Information Gain
In one line
Information Gain is the idea of scoring how much new information a page adds beyond what the existing results already provide — a concept from a Google patent that has become a working keyword in GEO content evaluation.
Going deeper
Information Gain became known through a Google patent (US 11,769,003). The idea is simple: score how much new information a page adds on top of what existing results already cover. Pages that repeat the same content score low; pages that bring data, angles or examples missing from the existing set score higher.
It gets cited in GEO because the logic maps directly onto AI answers. The model is in effect blending several sources into a paragraph — and if every candidate page says the same thing, there is no reason to pick yours. Carrying even one fact or perspective that other sources lack is the most direct way to enter the citation pool.
Caveat — Information Gain is described in a patent, not confirmed as a live ranking signal. How much of it Google actually applies, and at what weight, is not public. As a thinking tool for content evaluation it is genuinely useful, though, which is why it has become near-standard vocabulary in GEO practice.
Sources
Related terms
Citation-worthiness
Citation-worthiness is how readily a piece of content gets quoted by an LLM — driven mainly by factual specificity, self-containment, structure and authority.
GEO·AEOAI Slop
AI Slop is a derogatory term for low-quality, mass-produced AI content — the exact category that search engines and LLMs are actively trying to filter out.
GEO·AEOAI Content Generation
AI Content Generation is the umbrella for producing text, images and summaries with AI — typically combined with human editing inside a GEO content workflow.
SEOE-E-A-T
E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness) is Google's four-axis lens for content quality — and the same kinds of signals matter when LLMs decide whom to cite.
GEO·AEOGEO
GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) is the practice of optimizing content and data so that a brand gets cited and recommended inside generative AI search answers like ChatGPT, Perplexity and Google AI Overviews.
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