Quote from James A.Hart on June 29, 2025, 11:47 am

One of the most underrated SEO strategies in 2025 is Information Gain — the act of adding truly unique insights, original research, or expert-level context that users can’t find anywhere else.

This concept is deeply rooted in Google’s Helpful Content Guidelines, which repeatedly ask:

• “Does the content provide original information, reporting, research, or analysis?”
• “Does the content offer insightful analysis or interesting information that is beyond the obvious?”

It’s clear: if your content adds nothing new, it won’t stand out — and won’t rank.

Why Information Gain Matters

Let’s look at a real-world example. The article ranking #1 on Google for “learn affiliate marketing” stands out not just because it’s well-written — but because it’s filled with insights gained from 14 years of direct affiliate experience.

This is the kind of detail you can’t fake. It gives the content an edge that generic, surface-level posts simply can’t match.

But What If You’re Outsourcing Content?

Here’s the challenge: most freelance writers aren’t domain experts. If you’re outsourcing your content, how can you expect them to add meaningful insights?

That’s where AI comes in — when used strategically.

Modern AI writing tools can now incorporate custom knowledge that typical models don’t have. For example, using Surfer AI’s Custom Knowledge feature, you can feed the tool facts, case studies, or internal expertise that your competitors haven’t mentioned.

Say you’re in the tax niche. You could input:

• “This client has 30 years of experience in tax law.”
• “Tax deadline for 2025 is April 24th.”

Now your AI-generated article contains information other tools simply won’t include — and that’s a huge Information Gain advantage.

Final Thoughts

As Google continues rewarding original, helpful content, Information Gain will only become more essential. In a world full of copycat articles, the fastest way to stand out is to offer something truly new.