SEO Strategy

Keyword Gap Analysis: Complete Guide to Find Competitor Keywords

Matt
Matt
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TL;DR - Quick Answer

11 min read

Step-by-step guide. Follow it to get results.

What is Keyword Gap Analysis?

Keyword gap analysis is the process of identifying valuable keywords that your competitors rank for, but your website doesn't. This analysis reveals missed opportunities to capture search traffic and helps prioritize content creation and SEO efforts.

Why Keyword Gap Analysis Matters

Find Hidden Opportunities

Competitor analysis reveals keywords you might never have considered:

  • Long-tail keywords with good traffic potential
  • Industry terms you overlooked
  • Seasonal keywords competitors capitalize on
  • Local search terms driving traffic

Prioritize Content Creation

Gap analysis helps focus your content strategy:

  • Target keywords with proven traffic value
  • Create content that already shows demand
  • Fill gaps in your topic coverage
  • Plan content that competes directly with rivals

Analyze Competitive Environment

Analysis reveals competitor strengths and weaknesses:

  • Which topics competitors dominate
  • Content gaps in their strategy
  • Keywords they're losing rankings for
  • Opportunities to outrank established content

Step-by-Step Keyword Gap Analysis Process

Step 1: Identify Your Competitors

Direct competitors selling similar products/services:

  • Companies targeting your exact customer base
  • Businesses with similar pricing and positioning
  • Local competitors in your geographic area
  • Companies ranking for your primary keywords

Content competitors targeting similar topics:

  • Blogs covering your industry topics
  • Publishers creating similar content
  • Influencers in your space
  • Educational sites covering your subject matter

Research methods:

  • Google search your main keywords and note top results
  • Use SEMrush or Ahrefs to find competing domains
  • Look at "People also viewed" suggestions
  • Check who's advertising on your target keywords

Step 2: Collect Competitor Keywords

Manual collection methods:

  • Browse competitor websites and note page titles
  • Check their blog categories and topics
  • Review their product/service pages
  • Analyze their navigation structure

Tool-based collection:

  • SEMrush keyword gap tool
  • Ahrefs content gap analysis
  • SpyFu competitor keyword research
  • Ubersuggest competitor analysis

Step 3: Compare Keyword Sets

Identify gap categories:

  • Keywords competitors rank for that you don't
  • Keywords you both target (competitive analysis)
  • Keywords you rank for that competitors miss
  • High-volume keywords with low competition

Prioritization criteria:

  • Search volume potential
  • Keyword difficulty score
  • Current competitor ranking position
  • Commercial intent level

Step 4: Analyze the Gaps

Evaluate each keyword opportunity:

  • Can you create better content than what currently ranks?
  • Does the keyword align with your business goals?
  • Do you have the resources to compete effectively?
  • What type of content would you need to create?

Tools for Keyword Gap Analysis

Free Tools

Google Search Console

  • Compare your keywords with competitor sites
  • Identify queries you're missing traffic for
  • See which keywords competitors appear for
  • Track changes in keyword rankings

Google Keyword Planner

  • Research keyword ideas from competitor sites
  • Get search volume estimates
  • Find related keyword suggestions
  • Analyze keyword competition levels

Ubersuggest (Free Version)

  • Limited competitor keyword analysis
  • Basic keyword suggestions
  • Simple gap identification
  • Keyword difficulty scores

SEMrush

  • Keyword Gap tool for direct comparison
  • Up to 5 competitor domains at once
  • Filter by keyword difficulty and volume
  • Export results for further analysis

Ahrefs

  • Content Gap analysis feature
  • Compare multiple competitors simultaneously
  • Advanced filtering and sorting options
  • Keyword ranking history data

SpyFu

  • Competitor keyword research
  • Historical keyword data
  • PPC competitor analysis
  • Keyword ranking changes over time

Analyzing Different Types of Keyword Gaps

Informational Keyword Gaps

"How to" and educational content:

  • Tutorial and guide keywords
  • Problem-solving queries
  • Educational topics in your industry
  • Frequently asked questions

Content strategy:

  • Create detailed how-to guides
  • Develop educational blog posts
  • Build resource pages and tools
  • Answer common customer questions

Commercial Keyword Gaps

Product and service-related terms:

  • Product category keywords
  • Service-related searches
  • Comparison and review terms
  • Buying intent keywords

Content approach:

  • Create product category pages
  • Develop service landing pages
  • Build comparison and review content
  • Optimize for purchase-intent terms

Local Keyword Gaps

Location-based search terms:

  • "Near me" variations
  • City and region-specific keywords
  • Local service categories
  • Geographic modifiers

Local SEO strategy:

  • Create location-specific landing pages
  • Optimize Google My Business listing
  • Build local citation consistency
  • Target neighborhood-specific terms

Long-Tail Keyword Gaps

Specific, longer search phrases:

  • Detailed product specifications
  • Specific problem descriptions
  • Niche topic variations
  • Question-based keywords

Content optimization:

  • Create detailed FAQ pages
  • Develop detailed product descriptions
  • Build topic cluster content
  • Target conversational queries

Competitive Analysis Framework

Content Quality Assessment

Evaluate competitor content for gaps:

  • Is their content outdated or incomplete?
  • Are there factual errors you can correct?
  • Could you provide better examples or data?
  • Is their content poorly formatted or hard to read?

User Intent Analysis

Understanding search intent behind keywords:

  • What information are searchers looking for?
  • What problems are they trying to solve?
  • Are they ready to buy or still researching?
  • What format would best serve their needs?

SERP Feature Opportunities

Identify featured snippet possibilities:

  • Questions competitors answer poorly
  • Lists that could be better formatted
  • Tables with incomplete information
  • Step-by-step processes needing improvement

Creating Content from Gap Analysis

Content Planning Process

Turn keyword gaps into content ideas:

  1. Group related keywords into content topics
  2. Determine content format (blog post, page, tool)
  3. Plan content depth and detail level
  4. Set target publication timeline
  5. Assign content creation resources

Content Types for Gap Keywords

Blog posts for informational gaps:

  • How-to guides and tutorials
  • Industry analysis and trends
  • Problem-solving content
  • Educational resources

Landing pages for commercial gaps:

  • Service and product pages
  • Category and subcategory pages
  • Local service area pages
  • Comparison and review pages

Tools and resources for utility gaps:

  • Calculators and generators
  • Templates and checklists
  • Interactive guides
  • Reference materials

Content Optimization Strategy

On-page optimization for gap keywords:

  • Include target keyword in title and headers
  • Write detailed, in-depth content
  • Add relevant internal and external links
  • Optimize meta descriptions and URLs
  • Include related keywords naturally

Measuring Gap Analysis Success

Tracking Keyword Rankings

Monitor progress on target gap keywords:

  • Set up rank tracking for new target keywords
  • Track ranking improvements over time
  • Monitor competitor ranking changes
  • Measure organic traffic increases

Traffic and Conversion Analysis

Measure business impact:

  • Organic traffic growth from gap keywords
  • Conversion rates on new gap content
  • Lead generation from gap-focused pages
  • Revenue attribution to gap analysis efforts

Competitive Position Changes

Assess competitive improvements:

  • Market share changes in search results
  • Brand awareness improvements
  • Competitor response to your content
  • Overall domain authority growth

Advanced Gap Analysis Techniques

Seasonal Gap Analysis

Identify timing-based opportunities:

  • Seasonal keywords competitors target
  • Holiday and event-related terms
  • Industry cycle keywords
  • Trending topic opportunities

Intent-Based Gap Analysis

Segment by search intent:

  • Informational intent gaps (how-to, what is)
  • Commercial intent gaps (best, reviews, vs)
  • Transactional intent gaps (buy, pricing, deals)
  • Navigational intent gaps (brand, product names)

Geographic Gap Analysis

Location-based opportunity identification:

  • Regional keywords competitors dominate
  • Local service area gaps
  • City-specific content opportunities
  • International market keyword gaps

Common Gap Analysis Mistakes

Mistake 1: Targeting Impossible Keywords

Problem: Going after keywords way beyond your current authority Solution: Start with lower-competition gaps and build authority gradually

Mistake 2: Ignoring User Intent

Problem: Creating content that doesn't match search intent Solution: Analyze SERP results to understand what users want

Mistake 3: Keyword Stuffing Gap Content

Problem: Over-optimizing content for gap keywords Solution: Focus on natural, helpful content that serves user needs

Mistake 4: Not Tracking Results

Problem: Creating gap content without measuring success Solution: Set up proper tracking and regularly review performance

Building a Sustainable Gap Analysis Process

Regular Analysis Schedule

Ongoing gap analysis:

  • Monthly competitive keyword reviews
  • Quarterly detailed gap analysis
  • Annual strategy assessment
  • Weekly ranking position monitoring

Team Integration

Involve relevant team members:

  • SEO team for technical optimization
  • Content team for gap content creation
  • Marketing team for promotion strategy
  • Product team for feature-related gaps

Documentation and Reporting

Track and report on gap analysis:

  • Maintain keyword gap spreadsheets
  • Create monthly gap analysis reports
  • Document successful gap content
  • Share insights across teams

Keyword gap analysis is an ongoing process that reveals valuable opportunities to capture search traffic your competitors are getting. Regular analysis and strategic content creation based on gap findings can significantly improve your search visibility and organic traffic growth.

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