Information Gain to Break Into Google's Top 3

Bar chart titled 'Pages that mostly repeat what already ranks': share of pages with originality below 40 by position. Positions 1-3: 24%; position 4: 40%; position 7: 37%; position 10: 38%. — Share of pages that add little new (originality below 40) by ranking position. 24% of the top 3 already repeats what others say, versus close to 40% in lower positions.

I just read a study that made me stop and think. It measured how much original information each page in Google's top 3 actually brings, and the median is 52 out of 100. In other words, half of what a top-ranking page says is already covered by the others competing for that same keyword. It stings the first time you read it, because it is exactly what we see every day auditing SERPs.

One figure strikes me as even more telling: 24% of top-3 pages add almost nothing new. And, contrary to what many people assume, being in position 1 does not make you more original than position 2 or 3. Originality is not what puts you first, but it is what holds your site up when the next core update lands.

What does make a difference is proprietary data. Pages with more than 15 unique data points score 62/100; those with 0 or 1 stay at 40. And here is the gap I find most interesting as an opportunity: in 90% of SERPs there is at least one question no top-3 page answers. There is almost always room to stand out.

The takeaway I keep, and repeat to every client: long content is not original content. Original content is the one that brings proprietary data, original research and answers no one else gives. If you have first-hand information, use it without fear. That is your competitive edge, and not only in SEO: it is exactly what AI cites when it builds its answers.