How to use gated content in the era of AI-driven search
In this blog:
What gated content is, and why it still exists
Why gated content is losing its shine
How buyer behaviour has shifted
Gated vs ungated content in an AI-driven search landscape
When gated content still makes sense
Selective gating: a smarter approach to gated content
FAQs: Gated content
For years, gated content has been treated as a true cornerstone of B2B marketing. Whitepapers hidden behind forms… webinars being watchable only after submitting an email address… reports positioned as ‘high value’… simply because they’re locked away.
And for a long time, that approach worked. But I’m sure you’ve noticed that buyer behaviour has shifted. Search behaviour has shifted. And increasingly, how content is discovered, surfaced, and trusted has shifted.
So the question today isn’t really whether gated content works; it’s whether it still works the way many marketers use it.
What gated content is, and why it still exists
Gated content is any content that requires a user to submit personal information, such as an email address, before they can access it. And the original logic behind this was simple enough:
Create and publish something perceived as high value
Allow access to that content asset in return for some contact details
Capture a lead and continue the conversation.
In theory, it’s a fair value exchange. But, in reality, it’s often been used as a blunt instrument; gating content not because it genuinely warrants it, but because an arbitrary lead target needs to be met.
Above: A quick poll on LinkedIn that asked whether marketers are still using gated content, and to what extent.
Why gated content is losing its shine
Gated content hasn’t suddenly stopped working; it’s just become totally overused and increasingly misaligned with buyer intent.
Common issues include:
Gating early-stage or purely educational content
Using long or intrusive forms that create unnecessary friction
Content being gated, simply because it’s an asset that can be downloaded
Users entering false information just to get their hands on the content asset.
Then there’s the reality behind the current demand for gated content. Because, despite narratives about users rejecting barriers, the desire for gated content has actually been rising. For example, NetLine’s 2024 content report found that demand for gated B2B content increased by 14.3% year-on-year, marking a 77% increase since 2019.
It is, perhaps, a signal that audiences will still engage when the content feels worthwhile.
How buyer behaviour has shifted
Today’s buyers tend to:
Self-educate earlier
Compare options independently
Avoid giving up details unless there’s a clear reason to do so
They expect:
Transparency
Immediate value
Content that helps them think, not content that pressures them
So when gated content interrupts that process too early, it stops feeling like a value exchange and starts feeling like an obstacle. Likewise, when we’ve had enough experience with gated content to know that every form fill is a bit of a gamble, we are more protective of our details.
“Marketing used the presence of a gate to communicate value: ‘This is so valuable that I need something in exchange for it.’
”And the email address was a fair trade.
“The problem is that too many bad players have exploited that exchange. And people (you, me, our customers) are hyper-aware of the value of our data now.”
Gated vs ungated content in an AI-driven search landscape
This is where the conversation has really moved on. Because content ‘discovery’ no longer happens only through traditional search results via search engines like Google.
Increasingly, it’s happening through one of the following:
AI-generated summaries (e.g. Google AI overviews, Microsoft Copilot)
Conversational search (e.g. Perplexity)
Answer engines that surface direct responses (e.g. ChatGPT, Claude).
The critical thing to remember is that AI systems can only reference content that they can actually access; so if your content sits behind a form, login, or restricted URL:
It can’t be properly indexed
It can’t be summarised or cited
It can’t contribute to AI-driven discovery.
That doesn’t just affect reach; it affects long-term influence. So while ungated content compounds its value over time, gated content, by definition, is limited to the very moment someone fills in a form.
Does that mean gated content is dead?
No, but its role has changed. Gated content no longer works particularly well as a top-of-funnel discovery tactic.
It can still work when it’s used deliberately, with intent.
The issue isn’t gating itself. It’s treating gating as the default.
When gated content still makes sense
Gated content tends to work best when:
The value is specific and obvious
The audience is already problem-aware
The asset supports a buying or validation decision
Recent industry conversion data supports this selective logic: xxxxx illustrating that people who fill forms often have stronger intent.
Good examples of legitimately gated assets include:
Original research or proprietary data
In-depth implementation or technical guides
Product demos or configuration tools
Pricing calculators or assessments
In these scenarios, gating feels justified — not arbitrary.
Selective gating: a smarter approach to gated content
Rather than asking, “Should this be gated?”, a better question is, "What role does this content play in the buyer journey?"
A more sustainable approach usually looks like this:
Ungated content for education, trust, SEO, and AI visibility
Gated content for high-intent moments where the value exchange is clear
This supports better discovery, stronger credibility, and more meaningful lead capture — without forcing every interaction through a form.
This hybrid mindset aligns with how modern B2B marketers actually work: demand for gated content continues to grow, even while savvy teams mix gated and ungated assets strategically rather than betting exclusively on one approach.
The TL;DR
Gated content hasn’t lost its magic. But using it by default, without thinking about intent, context, or discoverability, absolutely has.
The strongest content strategies today balance openness with purpose, and design content for how people actually do their research now; not how lead generation used to work.
FAQs: Gated content
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Gated content is content that requires users to submit personal information (such as an email address) before they can access it.
It’s commonly used in B2B marketing to capture leads in exchange for higher-value assets. -
Gated content sits behind a form, while ungated content is freely accessible and indexable by search engines and AI tools.
Ungated content supports visibility and discoverability; gated content is typically used for later-stage conversion. -
Gated content can help identify high-intent leads, but it reduces reach, reuse, and visibility.
In an AI-driven search environment, it also limits whether content can be surfaced or cited at all. -
No, most AI crawlers and search engines cannot access gated content.
If content sits behind a form or restricted URL, it cannot be indexed or referenced in AI-generated answers. -
Common examples include whitepapers, industry reports, webinars, templates, and research studies accessed via lead forms.
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No, but its purpose has narrowed.
Gated content is no longer an effective broad discovery tactic, but it can still perform well when used selectively and strategically.
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