Content gap analysis: find the keywords your competitors win.
A content gap is a search your competitors appear for and you do not. Each gap is a page you could write, a page you could improve, or a link you could earn. This guide shows how to run a content gap analysis step by step, by hand or with a keyword gap tool, and how to decide which gaps to fill first.
Short answer: A content gap analysis compares the keywords and pages your competitors rank for with yours, to find the searches where they get traffic and you do not. You list 2 to 4 real search competitors, pull the keywords each one ranks for, keep the ones you are missing or weak on, group them into topics, and prioritize by search volume, difficulty and how weak the current results are.
Updated 2026-11-02 by the Demandscope team.
What is a content gap analysis?
A content gap analysis is a way to find what is missing from your site by looking at who wins the searches you want. It answers three questions: which searches bring visitors to your competitors and not to you, which of your pages are weaker than theirs, and which sites link to them but not to you.
People also call it keyword gap analysis (when you compare keywords) or competitor keyword research. The idea is the same: your competitors have already tested what people search for in your market, so their rankings are a map of real demand.
Why do a content gap analysis?
- You find topics with proven demand instead of guessing.
- You see where you are close (position 4 to 20) and a better page could win.
- You find the links that make competitors stronger.
- You get a list of pages to write, ranked by what they are worth.
Step 1: choose the right competitors
Your search competitors are not always your business competitors. A big marketplace, a blog or a review site can win the searches you want. Search your 5 to 10 most important keywords and note the sites that appear again and again on page one.
Pick 2 to 4 of them that are close to your size and topic. Comparing yourself with a giant usually returns thousands of keywords you cannot win soon.
Step 2: find the keywords they rank for and you do not
- Export the keywords of each site: Use a keyword gap tool or a domain overview to list the keywords each competitor ranks for, with search volume, difficulty and position. Do the same for your own site.
- Mark the missing keywords: Missing = they rank in the top 20 or so and you do not rank at all. These are pages you probably do not have yet.
- Mark the weak keywords: Weak = you rank, but lower than them. These are pages you have but could improve.
- Note the shared keywords: Shared = several competitors rank for it. When two or three sites all rank for a keyword you miss, the demand is clearly real.
Step 3: look at the pages, not only the keywords
Open the pages that rank for your best gaps. What do they cover that you do not? How long and how recent are they? Do they have tables, examples, prices, tools? This is the real content gap: what a searcher finds on their page and would not find on yours.
Also look at how strong the results are. A page one full of forum posts, old articles or pages that do not really answer the search is a gap you can take quickly. A page one of strong, recent, dedicated pages from big sites will take longer.
Step 4: group keywords into topics
Many keywords are answered by the same page. "content gap analysis", "content gap analysis seo" and "how to do a content gap analysis" usually show the same results, so they belong on one page. A simple rule: if two keywords share several of the same results on page one, write one page for both.
Grouping prevents you from writing ten thin pages that compete with each other, and gives you a clear plan: one topic, one page, with its main keyword and its related keywords.
Step 5: prioritize the gaps
Not every gap is worth filling. Score each topic on four things and start with the ones that score well on all of them.
- Value: total search volume of the topic, and how close it is to buying.
- Difficulty: how strong the pages and sites on page one are.
- Weak spots: forums, outdated pages or off-topic results on page one.
- Fit: whether you can honestly write the best page on it.
Step 6: turn each gap into a page plan
For every topic you keep, decide one of three actions. Write: you have no page for it, so create one. Improve: you have a page but it ranks lower than your competitors, so make it better than theirs. Defend: you are already in the top three, so keep the page fresh and watch it.
For a page to write or improve, note the main keyword, the related keywords it should also answer, the questions people ask about it, and what the best ranking page covers that yours does not. That short note is your content brief.
Then track the keywords of each topic, so you can see whether the new page starts to rank. Without tracking, you cannot tell which gaps you have actually closed.
- Write: no page yet. Create one dedicated page for the topic.
- Improve: you rank 4 to 20. Add what the top pages cover, update facts, add internal links.
- Defend: you are in the top 3. Refresh it and watch for new competitors.
An example of a content gap analysis
Here is how it looks for an imaginary company selling scheduling software for hair salons. Its search competitors are two booking apps and a salon blog. The keyword gap shows that all three rank for "salon no-show policy" and "how to reduce no-shows", and the company ranks for neither. Page one for "salon no-show policy" holds a forum thread and an article from several years ago: weak results, real demand, and a perfect fit for a product with reminders.
The plan: one guide that answers "how to reduce no-shows in a salon" with a free policy template, linked from the product's reminder feature page, plus a request to the two salon directories that link to both competitors but not to the company. The keywords go into rank tracking, and the team checks them every week.
Step 7: close the backlink gap
Content is half of the gap; links are the other half. List the sites that link to two or more of your competitors but not to you. They already link to your topic, so they are the most likely to link to you too: directories, resource pages, partners, writers who cover your market.
How to do a content gap analysis with Demandscope
Demandscope's Keyword Gap compares your site with up to 3 competitors and shows the keywords you are missing, the ones where they rank above you and the ones you share, with volume and difficulty. Backlink Gap compares up to 4 competitors and lists the sites that link to them and not to you. Both are in every plan.
On Pro and up, the SERP Gap Analyzer checks up to 10,000 keywords and flags the page-one results you can beat (forums, outdated pages, low-authority sites, off-topic answers, homepages instead of dedicated pages), and whether an AI Overview cites you. The Opportunity Planner turns that report into topics, each marked write, improve or defend, and sends them to rank tracking and your action plan. The Strategy Builder groups keywords into topic clusters, one page per search intent.
Questions
What is the difference between a content gap and a keyword gap?
A keyword gap is a keyword your competitors rank for and you do not. A content gap is the missing or weaker content behind it: the page or the information a searcher finds on their site and not on yours. A keyword gap analysis is usually the first step of a content gap analysis.
How many competitors should I compare?
Two to four. Fewer gives a narrow view; more returns long lists that are hard to act on. Choose sites that win your searches and are close to your size.
Can I do a content gap analysis for free?
Yes, by hand: search your main keywords, list the pages that rank, and compare them with yours. It works for a few keywords. A keyword gap tool does the same for thousands of keywords at once.
How often should I run a content gap analysis?
Every three to six months, or when a new competitor appears. Rankings change, and new gaps open as competitors publish.
Which gaps should I fill first?
Topics with real search volume, page-one results you can beat, and a clear fit with what you sell. Pages where you already rank between 4 and 20 are often the fastest wins.
What is a keyword gap tool?
A tool that pulls the keywords several sites rank for and shows which ones you are missing, where competitors rank above you, and which ones you share, usually with search volume and difficulty.
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