Content Gap Analysis

What Is Content Gap Analysis

If your competitor ranks for the query 'how to choose an SEO tool' and you have no page on that topic, that is a content gap. Content gap analysis helps you systematically find such topics and keywords you’ve missed. The analysis typically involves selecting 3-5 competitors and comparing their keyword lists with yours.

How to Conduct It

1. Select 3-5 competitors that already rank in the top 10 for your target queries.
2. Use an SEO tool (Ahrefs, Semrush, Moz) to extract all keywords they rank for.
3. Exclude any keywords you already rank for.
4. The remaining keywords are your potential gaps.
5. Assess search volume, difficulty, and business relevance.
6. Prioritise and add them to your content plan.

Ahrefs Content Gap example:
1. Site Explorer → your domain.
2. Choose 'Content Gap'.
3. Add 3 competitors in the 'Enter up to 10 domains to compare' field.
4. Set filter: 'Show keywords that rank for: 2+ competitors' (or 3+ for narrower topics).
5. Click 'Show keywords'.
6. You get a list of queries where at least 2 competitors rank but you don’t.

Tools

• Ahrefs — Content Gap (most convenient).
• Semrush — Keyword Gap.
• Moz — Keyword Gap Analysis.
• Google Keyword Planner — manual if you don’t have a paid tool budget.

Types of Gaps

• Topic gaps — you have no page on a particular subject (e.g., 'SEO tool comparison').
• Keyword gaps — you have a page but it doesn’t rank for a specific long‑tail query because the text lacks that section or FAQ.
• Format gaps — competitors use video, infographics, calculators, while you only have text.
• Depth gaps — you have a shallow article while a competitor has a detailed 3000‑word guide.

Prioritising Gaps

Not all gaps are equally valuable. Use this priority formula:

Priority = (Search Volume × Relevance) / (Keyword Difficulty × Content Effort)

Where:
- Search Volume – monthly searches (higher is better)
- Relevance – business relevance (rate 1-10)
- Keyword Difficulty – difficulty score (0–100)
- Content Effort – effort to create (1-10)

High priority: high search volume, high relevance, low difficulty, low effort.