Am SEO content gap analysis is a process of evaluating the content of your website, as well as the content of your competitors’ websites, in order to identify areas where your content may be lacking or could be improved. This analysis can help you identify gaps in your content that may be hindering your ability to attract and convert customers and can allow you to research opportunities that may have been missed within your existing content. 

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Performing a content gap analysis involves comparing your keyword rankings with those of your competitors to identify any gaps in your own content. Through this analysis, you can gain insights into how your competitors are utilizing keywords in their content, including their frequency and context, to optimize your own content for better search engine rankings. Additionally, a content gap analysis can help you identify other factors like content length, depth, media types, and structure, allowing you to make strategic changes to your content and improve your overall SEO performance.

What would a competitor gap analysis be performed on?

A content gap can be performed on service, product, or blog pages. 

It’s important to note that having similar products or services to your competitors doesn’t necessarily mean that you are offering the same experience to your customers. Your competitors may be investing more resources in creating high-quality content that provides additional value to customers beyond just the products themselves.

Your competitors may have more detailed descriptions of their products or services, including information on how to use them effectively. This type of content can be particularly useful for customers who are comparing your product to your competitors’ offerings and may ultimately help them make a purchasing decision.

Similarly, your competitors may have more robust FAQ sections on their websites that address common customer questions and concerns. This type of content can help build trust with potential customers and also reduce the number of customer service inquiries that your business receives.

Longer service or product descriptions can also provide a wealth of information to potential customers, such as detailed specifications, features, and benefits. By providing this information upfront, you can help customers make informed purchasing decisions and also improve your chances of ranking higher in search engine results pages.

Overall, if you aren’t investing in optimizing your product or service pages with high-quality content, you may be missing out on potential opportunities to attract and convert customers.

It would also be performed on blogs or content pieces. Competitors may have featured content that you may have never thought of. This is a great opportunity to take that topic and put your own words and expertise into it while also featuring some high-value keywords that can potentially bring in additional organic traffic to the post. 

What are the benefits of an SEO content gap analysis? 

Filling in the gaps with your content can provide you with a significant advantage over your competitors. By identifying topics that your competitors are not covering, or gaps in their content that you can fill, you can establish yourself as a thought leader in your industry and attract more traffic to your website. This can be especially important for new content, as it keeps your audience engaged and coming back for more.

By adding new content, you can capitalize on new topics and keyword opportunities within your existing topic, bringing more organic traffic to your website. As your website moves up in the rankings, it will become more visible to potential customers, which can ultimately lead to increased conversions.

As you may know, Google’s freshness factor plays a role in rankings and so Google trusts content that is up-to-date and “fresh”. This means you don’t need to create content from scratch. Simply refreshing your content updates the Published Date within your structured data. By indicating that your content has been recently updated, you can signal to Google that your content is still relevant and useful to users, which can improve its ranking in search results. This can ultimately lead to increased traffic and conversions for your website.

What tools can you use to complete a content gap analysis?

You can use SEO tools like Google Search Console and ahrefs to help you complete a content gap analysis. 

Google Search Console is great for identifying terms that may be getting impressions but not any clicks. It may also be helpful for comparing time periods and identifying terms that have significantly lost clicks and impressions since the page was first published. This tool can help you identify keywords that your website is ranking for and where you may have gaps in your content.

Ahrefs has a great content gap tool for getting specific keywords that competitors are ranking for that your website may not be. This could be useful for generating content gap ideas for content that may not exist yet. You can also use it to identify missed keyword opportunities when comparing your existing pages to similar competitors’ pages.

Depending on your specific needs and goals, there may be other tools that are better suited to your needs.

How to Do an SEO Content Gap Analysis

1. Review your existing content and analyze for thin content and keyword values

The first step in conducting a content gap analysis is to review the content that you already have on your website. Look at the performance metrics of your existing content and identify any gaps that may be hindering your ability to attract and convert customers. Additionally, analyze for thin content, which means content that has little to no value to the reader and lacks substance. Look for keywords that are already present in your existing content and analyze their performance.

For example, you may want to post a page about bottlenose dolphins. You should consider identifying common topics in order to have an in-depth page that resembles or goes above your competitors. 

2. Identify high-value keywords

Once you have reviewed your existing content, make a list of keywords that can be beneficial to optimize for. These could be keywords that you are already ranking for or high-value keywords that you believe could bring in more traffic to your website. Consider gathering data using ahrefs Keyword Explorer to determine if the keywords you’ve chosen are high value by looking at their Monthly Search Volume and Keyword Difficulty.

Search these keywords in a search engine to see the type of content that appears on the first page of search results.

3. Analyze search results 

Analyze the search results on the first page to determine if the intent of the keyword still matches what you are trying to convey with your content. If the intent of the keywords has shifted since you first published your content, you may need to re-evaluate your keyword strategy. 

For example, “bottlenose dolphins” returns informational pages about the species. If your page’s intent matches the search intent of search results, then these would be great pages to analyze.

4. Analyze competing pages

Analyze the content of your competitors to identify gaps in their content that you can fill with your own content. Look for headings and topics that may not be within your existing content, and see if any keywords could be beneficial to optimize your blog. Pay attention to the strategy of these keywords, such as if they are front-loaded in the metadata or if they are used in a particular way to strengthen the keyword signals.

What to avoid in your SEO content gap analysis

1. Ignoring your target audience

You need to conduct thorough research to understand your audience’s needs, pain points, interests, and preferences. This information will help you to create content that addresses their specific needs and resonates with them. It can also help you establish some trustworthiness because you hit all the points.

2. Focus on quantity over quality

While you should be focusing on expanding your content, you could get lost in how much you’re trying to expand on and end up producing low-quality content. Focus on creating high-quality content that provides value to your audience and keeps them engaged.

3. Neglecting competitor opportunities 

The competitor aspect of a content gap analysis is crucial for properly performing one. Don’t take the risk of guessing what the audience wants to hear. By analyzing your competitors’ content, you can see what topics they cover and what gaps they leave. This information can help you to create content that is more relevant and useful to your audience than what your competitors offer.

4. Not prioritizing your gaps

Your gaps should be prioritized by the impact the topic could have and its feasibility. What gaps are going to have the most impact on your business? When you prioritize, you can ensure that your content strategy is effective and efficient.

5. Overlooking your search intent

Search intent is the reason behind a user’s search query. By considering search intent, you can ensure that your content matches what the user is looking for. Failure to do so can result in lower search rankings and less traffic to your website which is the opposite of why you’re conducting a content gap analysis.

Why Should You Perform a Content Gap Analysis for Your Business?

Performing a content gap analysis can be extremely valuable for businesses, especially those that rely on their online presence to attract and convert customers. Here are a few key reasons why you should consider performing a content gap analysis for your business:

Identify areas for improvement

A content gap analysis can help you identify areas where your current content is lacking or could be improved. By identifying gaps in your content, you can determine what content is missing or where it may be falling short. This allows you to create a more targeted and effective content marketing plan that addresses these gaps and better meets the needs and interests of your audience.

You may find that your competitors are providing more comprehensive and detailed content on a particular topic, while your content is more superficial and lacks depth. This gap in your content may be causing you to lose potential customers who are looking for more in-depth information. By identifying this gap, you can create new content that provides the necessary depth and detail, ultimately attracting and converting more customers.

Stay competitive

Staying up-to-date with the latest trends and best practices in your industry is crucial for any business that wants to remain competitive and relevant in today’s fast-paced digital landscape. By regularly performing a content gap analysis, you can identify areas where your content is not meeting the needs and expectations of your target audience, and make the necessary adjustments to stay ahead of the curve.

For example, if you notice that your competitors are using video content to engage with their audience, you may want to consider incorporating more video content into your own content strategy. By doing so, you can stay on top of the latest trends in your industry and ensure that your content is meeting the expectations of your target audience.

Improve search engine rankings

Search engines like Google reward websites that provide high-quality, relevant content. By identifying gaps in your content and creating new content to fill those gaps, you can improve your website’s overall authority and relevance, which can lead to higher search engine rankings and more organic traffic.

Increase conversions

By filling content gaps, you can provide potential customers with the information they need to make informed purchasing decisions. This can lead to higher conversion rates and increased revenue for your business.

By filling content gaps with detailed product descriptions, how-to guides, and addressing customer concerns like return policies, businesses can help potential customers understand the value of their complex products or services and address any doubts or concerns, leading to higher conversion rates as potential customers feel more confident about making a purchase.

Are You Looking for Help in Completing SEO Content Gaps for Your Business?

Performing a content gap analysis can help you identify areas for improvement, stay competitive, improve search engine rankings, and increase conversions. By regularly evaluating your content and making improvements as needed, you can ensure that your business is providing the best possible experience for your customers.

Close the gap — or the content gap — against your competitors. If your business has an online presence, staying at the top of the game of your competitors is important for success. If you’re interested in how SEO can help your business through content gaps and much more, get in touch with Go Fish Digital to get started!

How to Perform a Content Gap Analysis for SEO is an original blog post first published on Go Fish Digital.