A Guide to Conduct Content Gap Analysis

What’s one of the biggest challenging parts of being a content marketer? Yes, you guessed it—brainstorming new ideas!

Every content marketing team is familiar with writer's block. After producing so much content, generating fresh, profitable ideas can feel overwhelming.

As a content writer or marketer, your ideas need to not only stand out but also outperform your competitors and meet customers' search intent in different stages of their buying journey.

One way to achieve this is by leveraging a robust content gap analysis tool!

Conducting content gap analysis can elevate your SEO game, help you outrank and steal traffic from your competitors, and drive conversions.

In this comprehensive guide, we'll walk you through all you need to know about content gap analysis—from what it is to its importance, the best practices for conducting content analysis, and how you can fill those gaps to make optimized, high-quality content.

What is a content gap analysis?

Content gap analysis is the process of identifying and addressing relevant content that is  missing from your existing content strategy.

This approach streamlines content marketing and SEO efforts by identifying gaps in a website's existing content compared to your competitors and industry trends.

For example, consider a blog on 'Keyword Cannibalization.'

Before drafting this content, conducting a content gap analysis can help identify missing elements that should be included.

Commonly overlooked aspects might include:

• Common causes of keyword cannibalization
• How implementing proper XML sitemaps can prevent keyword cannibalization
• The role of site structure in resolving keyword cannibalization

When you address these gaps, the resulting content becomes more comprehensive, better aligned with the target audience's needs, and more likely to perform well in search rankings.

Why perform a content gap analysis?

SEO content gap analysis is essential for identifying the gaps between your existing content and your target audience's needs.

This analysis can help improve your content quality and performance, increase traffic, capture competitors’ traffic, and discover valuable topics to cover.

Here are some of the significant reasons that make performing content gap analysis a must:

1. Boost SEO performance

By addressing the content gaps, you can easily improve your ranking on SERPs and drive more organic traffic to your website.

2. Enhance user experience

Focusing on answering the actual queries and addressing unmet customer needs provides more value and fosters a deeper connection with your website.

An improved user experience can boost engagement and on-site time and increase the likelihood of conversions.

3. Gain a competitive advantage

Answering the questions that your competitors aren't can help you stay ahead of the curve. Consequently, it results in increasing your ranking within no time.

4. Improves topical authority in your niche

SERPs favor those websites on top that show expertise and authority on a particular topic.

Filling the content gaps and strategically covering those topics in your niche will improve your site's topical authority, increasing your chances of ranking higher for related keywords.

You must be thinking of this process as tedious and time-consuming. Well, that's not true.

You can conduct the analysis quickly using Writesonic's Contact Gap Analysis tool. This tool compares your content with your competitors' content and provides insightful information to identify the gaps and make necessary improvements.

How to conduct content gap analysis in 6 simple steps

Do you want to discover actionable insights and advance your content strategy?

Here is the step-by-step guide on how to do a content gap analysis:

1. Figure out your buyer's journey

The buyer's journey is what a customer goes through while making a purchase. It includes three stages-

a. Awareness stage (planting the seed)

In the awareness stage, prospects realize they have a problem that needs a solution.

They are looking for educational content that helps them understand their problem and potential solutions.

Your content should focus on addressing common pain points, answering frequently asked questions, and introducing your brand as a credible source of information.

Analyze content gaps by identifying common pain points in your industry, answering popular questions, and covering trending topics you might be missing from your current content​.

b. Consideration stage (nurturing the growth)

The Middle of the Funnel (MOFU) is also referred to as the consideration stage, where you need to build a relationship with the customer.

At this stage, the customer has a clear picture of their problem and is committed to finding the best solution.

Thus, you should focus on providing them with helpful information so that they can make an informed decision.

Search for content gaps by analyzing what your competitors emphasize in their content and explore opportunities to improve your product comparisons or feature explanations​.

Types of content recommended for this stage includes listicles, buyer's guides, case studies, infographics, cheat sheets, webinars, and podcasts.

c. Decision stage (harvesting the results)

By now, the buyer knows the solution to their problem and is looking for content that solidifies their choice, such as reviews, testimonials, and detailed product guides.

To perform a content gap analysis at this stage, identify what your competitors are missing and brainstorm how to create or improve content that addresses those gaps, providing a clear and compelling reason for prospects to choose your brand​.

2. Keyword discovery

One potent way to increase the visibility and ranking of your content on SERPs is to identify keyword opportunities you might be missing out on.

A competitive keyword gap analysis is an essential strategy for this purpose.

Using Writesonic’s Keyword Research tool enables you to find keywords that most of your competitors rank for but you don't. This analysis plays a vital role in building a comprehensive SEO strategy.

The Keyword Research tool also allows you to check the keyword difficulty, search volume, and traffic of your underperforming keywords.

You can do keyword gap analysis by:

a. Identifying your top competitors

The first step is to input your competitors' websites into a keyword research tool that usually outranks you for your target keywords.

In fact, you can also analyze your competitors' best-performing content and evaluate the structure, type, and tone being used alongside the topics and keywords they cover.

b. Using a tool for keyword content gap analysis

Conducting a keyword content gap analysis is important for identifying high-potential keywords that your competitors are ranking for, but you might be missing.

This process allows you to fine-tune your SEO strategy, ensuring that your content is optimized to target these valuable keywords, ultimately enhancing your online visibility and driving more organic traffic.

To efficiently perform this analysis, consider using a tool like Writesonic's Content Gap Analyzer.

This tool simplifies the process by pinpointing the best keyword opportunities, enabling you to optimize your content for improved SEO performance and better search engine rankings.

Also read: Top ways to find your competitor’s keywords

3. Analyze Search Engines Result Pages (SERPs)

The primary purpose of creating new content is to task the target audiences with knowledge of a subject, build brand awareness, nurture relationships, or enhance sales.

To ensure your content stands out, do a thorough analysis of what is already ranking on SERPs and how you can improve your content.

For example, if you want to create content around 'easy dinner recipes,' identify the gaps by comparing your existing content with the one ranking well.

Suppose you discover that it provides information on easy recipes but does not cover healthy recipes. You can create content revolving around 'quick and healthy dinner recipes' and include 'how-to' videos to make it more enticing and valuable.

4. Review your existing content

Auditing your published content is a tried-and-tested way of finding content gaps. It will give you a clear picture of what pages rank well and which need improvement.

When conducting a content audit, pay heed to topics and keywords that are either inadequately covered or missing entirely from your site.

Use tools like Writesonic, Google Analytics, Ahrefs, etc., to gather data on how your content is performing.

For example, if your website primarily features healthy recipes but traffic is declining, this could indicate that your audience is seeking more variety.

Addressing this gap by expanding your content to include different types of recipes could help re-engage your audience and boost performance​.

5. Competitor gap analysis

Conducting a competitor gap analysis helps you discover the topics on which your competitors are ranking well, which in turn helps you identify gaps in your own content strategy.

By comparing your content with your competitors, especially those targeting the same audience and offering similar products or services, you can craft a strategy to fill all the gaps.

This approach enables you to craft more comprehensive, valuable content that outshines your competitors and resonates with your target audience.

6. Prioritize gaps and curate content to fill them

Once you track the content gaps, it is essential to create a strategic plan to fill them and capitalize on opportunities. Prioritize the gaps that provide the maximum opportunity to increase organic traffic and conversions.

Now, outline the actions you need to take to fill the content gap, such as creating new content, updating existing content, using new content formats, etc.

Setting clear timelines and regularly monitoring your progress will ensure that your content strategy remains aligned with your goals and continues to drive results​.

What to consider when conducting content gap analysis?

Have you ever felt like your content is missing something, but you can't put your finger on what’s lacking? You are not alone—this is a common challenge.

In situations like these, conducting a content gap analysis can help discover lucrative opportunities and identify the gaps in your content strategy.

However, to ensure a successful analysis, consider these following key elements:

• Uncovered topics by competitors: Identify topics that your competitors have not covered but are of interest to your target audience. This allows you to create content that meets unmet needs, helping you stand out in the market​.
• Content publication frequency: Analyze how often your competitors publish content. Understanding their content frequency can help you determine the level of effort required to stay competitive and maintain a strong presence​.
• Audience interests: Focus on the specific interests of your target audience that are not being addressed in your competitors' content. By filling these gaps, you can create content that resonates more deeply with your audience, increasing engagement and loyalty​.
• Quality improvement opportunities: After comparing your content with that of your competitors, look for ways to enhance the quality of your content. This may involve providing more comprehensive information, improving readability, or incorporating engaging elements like visuals or interactive content.

By considering these critical factors in your content gap analysis, you can create high-quality content that not only competes but truly stands out in your niche.

Also read: Top 10 AI SEO Tools to Deliver Results

Fill the gaps with Writesonic’s Content Analyzer

Are you ready to put on your detective hat and start uncovering your content gaps?

With Writesonic AI Content Gap Analyzer, you can elevate your content strategy.

This tool helps you identify missing content pieces that should align with the different stages of your target audience's buyer's journey, ensuring your content is comprehensive and optimized for better SEO performance.

How to use it?

Step 1 - Select a Project Folder

Start by selecting a project folder from the dropdown options. This helps in organizing your content and keeping your analysis tasks streamlined.

Step 2 - Access the AI Content Grader

You can begin by either opening an existing article or starting with a blank page. This flexibility allows you to analyze both new and existing content.

Step 3 - Add Your Content

There are three ways to add your content:

• Add a public link
• Paste the text directly
• Upload a document file

After adding your content, click on ‘Next.’

Step 4 - Select the Main Keyword

Choose the primary keyword you want your content to rank for in search engines, and then click on ‘Next.’

Step 5 - Add/Select Competitor Links

You can add competitor links manually or select from suggested links. These will be used to benchmark your content against competitors.

Step 6 - Analyze Your Content

The tool will provide insights to improve your content, including:

• Content Gaps: Suggestions on how to enhance your content by covering missing aspects.
• Statistics: A comparative analysis of your content against competitors, including metrics like domain rating, keywords, and traffic.
• Actionable Suggestions: Specific recommendations to refine and elevate your content to better meet SEO goals.

By mapping your buyers' journey, analyzing your competitors' content strategy, and conducting in-depth market research, you will be able to uncover valuable opportunities to drive traffic and provide more relevant content.

Remember, the goal is not here to copy your competitors.

Instead, it is to learn from their mistakes and find lucrative opportunities to create even better content for your audiences.

Additionally, you can leverage Writesonic's SEO Checker and Optimizer, which provides content scores after analyzing your competitor's websites.

This way, you can access real-time updates to improve your content strategy.

Your words deserve to be discovered—let Writesonic tools guide the way!