experiences, including mistakes, surprises, and real costs. This content is gold, because nobody can copy them from page one and resonate deeply with your readers.
- Use your own data: Customer survey results, sales trends, job costs, or response times matter. Even a small sample from your own records presents new information that your customers may find compelling.
- Ask experts real questions: A short interview with a tradie, accountant, or engineer gives you quotes and details your competitor’s don’t.
- Take a clear position: If typical advice is wrong for some situations, state your case and explain your stance.
- Show your work: Original photos, portfolios, and before-and-after results add depth that reworded text never will.
- Answer the next question: Determine additional information your readers are looking for after reading the top results, then provide exhaustive answers.
Here’s a handy test before you hit publish. Cover your brand name and ask yourself: “Could a competitor have written this by reading the same five articles?” If the answer is yes, keep working.
Need help with your website?
At Heart Digital, our team have extensive experience designing, building and optimising websites to help local business grow and succeed online. Get in touch to discuss how we can help you.
Transform Ordinary Research Into Original Content
Reading what already ranks is still smart research. It shows you what readers expect and which questions you need to ask. The mistake is being content with that approach.
Remember, the pages that hook more readers, reach potential customers, make a resounding impact, and drive business growth are the ones that add something real: a number, a story, a test result, or an opinion backed by experience.
If you’re unsure where your content stands, book an appointment with Heart Digital today. Our professional SEO services can review your pages against competitors and show you where you’re merely following the crowd and where you can offer genuine, long-lasting value.
Either way, every content brief should now include something that readers will learn that they cannot elsewhere. By prioritising information gain in SEO, your business will stand out from the competition and offer unique, relevant content.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is information gain in SEO?
It’s a measure of how much new information a page offers compared with pages a reader has already seen on the same topic. Pages that add fresh facts, experience, or insight are more valuable than pages that simply repeat existing content.
Is Google information gain a confirmed ranking factor
Google hasn’t officially confirmed it. However, its patent describes the system in detail, and Google’s public advice on helpful content rewards original information and analysis, so the direction is clear.
When was the Google information gain patent granted?
The patent “Contextual estimation of link information gain” (US 11,354,342) was filed in October 2018 and granted to Google in June 2022.
Can AI-written content still rank well?
AI-written content can still rank well on Google if it adds something new. The problem isn’t the tool but the repetition. Content that only re-words existing pages offers little value, whereas AI-assisted content enriched with original data, examples, or expert input can still perform well.
How can small businesses create information gain without a big budget?
Use what you already have: customer questions, job photos, pricing insights, case studies, and staff expertise. A quick survey of your customers or an honest lesson can offer more value than a long rewrite.
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