Category: Content Strategy

You've spent weeks researching keywords, analyzing competitors, and brainstorming content ideas. Your spreadsheet overflows with possibilities. But when Monday morning arrives, you stare at that list, paralyzed by choice. Which idea deserves your time first?

Most content creators make this decision based on gut feeling or whatever topic seems exciting that week. This approach wastes resources and rarely moves business metrics. Smart content prioritization solves this problem by using data to guide decisions.

What is Content Prioritization?

Content prioritization ranks your ideas based on potential impact, required effort, and strategic value. This process helps you identify which pieces to create first, which existing content needs updates, and which ideas to shelve.

Modern search engines evaluate content differently than they did five years ago. Google now prioritizes comprehensive answers over keyword density. Your content must solve real problems for real users, not just target search terms.

Why Prioritization Matters

Search algorithms keep evolving toward a better user experience. Google's systems can detect thin content, keyword stuffing, and topics that don't match search intent. Content that answers genuine questions performs better than content optimized purely for rankings.

Meanwhile, your competition improves daily. Established sites invest in better research, design, and user experience. Random content creation puts you at a disadvantage against competitors who plan strategically.

Every article, video, or guide requires significant investment in research, writing, editing, and promotion. Prioritization ensures this investment generates measurable returns.

How to Use Data to Prioritize Content

1. Audit Existing Content Performance

Start with your current content library. Google Search Console reveals two types of underperforming pages that present immediate opportunities:

High-impression, low-click pages often rank on pages 2-3 of search results. Minor titles, structure, or relevance improvements can boost these pages into the top 10. For instance, if your WordPress hosting comparison gets 500 impressions but only 10 clicks, you're likely ranking just outside positions 1-10.

Low-impression pages either lack proper indexing or miss search intent entirely. These pages may need complete rewrites or removal from your site.

To identify these opportunities:

• Open Google Search Console's Search Results report

• Filter by pages and sort by impressions or click-through rate

• Examine query data for each underperforming page

• Evaluate whether these pages target the right topics and match user intent

2. Research Current Rankings

Search your target topics in an incognito browser window. Study the top 15-20 results to understand what Google rewards right now, not what worked months ago, according to SEO tools.

Document these ranking factors:

• Content formats (comprehensive guides, product comparisons, quick answers)

• Average content length and depth

• Question coverage and user intent matching

• Page structure, headings, and visual elements

Then evaluate your competitive position:

• Can you create genuinely better content?

• What angles do current search results miss?

• Which structural elements seem to boost rankings?

Live search results reveal actual user intent better than any keyword tool.

3. Categorize Ideas by Business Value

Organize each content idea in a tracking spreadsheet with these columns:

• Content type and format

• Funnel stage (awareness, consideration, decision)

• Primary topic and search intent

• Estimated creation effort

• Business value (lead generation, education, conversion support)

Prioritize content targeting decision-stage searches that align with business goals. A detailed software comparison might have lower search volume than a broad industry guide, but it attracts visitors ready to make purchasing decisions.

4. Update Before Creating New Content

Refreshing existing content often produces faster results than creating new pieces. Focus your update efforts on:

• Posts ranking in positions 11-50

• Content published more than 18 months ago

• Pages with declining traffic trends

• High-impression pages with poor click-through rates

• Pages receiving minimal search visibility

Sometimes rewriting a weak introduction or updating outdated information can improve rankings by several positions. Existing URLs already have an indexing history and accumulated backlink authority.

5. Plan Internal Linking Structure

Before creating new content, determine how it fits into your site architecture:

• Will it support a main service page or product category?

• Which existing posts should link to this new content?

• What internal linking opportunities will this content create?

Strategic internal linking increases session duration, improves crawl efficiency, and signals topical relationships to search engines. Before publication, every new piece should connect to at least one relevant existing page.

6. Build Topic Authority, Not Just Keyword Rankings

Google evaluates your site's overall expertise in specific subject areas. Instead of optimizing individual posts for isolated keywords, develop comprehensive topic coverage.

Group related content ideas into thematic clusters. Plan supporting articles that naturally link to cornerstone content. This approach builds topical authority over time and improves visibility across related search queries.

For example, instead of just targeting "garden tool reviews," develop authority around tool maintenance, seasonal gardening guides, beginner tutorials, and expert comparisons.

7. Score and Rank Each Idea

Create a simple scoring system once you've gathered performance data and competitive intelligence:

• Business value (1-5 scale)

• SEO opportunity (1-5 scale)

• Creation effort (1-5 scale, where 5 requires maximum resources)

• Content gap size (1-5 scale, based on current result quality)

Prioritize ideas with high business value and manageable creation effort. Focus on topics where you can demonstrably outperform existing results.

Strategic Content Planning Drives Results

Effective content prioritization relies on data analysis, not intuition or trends. Success requires understanding your current performance, evaluating competitive landscapes, and making strategic resource allocation decisions.

Skip the analytics review, and you're operating blind. Ignore current search results, and you're planning based on outdated information.

Invest time in analysis and ranking before creation. This approach builds sustainable content strategies that generate results today and continue performing as search algorithms evolve.

If you'd like help developing your content strategy or improving SEO performance, contact Garrett Digital today.

There’s more content online than ever. Every day, businesses push out new articles, guides, and posts. But if you’ve been paying attention, most of it looks and sounds the same.

If you want your content to rank, attract real readers, and help your business, you can’t just repeat what’s already out there. You have to bring something new.

That’s where information gain comes in.

What Is Information Gain

Information gain is simple. It’s when your content adds something that other websites don’t have. That could be a personal story, a unique piece of data, an example pulled from your own work, or a point of view your readers haven’t seen yet.

Think about it. Google has already indexed hundreds of posts on the same topics you're going to write about. If you’re covering “How to Choose the Right Therapist” and your advice boils down to “check credentials, review insurance, read reviews,” you’ve added nothing. That’s baseline information.

You could make it better by:

• Explaining how therapy approaches differ, from a clinician’s perspective

• Sharing anonymized client stories that illustrate the process

• Describing what the first session actually feels like

• Comparing a strong intake process with one that raises red flags

That’s the kind of detail that makes a post worth reading.

Why Google Notices

Google doesn’t need more copies of the same blog post. It needs better ones.

There’s evidence that Google evaluates whether a page adds real value compared to what’s already indexed. A patent called Information Gain Scores explains this idea. Pages that fill gaps, add clarity, or answer questions people aren’t seeing answered elsewhere tend to rank higher.

Content that usually performs well in this way:

• Addresses overlooked but related questions

• Offers expert perspective or deeper context

• Uses real-world examples that clarify the point

Example:

Generic: “Therapy can help you feel better. Look for someone who is licensed and experienced.”

Better: “Many clients feel worse before they feel better. One of our therapists compares it to cleaning out a closet. It gets messier before it feels clear. That’s normal, and here’s why…”

One tells the reader what they already know. The other teaches them something they didn’t.

How AI Falls Short

Tools like ChatGPT and Jasper can help you draft, but they work by predicting what usually comes next in text. Which means they lean on existing material. They can’t draw from your experience unless you feed it in.

What they often miss:

• First-hand insights

• Original stories

• Your voice and point of view

• Specific details from your process

If every business in your field uses the same AI tool to write about WordPress SEO or EMDR therapy, the internet fills with rewrites of the same advice. That’s when readers stop paying attention.

Content Formats That Add Value

Some formats make it easier to offer information gain:

• Before-and-after case studies

• Behind-the-scenes walkthroughs

• Screenshare tutorials

• Interviews with your team

• FAQs based on real customer service conversations

• Personal takes on industry trends

• Stories from actual client experiences

These take more work but are harder to fake and more helpful to readers.

Develop a Content Process

Here’s a process that works.

• Start with a real question
  Skip the generic “What is EMDR therapy?” and instead write about “How does EMDR therapy feel the first time?” or “What should I expect in my first EMDR session?” These are the questions people actually type into search.

Go deeper than the obvious
Many articles stop at what to do. Add the how and why. For example:

• Common myths about therapy

• How clients can tell if they’re making progress

• What to do if it feels like therapy isn’t helping yet

• Share what only you know
  Use what your team sees every day. A turning point in a session. A unique process you’ve developed and why it works. A story that changed how you approach your work.

Use AI as a helper, not a writer
Let AI help organize your outline. Then add your own expertise, examples, and context. Ask yourself:

• What’s missing?

• Would a customer still have questions after reading this?

• Where can I add a real example or story?

The Test That Matters

Before you publish, ask: Would I share this with a client or colleague and feel confident it’s helpful?

If it just repeats the basics, you know the answer. If it offers something they couldn’t easily find somewhere else, you’re on the right track.

Why Information Gain Matters Now

Search engines are getting better at spotting copycat content. Your customers are, too.

The posts that stand out in 2025 will be the ones with a point of view, practical details, and a clear human voice.

So before you write your next blog post:

• Check the top search results for your topic

• Notice what’s missing

• Fill that gap with your own insights

That’s how you earn attention and keep it.

Want to Turn Great Content into a Repeatable Process?

At Garrett Digital, we help businesses create content strategies that work. That means articles your customers actually read, and search engines want to rank. We combine SEO expertise with your unique perspective so your site isn’t just another voice in the noise.

If you’re ready for blog posts that pull traffic and build trust, let’s talk. We’ll help you plan, write, and optimize content that keeps working long after you hit publish.