Gated content, traditionally a powerful tool for lead generation, is seen by some to be losing its impact. It’s time to rethink gated content to ensure it delivers value to customers and publishers.

Customer expectations have evolved. Today's website visitors expect to access valuable information without the barrier of a lead capture form. A survey of B2B tech buyers by LinkedIn showed that only 25% were willing to exchange their details to access content. 

Moreover, the information collected through lead capture forms is not always useful for identifying leads without further work. Users are not above providing ‘grey mail’ or fake email addresses to gain access to your ebook or white paper. And competitors downloading your content for their own purposes aren’t your target audience either.

Yet, this does not mean gated content is dead. For many B2B brands, the strategic use of gated content remains a crucial part of their content marketing mix. The key lies in reevaluating what content is worth gating, redefining your expected outcomes, and how it fits within the broader context of an SEO-informed strategy.

Balancing SEO and Gated Content

SEO and gated content, though different in nature, are both integral aspects of a modern digital marketing strategy. SEO focuses on making your website easy to find, drawing in organic traffic, and creating content that users searching for your solutions will love. It lays the groundwork for your website's text and for paid and free social media strategies. 

On the other hand, gated content, which traditionally captures valuable user data in exchange for access to high-value content, offers potential benefits beyond lead generation. It can provide a deeper understanding of user interests and needs, drive deeper engagement, and foster brand loyalty by providing exclusive, value-added content.

However, it's important to recognise that the two aren't mutually exclusive, nor does one take precedence over the other. In fact, the two can work symbiotically to create a well-rounded and effective digital marketing approach. By striking the right balance between SEO and gated content, businesses can reap the rewards of both increased visibility and deeper audience engagement.

Why Gate Content in 2023?

The main point of gated content used to be that it was a lead generator for your sales team. This first-party data is vital in 2023, as we’ve seen the death of third-party cookies over the last year. That said, sales and marketing teams need to be realistic about the quality of these leads. 

One download does not indicate a contact is in-market or equal a high lead score. Likewise, a lead form submission doesn’t mean the individual is ready for or interested in a call from the sales team. Depending on what stage of the buyer’s journey your gated content is designed for, these contacts may still be early funnel shoppers. A call from a salesperson when they just wanted your free ebook could easily backfire.

By shifting the focus from simply generating leads to gaining insights, gated content can become a powerful tool for understanding and engaging your audience, ultimately leading to a more effective marketing strategy.

While gated content can be a potential source of leads, it's just as important to view it as a rich source of data for your marketing team. The content a visitor chooses to download or access gives invaluable insights into their specific interests, pain points, and needs.

When a user downloads material about a particular topic, it not only tells you what they're interested in but also suggests where they might be in the buyer's journey. For instance, a download of a high-level industry trend report might indicate a user in the awareness stage. A user downloading a product comparison sheet could be closer to making a decision.

This data can be used to tailor automated follow-up communications that nurture leads effectively. Instead of a one-size-fits-all approach, you can address needs based on specific user behaviour. This might mean sending them further content related to the topic they showed interest in, or offering a free consultation if they've downloaded a product-specific piece of content.

Analysing the performance of various gated content can also help in refining your content strategy. If certain topics or types of content get more downloads, it's a clear indication of what your audience finds most valuable. You can then create more of that type of content. If other content types are performing poorly, it might be time to reassess whether those topics are of interest to your target audience.

What Should You Gate?

Worthwhile gated materials require resources and effort to produce. They are often elevated beyond the content available for free on your site and usually require extra budget or expertise on the brand’s part. 

A good rule of thumb is to only gate material the reader cannot get elsewhere. That can take several forms:

• Proprietary data — The best way to offer information that readers can’t get from competitors is to go out and get the data yourself. Conduct your own research and create exclusive, authoritative reports. Establishing your brand as a trusted source for industry insights will also make you top of mind for future needs. 

• Webinars — Maintaining a regular schedule of online events can serve as a strong pillar in your content strategy. By assembling a panel of experts to speak on a specific topic in an exclusive, live event, you're providing your audience with a unique opportunity to learn from industry leaders and practitioners. Staying in the loop with your next event and gaining on demand access is also a solid reason to provide their contact details!

• Supplemental templates and resources — Develop a resource that will help users pursue a new topic or approach within your field. A lot of gated content is large-scale with high production value. These materials are different; they act as an added bonus to the free, organic content the reader has already found on your site. For example, if you have an article about calculating the lifetime value of a customer, you can add a bonus downloadable worksheet to help people write out these calculations on their next campaign. 

• Interviews and expert insights — What makes people pick up a magazine at the checkout? The celebrity on the cover. The same can be true for what makes them fill out a lead form. You could examine a topic from the different perspectives of industry influencers and associate your brand with the authority of a range of people with a track record of success. 

• Detailed case studies — Similar to gating the wisdom of industry experts, you may want a gated version of select case studies. This is a chance to dig into details you wouldn’t want to share on your free, public web pages. A detailed case study will include exclusive findings from real tests and experiences. 

• Long-form content — Ebooks, white papers, and comprehensive guides can be a great approach for gated materials. 

What Not to Gate in 2023

As digital consumers continue to crave for freely accessible, valuable information, it's essential to curate your content calendar to meet these expectations. The bulk of your content should be ungated to nurture user engagement, sustain organic traffic, and create ample opportunities to guide prospects along the customer journey.

While a visitor is navigating through your site, even if they're not actively downloading gated content, you can still use marketing automation to understand their browsing habits and cultivate a relationship. The question then is, what forms of content are best kept ungated to ensure they make it to your site in the first place?

• Blog posts, articles, and press releases – These help establish thought leadership and offer insights that spark user interest.

• Product demos and tutorials – These give an in-depth look at your offerings, enabling potential customers to see firsthand the benefits and usability of your product or service.

• YouTube videos and podcasts – These forms of content are increasingly popular and can be embedded in accompanying blog posts. They offer a dynamic and engaging way to share information and broaden your brand's reach.

• Customer testimonials and case studies – By sharing success stories and positive customer experiences, you help to build trust and credibility.

Your free content should be designed more towards generating demand, positioning your brand in the forefront of the customer's mind, ready to convert when the time comes.

A Note on How AI is Changing the Game 

For your gated content to be successful, you will need to consider the influence of AI on content marketing.

In the past, we’ve promoted a gated how-to guide offering a step-by-step checklist or in-depth how to. That won’t cut it these days. We now live in a world where someone can open the ChatGPT app and ask for that information. They can also enter into conversation with the AI to tailor the advice to their own specific needs.

Gated content now has to deliver more than just information—it needs to offer a value that AI can't replicate.

However even with AI’s impact, the things that make content worth gating remain consistent. It just requires more effort and creativity from content developers.

You might enrich your content with design, infographics based on original data, or video. At least for now, AI can’t match those kinds of multimedia enhancements.

Thought leadership will only grow in importance. While AI can provide facts, it can't provide insights and experiences from real-world experts that your audience craves.

Ultimately, whether you're navigating the expectations of an increasingly demanding audience or grappling with the evolving capabilities of AI, the key is to create exclusive, high-quality content that your audience can't find anywhere else

Finding the Right Balance

You can’t have successful gated content if no one’s getting to your site in the first place. If you’re just starting your content marketing journey, let social and SEO work to build your brand first, even if you think you have gate-worthy content. 

Once you have a consistent following and reliable SEO strategy, then you can venture into gated content. When done right, this will help you continue to rank higher still. 

When it comes to the substance of your gated material, focus on production values. Gated content in any form requires time and investment. For a start-up with limited resources, this may mean that less is more. When you see success with your program, you can always increase the frequency. 

If you’re looking to expand your gated resources but lack the bandwidth, leverage strategic partnerships. Brands you’ve aligned with can serve as webinar panel experts, ebook designers, and more. You can both promote the gated content and share the leads generated. 

Maximising SEO with Gated Content

Gated content can be the cornerstone of your content marketing strategy if you build a content calendar around it. 

Use Organic Pages to Help Promote Gated Content

Say your brand releases an ebook filled with proprietary findings. Generally, that’s a pretty easy sell for putting behind a lead capture form. To promote it, however, ensure your free content points back toward it. 

An organic blog post could drop a compelling stat from your ebook findings, then hyperlink to the ebook landing page for interested readers. This will grow your internal linking network. You can even embed the lead form in the supporting materials themselves. The same strategy should be applied to your email marketing and paid media. 

This approach to your gated content seamlessly takes the prospect from search queries where they stumble upon your brand to a completed lead form. 

Optimise the Landing Pages for Gated Content

One of the most common reasons customers don’t fill out a lead form is that they’re not confident it will provide the information they want. The way you promote gated materials should make it clear what the person can expect. 

When it comes to the landing page for gated content, ask yourself two questions: 

1. How will the copy persuade your readers that they need to learn more? 

2. What search terms are they using to find information about the topic you’re covering? Especially, what search terms are users with high purchase intent using?

Pull the top-level stats and findings. It’s okay to give away the attention-grabbing headlines that will pique a person’s interest. 

For example, content for the e-commerce industry may tease that affiliate marketing saw the biggest increase in revenue in 2022 of all digital marketing services. You could even splash with the exact YoY percentage of increased revenue and some other keys findings without giving the entire game away. 

Test various options to see what boosts conversion rates, for example:

• An executive summary of the findings/material 

• A sample chapter or segment

• A simple high-level, bulleted list 

• Select graphs and visuals 

• Related content from the panel/author

Not only does this material drive lead form submissions, but it is great for on-page SEO. Use keyword research to determine the content you put on landing pages for gated content. 

Don’t forget to optimise the promotional pages for gated materials as you would optimise your usual blog and article copy. This includes page structure, readability, and link building. 

Also remember the metadata for all pages and image files, including strategic title tags, a meta description, and other aspects of technical SEO that improve your score. Grow your domain authority with external backlinks to reputable sources like the professional websites of panel speakers or the brands of your detailed case studies. 

A Marketing Strategy Cornerstone

Customers have gotten even pickier about what they’re willing to exchange their contact information for, but gated content can still be an effective marketing tool, especially for B2B brands. With the right content strategy, gated resources can be worth the effort to get first-party data into your database.

Let 1827 Marketing help you develop a comprehensive strategy that will help you meet your goals and attract high-scoring leads. Our strategists and talent network will help set your content apart from the competition. Get in touch to find out how these data-driven storytellers can weave that attention-grabbing statistic into a narrative your audience wants to hear.