Understanding Gated Content as an SEO Strategy in 2019
The key to gated content is not how to use it, it’s when. Most companies get low conversion rates, less traffic and unsatisfactory rankings on SERPs simply because they concentrate all their efforts on the actual gated content rather than the landing page itself.
There are a few key things you need to focus on in your SEO strategy in 2019:
- Develop a landing page design that seeks to maximize conversion.
- Ensure your site is optimized for SEO. Makes it favourable for search engines and users. The plan is to improve CTR.
- Focus on quality content. It is crucial to ensure the content after the contact form is worth the exchange.
- Market your landing page extensively.
Note that gated content isn’t for everyone, while it may be a good lead generation strategy, without the right approach it won’t work! So before you get into it, figure out what you seek to achieve based on these guidelines.
- Do a status check. If similar specification websites are offering the same resource for free, then gating your content will be redundant.
- How much actual value does your content have? Ensure what you have is substantial, and it has tangible value to your users.
- Gated content is more of a lead generator, so if you are a start-up and you’re looking to create brand awareness, then perhaps you should start off with ungated content.
In essence, when considering gated content as a strategy, you need to have precise goals. This will require a specific set target: are you growing your business or increasing visibility? If it is the former, then here are a few pointers to help you get there.
Invest in Ebooks/Whitepapers
Gated content is about the resource. Investing in comprehensive eBooks on the other side of the divide is a good way to show your users that they are getting value in exchange for their information. Whitepapers, for instance, account for up to 90% of the research material used by buyers. Which means the kind of leads they generate is quite significant.
Try the Email route
Email is the one mode of marketing that has withstood the test of time. A well laid out email strategy is the best way to simplify any complicated bit of content, and it is actually easier to get email subscriptions than it is to get people to fill a long-form on your landing page.
Present constantly updated Content
This strategy is full proof simply because it adds value to pre-existing content. What you’re doing is adding to content that already exists. This improvement sparks interest due to the fact that your users are already interested in the topic matter, so all you are doing is expanding on it, providing new angles and new research. It’s about adding value to the content that you have to build your numbers and improve the chances of conversion.
Disclaimer
Focus on securing brand visibility before you opt for gating. For you to be an authority website, you need to have a high conversion rate, and it will be very difficult if you scare your potential leads away with long-forms from the onset.