Information gain describes the extra value a page provides compared with other documents on the same topic. In SEO it is used to describe content that adds something new, such as original data, first-hand testing, a new framework or a better explanation, rather than restating what every other result says. The term is linked to a Google patent, but Google has not confirmed using an information gain score in ranking.
Where the term comes from
Google holds a patent describing a way to score documents by how much new information they would give a user who has already seen other documents on a topic. Patents describe possible methods, not what is running in production. The idea lines up with Google's public helpful content guidance, which asks whether content provides original information or insightful analysis beyond the obvious, and whether it adds substantial value compared with other pages in results.
Ways a page can add information
- Data from your own product, survey or experiment
- Results of hands-on testing, with screenshots
- Expert commentary or a clear, reasoned opinion
- A worked example with real settings or numbers
- Edge cases and failure modes others skip
- A clearer structure, tool or template that makes the topic easier to act on
Why it matters now
When many pages are written from the same top results, often with AI help, they converge on the same content. Search engines and AI answer systems have little reason to prefer one copy over another. A page that contains something the others do not has a distinct reason to exist and to be cited.
Example
Adding what only the vendor knew
Hypothetical email deliverability tool Saltmarrow wanted to rank for a crowded "email warm-up" topic. Instead of another summary of standard advice, it published anonymized patterns from its own sending data, with a clear note on the sample and its limits, plus a step-by-step schedule its support team actually recommends.
Common mistakes
Treating the patent as a confirmed ranking factor
Describe information gain as a principle supported by Google's public guidance, not as a known algorithm.
Adding novelty for its own sake
Unusual takes that are wrong or unhelpful are not gain. The new information has to serve the reader.
Questions
There is no public metric. A practical check: list what the top results all say, then list what your page adds that none of them do. If the second list is empty, the page needs more work.
