One common question that website owners ask is why their content doesn’t rank as well as their competitors. But great content doesn’t always help you rank at the top of SERP. You also need to target the right keywords as well.

Google shows results that match what users are searching for. If you are not ranking on the same keywords that your competitor is targeting, then all their traffic goes to them.

That’s where keyword gap analysis can make a difference. This will help you find the gaps in your keyword strategy. It shows new opportunities for better rankings and attracting more visitors.

In this article, we’ll show you how to perform keyword gap analysis and find opportunities to enhance your SEO and outperform your competitors.

What Is Keyword Gap Analysis?

Keyword gap analysis refers to finding keywords that your competitors rank for but you don’t. It gives you opportunities to improve your own rankings by targeting these missed keywords.

6 Steps to Conduct a Keyword Gap Analysis

Here’s a simple, step-by-step guide to conducting a keyword gap analysis:

1. Identify Your Competitors

Find websites offering similar products, services, or resources for the same target audiences. Understanding your competition allows one to see what works for them, and in what areas they can outcompete them.

How to Identify Them:

• List businesses that offer the same products or services as yours.
• Look at the sites and web pages that currently rank in Google for your target keywords.
• Identify websites currently ranking with the same keywords as yours using SEMrush or Ahrefs.

Knowing who your competitors are, you are now able to start comparing keywords to find new opportunities.

2. Use an SEO Tool to Gather Data

After identifying your competitors, you have to engage your SEO tool in order to collect data on the keywords for which they rank. This set of tools will show which keywords the visitors are being funneled through onto the websites of your competitors, helping you see where your site may be losing chances to use important keywords.

How to Do It:

• Choose a Tool: Use SEO tools like SEMrush, Ahrefs, or Moz. These tools let you compare your website to your competitors.
• Input Competitor URLs: Enter your competitors’ website URLs into the tool. The tool will then provide you with a list of keywords for which those websites are ranking.
• Find Keyword Gaps: Look for keywords that your competitors are using to rank but your website is not. These are your keyword gaps, which show where you can attract more visitors.

Now, let’s look at the specific steps for finding keyword gaps using two popular tools: SEMrush and Ahrefs.

Find Keyword Gap Using SEMrush

SEMrush is a powerful tool for identifying keyword gaps. Below are easy steps to find them:

• Log In to SEMrush and Go to the Dashboard.

• Go to the “Keyword Gap” tool under the “Competitive Research” section.

• Enter your domain and up to four competitors’ domains in the provided fields.

• Select the type of keywords you want to analyze: organic, paid, or PLA (Product Listing Ads).

• SEMrush will show a comparison of keyword rankings between your site and your competitors. Look for keywords where your competitors rank, but you don’t.

• Use filters to refine the data, then export the results for further analysis and action.

SEMrush offers different categories

• Shared: Shows keywords that both you and your competitors rank for, helping you see where you’re on similar ground with them.
• Missing: Lists keywords that your competitors rank for, but you don’t. These are opportunities you’re missing out on.
• Strong: Highlights keywords where you rank better than your competitors. These are areas where you’re doing well.
• Weak: Shows keywords where you rank, but your competitors rank higher. It tells you where you need to improve.
• Untapped: Reveals keywords that at least one competitor ranks for, but you don’t. These are new opportunities to explore.
• Unique: Lists keywords that only you rank for and not your competitors. These are your exclusive strengths.

Find Keyword Gap By Using Ahref 

• Log In to your Ahrefs account and go to the dashboard.

• Go To the “Site Explorer” and click the “Content Gap” tool.

• Enter the URLs of your competitors’ websites.

• Ahrefs will show keywords your competitors rank for and these are missing from your website. Look for those missing and relevant keywords to target.

• Use filters to refine the keyword list, then export the data for further analysis and implementation.

3. Analyze the Keyword Data

After gathering the keyword data, the next step is to analyze it. This means looking closely at the list of keywords to find opportunities for your website.

How to Do It:

• Compare Keyword Lists: Look at the keywords your competitors rank for and see which ones you’re missing.
• Focus on High-Value Keywords: Check keywords that people are really searching for and that relate to your business. These keywords can bring the most visitors.
• Look for Low-Competition Keywords: Sometimes, targeting keywords with less competition can give you quicker results. These are easier to rank for and can still bring good traffic.

4. Prioritize the Keywords

After analyzing the keyword data, the next step is to select the keywords you found. This refers to deciding which of those keywords are most important for your website.

How to Do It:

• Focus on High-Search Keywords: Start with keywords that have a lot of searches. These can bring more traffic to your site.
• Consider Relevance: Always choose keywords that are most related to your business and what your audience would want.
• Target Low-Competition Keywords: Sometimes, it’s easier to rank for keywords that have less competition. These can be a quick way to start getting more visitors.
• Balance Short-Term and Long-Term: Mix easy-to-rank-for keywords with more competitive ones. This way, you get quick wins while working towards bigger goals.

5. Develop a Content Strategy

After prioritizing your keywords, the next step is to build a content strategy. This means planning and creating content that targets chosen keywords.

How to Do It:

• Update Existing Content: For keywords where you already have content but it’s not ranking well, update those articles. You can add more information, use the keywords better, and build links to help them rank higher.
• Create New Content: Create new blog posts or articles targeting the keywords you have not covered yet. Make this content informative and relevant to answer commonly asked questions that your audience may have.

6. Monitor, Adjust, and Repeat

After you have used your keyword strategy, it is important to watch how well it works. Check your website’s performance regularly, track keyword rankings, and check traffic to find out whether chosen keywords bring results or not. If certain keywords are not going too great, try changing your content or focusing on other keywords.

SEO is not something you do just once. You should often check for missing keywords, refresh your content, and change your strategy to stay on top of new trends and rules. By constantly improving and doing this over and over, you can keep making your website better and bring in more visitors.

How We Conduct Gap Analysis for OutreachMonks

This example demonstrates how to conduct a keyword gap analysis for the website OutreachMonks, which specializes in link-building services.

This example shows how Outreach Monks can use keyword gap analysis to identify and prioritize new keyword opportunities, create content to target these keywords and monitor performance over time.

Conclusion

The SEO world is constantly changing and evolving. Your competitors are always on the move, and so should you.

Every keyword gap is a fresh opportunity to outrank them. Keep your eyes on competitors working, stay alert, and never stop exploring.

Remember, the next big win could be just around the corner.

FAQ’s on Keyword Gap Analysis

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