Keyword research may be conducted using a variety of approaches. However, a keyword gap analysis—also known as a content gap or keyword competitor analysis—is essential.
There are no ties in search engine optimization. Only one firm can be number one, and you want your site to be that one to receive the most organic traffic.
We know that the top result on Google receives more than 31% of clicks, with minor variance based on industry, phrase, and device. However, regardless of industry, the amount of clicks (and hence traffic) to your website decreases steadily as you move from one to two, and so on.
If your competitors outrank you, they have more organic traffic, leads, and sales.
You may, however, outperform them with a solid SEO plan, which a keyword gap analysis will help you develop.
What is a Keyword Gap Analysis?
A keyword gap study compares your website’s keyword rankings to those of your rivals, determining the relevant terms for which they rank, but you do not.
This research also helps you identify terms for which they surpass you.
In addition, a keyword gap analysis is essential for developing a thorough SEO plan. Because it allows you to detect opportunities that you may be missing out on. Come up with new content ideas.
For example, you may utilize Keyword Gap to identify terms for which numerous rivals rank, but you do not.
By developing (or upgrading) content that includes these keywords, your website can improve its exposure in search engine results. Which might result in more organic traffic to your website.
How to do a Keyword Gap Analysis?
You don’t have to be an SEO expert to do a keyword gap study. However, having a specialist on your side is usually beneficial when interpreting data and developing a list of target keywords. Let’s take a look at how a keyword gap study might help you identify fresh ranking prospects.
- Identify Competitors
Selecting the appropriate rivals for your investigation ensures that the results are relevant to your firm.
If you choose keywords based on firms that aren’t in your niche, you may not experience any organic traffic growth. And even if you do, the increase is unlikely to result in any commercial activity from visitors.
How do you identify the proper competitors?
Begin by considering who your business competitors are.
These are the firms you’re probably already familiar with, and they compete directly with you since their products or services are relatively comparable. They may even be in the same geographic area.
However, you may also identify rivals by researching which businesses compete with you in an organic search.
- Pick Your Tools
You will need at least one SEO tool to do a keyword gap study. We utilize Semrush, which includes a free edition with a restricted number of query options. (Another advantage of employing an agency: we have the resources and experience to deploy them!)
You may also use Ahrefs’ Content Gap tool, although it is not as strong or user-friendly as Semrush’s filtering capabilities.
For example, it’s more useful if you’re looking for keywords for which you’re not already ranking (new content potential). It is feasible to refine search queries to see how your competitor’s position compares to yours, but it requires some skill.
- Identify Target Keywords
To determine what keywords a certain site is targeting, look at the following elements:
- Page titles
- Meta descriptions
- Headers
- Page content
- Anchor text of internal links
- Structured data property fields
- Open graph and other social meta tags
- Alt tag text
- Images (filenames and metadata)
- Videos (filenames and metadata)
Labeling the keywords enables you to see:
- The number of keywords per category or label.
- Words that you intend to target but are not.
- They are targeting certain words, but you are not.
- The number of pages per category or label.
Begin compiling lists of terms that fall into these categories, or mark them appropriately for further filtering and analysis. By this point, you should get a much sharper picture than just an unsorted list of terms.
- Interpret Your Results
Now you must select where your keywords will provide the greatest benefit. Your keyword tool will do some of the work for you.
Semrush, for example, includes a section that displays “Top Opportunities” for keywords that your site is missing, as well as weak keywords—those for which you have a ranking but it is lower than all of your rivals.
To find chances, browse for terms like:
- Very relevant to your business and website.
- Frequently searched for by your target audience.
- Not too competitive, but still high-value.
- Easily filled with current material or simple to develop fresh stuff for.
- Identify Opportunities
When you’re just getting started with your research, you should prioritize weak and absent keywords. Here’s why:
Weak – these are keywords that your rivals rank higher than you for, and they are ideal candidates for content cleanup.
Missing – these are terms that your rivals rank for but that you do not rank for at all.
Preparing SEO content will help you determine whether to update an existing page or build a new one. In general, you can apply the following rule:
Weak = update old content.
Missing = generate new content.
- Try a Page Level
You are already aware of a few instances where your articles and those of a rival are comparable. You want to figure out what they’re doing properly and reproduce it.
To determine this, conduct a page-level study. You may input the exact URL of a competitor’s page and compare it to your own to discover what you’re missing. You’ll either add those keywords to your existing page or construct a completely new one and begin stealing traffic from competitors.
- Put it into Action
How do you choose whether to refresh an existing page or build a new one? What forms of content are most likely to entice clients away from your competitors?
This is when SEO becomes an art rather than a science.
To select your course of action, examine the top content that is already ranking for that phrase and search for:
- Content Type (Video, Blog, Gallery, etc.)
- Content length and organization.
- Headers and Keywords Used
Do you already have material that meets these criteria? You can edit it using the new keywords. If you don’t, you’ll want to make something new.
Organic growth is critical to the overall success of your organization, but it is not always easy.
- Monitor Your Ranking Changes
It is critical to track your success in search results. To determine if the improvements you made are having an impact. And to debug any potential issues that may emerge.
Google Rank Check tracking allows you to simply track the performance of your content.
- Select all the term clusters you used when generating and modifying material. Then click on “Add Keywords”.
- After adding the keywords, select the geo-country location where you want to track keyword positions.
- Now you have all the keywords listed.
- You can click on the refresh button to get real-time data.
Summary
Keyword gap analysis allows you to uncover phrases that your rivals target but you do not. However, discovering high-performing keywords is tough, especially if you operate in a highly competitive business.
After completing competitive gap research, you will have a list of your strongest keywords. However, creating content around those themes is insufficient. You must create an angle that is unique to your target audience and meets their needs while concentrating the keywords on your company objectives.
When done correctly, a keyword gap analysis may drastically boost your search engine rankings and provide organic traffic to your website.
Ready to start?
Try Google Rank Check today to start researching relevant keywords for your website.