There is so much content we go through on the internet. Gated Content is content that is accessible by the users only when they take action ( filling out the form, registering, signing up, or paying for access ). This type of content is called gated content. Examples of such content are ebooks, webinars, templates, and more.
Significance of Gated Content?
Gated content can gain importance only if we handle it efficiently. Gated content acts as the lead magnet with which businesses attract qualified leads. This content insists users perform certain access like logging in, registering, or subscription to access the premium content available after crossing the gated content. It’s also a primary monetization strategy for subscription-based services. This is a bit challenging for the search engine to crawl and index content that is behind the paywall or form.Â
SEO Importance for Gated Content
Mostly, the gated content drives user engagement and generates leads. It is also evident that there can be chances that the search engine can affect ranking. Google trusts websites that are crawlable and indexable; Google can’t access the gated content. It might penalize the site for the reason of cloaking and missed opportunities.Â
Best Practices for Gated Content
- It is a good way to provide a Summary with keywords and relevant content for the gated content so that Google can index and crawl the page’s value without the need for full access. Â
- Google recommends offering a preview of content that is called flexible sampling, which includes 6 to 8 articles per month. The aim is to let users and search engines know the value of content before buying a subscription.
- Â Using structured data (like schema markup) to inform Google that the content is gated reduces the risk of being mistaken for cloaking.
- Use the meta tag “no archive “. If your gated content is behind the paywall, you can add a “no archive” meta tag to prevent search engines from displaying cached versions of the gated pages.
FAQs
- What’s the difference between lead magnets and gated content?
Lead magnets are a type of gated content, high-value resources (like PDFs or webinars) are offered in exchange for contact information. Gated content includes paywalled articles or other premium content. - What is non-gated content?
Nongated content is freely accessible content that does not require any action (such as filling out a form or making a payment) for access. Most online content, like blog posts, general information pages, and newsletters, is non-gated content.
