Should you gate your content or make it free? The answer depends on your goals. Here's the modern approach to gating strategy.

The SEO Benefit of Ungated Content

Ungated content drives organic traffic:

Why SEO Loves Ungated

Google can index it (gated content can't be indexed)
Easier to share (no login required)
More backlinks (people link to free content)
Long-term traffic (content compounds over time)
Brand awareness (more people see it)

The Trade-off

You get traffic but not leads (no email capture)

The Lead Gen Benefit of Gated Content

Gated content captures leads:

Why Gating Works

Captures email addresses
Qualifies interest (they want it enough to give email)
Builds email list
Enables follow-up

The Trade-off

You get leads but less reach (70-90% won't give email)

The Hybrid Approach: "Pillar Pages"

Best of both worlds:

How Pillar Pages Work

Create comprehensive, ungated pillar page (SEO)
Include gated deep-dive resources within it
Example: "Complete Guide to [Topic]" (ungated) with "Advanced [Topic] Playbook" (gated)
Gets SEO traffic, captures engaged visitors

Using Retargeting Instead of Gates

Another hybrid approach:

The Strategy

Make content ungated (free access)
Track who consumes it
Retarget engaged visitors with ads
Capture email through retargeting landing page
Result: More reach + qualified leads

When to Ask for an Email

Gate strategically:

Gate These

Advanced/niche content (high value, specific audience)
Tools and calculators (interactive, valuable)
Detailed case studies (proprietary data)
Implementation guides (actionable, specific)

Don't Gate These

Blog posts (SEO value)
Basic how-to guides (awareness building)
Industry reports (thought leadership)
Webinars (registration is enough)

Conclusion

Gating isn't all-or-nothing. Use ungated content for SEO and awareness. Use gated content for lead capture. Use hybrid approaches (pillar pages, retargeting) for both. Gate strategically based on content value and your goals.