Deciding Between Gated & Ungated Content
Do you want to simply present your content for the world to see with absolutely no barriers or do you set up roadblocks and require some info before allowing access to that spiffy new e-book or latest edition of your newsletter? If you lead a San Diego digital marketing team, this is one of the choices you’re going to have to make when deciding how your content is accessed by customers.
Gated Content
One of the biggest cons against using gated content, or anything that requires people to sign up or provide info before viewing, is the resistance to providing too much info online. While ungated content may generate more downloads, that doesn’t necessarily translate to more leads or conversions, so there are plenty of compelling reasons to go gated, which can be successful if you:
• Make the value clear
• Minimize required signup info
• Map out your sales funnel so you know who’s likely to be interested
Ungated Content
Videos you post to YouTube or on your website or blog content viewable to anyone are examples of ungated content. Unrestricted content certainly has its place when it comes to boosting your brand image and it does get more people to download your content and see you as a trusted source of reliable information, all good things. Ungated content can be useful if you want to:
• Get more shares
• Attract more fans/followers
• Convince browsers to consider your gated content
Test It
If you’re not sure whether or not to make content gated or ungated, do some testing. For instance, you can make one month’s newsletter free to anyone and require a signup the next month to gauge whether or not people are willing to take further action to access that content.
There is no clear “right” choice when it comes to gated and ungated content. Find a balance between what’s best to present without barriers and what’s likely to produce better long-term results with some strategic roadblocks in place.
For help getting your content marketing plan off the ground, reach out to Saba SEO by calling (858) 277-1717 today. We specialize in local San Diego SEO, PPC, and social media management. Reach out today and ask about our free website audits.
