In this informative article, “How to Do a Content Gap Analysis [With Template],” you will discover the process of conducting a content gap analysis to identify topics that your competitors have covered but you haven’t. This analysis is a valuable tool that can help you drive more traffic to your existing content, find new topics to cover, and even steal traffic from your competitors. By following the step-by-step guide and using the provided content gap analysis template, you will be able to pinpoint missing gaps in your content strategy and take action to close those gaps effectively.

A Content Gap Analysis: How to Find and Fill Missing Gaps in Your Content Strategy

A content gap analysis is a valuable process that allows you to uncover topics that your competitors have covered but you haven’t. By identifying these gaps, you can improve your content strategy and achieve several key objectives:

1. Get more traffic to existing content

One of the primary benefits of conducting a content gap analysis is the potential to drive more traffic to your existing content. By identifying topics that your competitors rank for but you don’t, you can optimize your existing content to target those keywords. By doing so, you can attract more organic traffic and increase your website’s visibility in search engine results.

2. Find the best new topics to cover

In addition to optimizing your existing content, a content gap analysis can help you identify the best new topics to cover. By analyzing the keywords that your competitors are ranking for, you can gain insights into popular and relevant topics that you may not have considered. This allows you to expand your content strategy and attract a wider audience.

3. Steal traffic from competitors

Perhaps one of the most exciting prospects of a content gap analysis is the opportunity to steal traffic from your competitors. By identifying the keywords and topics that your competitors are ranking well for, you can create content that is even better and more comprehensive. This gives you a competitive edge and allows you to attract traffic that may have otherwise gone to your competitors.

Now that we understand the benefits of a content gap analysis, let’s dive into the step-by-step process of conducting one:

1. Find keyword gaps

The first step in a content gap analysis is to find keyword gaps between your website and your competitors. To do this, follow these steps:

• Make a copy of our content gap analysis template.
• Navigate to the Competitive Analysis tool in Ahrefs and ensure that it is set to “keywords.”
• Enter your domain in the first field and 1-3 competing domains below. If you are unsure of your top competitors, the tool will suggest some automatically.
• Click the “Show keyword opportunities” button to generate a list of keywords that your competitors rank for but you don’t.
• Switch the “main positions only” toggle to filter out rankings in alternative SERP features such as image packs, sitelinks, and carousels.

2. Refine and export the data

Once you have generated the list of keyword opportunities, you will likely need to refine and export the data to make it more manageable. Follow these steps:

• Look at the number of keywords in the content gap report. If there are more than 100,000, you will need to refine the list to avoid breaking the Google Sheets template.
• Exclude mentions of your competitor’s brand name(s) in the keyword filter. Consider misspellings or spaces added and set the filter to pick up “partial matches” to remove as many mentions as possible.
• Exclude terms related to irrelevant topics that are not relevant to your website.
• Adjust the competitors’ positions to display at least two sites ranking in the top 10.
• Filter for keywords with a monthly search volume of at least 20 to focus on more meaningful opportunities.
• Alternatively, use the Keyword Difficulty (KD) filter to reveal low-hanging fruit by setting a maximum KD of 30.
• Once you have applied all the necessary filters, export the data to CSV for further analysis.

3. Import the data into the template

With the refined data in hand, you can now import it into the content gap analysis template. Follow these steps:

• Make a copy of our content gap analysis template if you haven’t already.
• Import the data you downloaded from Ahrefs. Navigate to the “Data” tab in the template and click on cell A1.
• Go to File > Import > Upload > Choose your Ahrefs data > Select “Append to current sheet.”
• Leave all other options untouched and proceed with importing the data. This may take a few moments, depending on the size of your keyword list.
• Once the data is imported, move to the “Results” tab in the template to analyze the opportunities.

4. Analyze each opportunity

Now that you have imported the data into the template, it’s time to analyze each opportunity and determine the best course of action. Here’s how you can approach this step:

• Start by identifying both domain-level and page-level gaps. Domain-level gaps occur when competitors have content about topics you don’t, while page-level gaps occur when competitors have pages that rank for more keywords than yours do.
• For each domain-level gap, determine its relevance to your business. Consider whether the topic aligns with your target audience’s interests and if it fits into your overall content strategy.
• Use the “site:” operator in Google to check if you already have an existing page about the topic. If you do, evaluate whether you should add new sections to target the missing keywords or create a new page altogether.
• Repeat this analysis for each page-level gap, considering the relevance of the missing keywords and whether you can improve your existing content to better target those keywords.

5. Implement all action items and tasks

Once you have analyzed each opportunity and identified the best course of action, it’s time to implement the necessary changes to fill the content gaps. Follow these steps:

• Create a list of action items for new pages to create or existing pages to optimize. This list should outline the specific tasks required to close the content gaps you identified.
• Use a project management tool such as Clickup or Asana to create tasks and assign them to your team members. This will help you keep track of progress and ensure that each action item is completed.
• Include the suggested sections and keywords from your analysis in the content brief for the assigned tasks. This will provide clear guidance to the content creators and ensure that they effectively address the content gaps.

In conclusion, conducting a content gap analysis is a critical strategic SEO task that can significantly improve your website’s performance. It allows you to uncover untapped opportunities, attract more traffic, and outperform your competitors. By using our content gap analysis template and following the step-by-step process outlined in this guide, you can effectively identify and fill missing gaps in your content strategy. So, don’t just settle for exporting a list of missing keywords – use the template and unleash the full potential of your content strategy.