Content Gap Analysis: Find What Your Competitors Rank For (And You Don't)

TL;DR

Content gap analysis reveals the keywords and topics your competitors rank for that you do not. It is the fastest way to build a content plan backed by proven demand rather than guesswork. This guide walks through the process using both free methods and affordable tools.

What Is a Content Gap Analysis

Define content gap analysis and explain the difference between keyword gaps (terms competitors rank for), topic gaps (subjects competitors cover), and format gaps (content types competitors use that you do not).

Why Content Gaps Are the Easiest Wins

Explain why targeting proven keyword gaps is lower risk than speculative keyword research. The demand is validated, the content format is known, and you just need to execute better.

How to Run a Content Gap Analysis

Step 1: Identify Your Real SEO Competitors

How to find your actual SEO competitors (not just business competitors). Cover manual SERP overlap analysis. Link to finding your SEO competitors for the full discovery process.

Step 2: Pull Competitor Keywords

Methods for extracting the keywords your competitors rank for. Cover free approaches (manual SERP checking, Search Console comparison) and paid tool approaches. Delulu9 helps here by pulling keyword data from Google, Bing, and Reddit – revealing gaps across multiple search surfaces.

Step 3: Filter and Categorize Gaps

How to process a raw list of competitor keywords into actionable categories: quick wins (low difficulty, high relevance), strategic targets (high value, more effort), and skip (irrelevant or too competitive).

Step 4: Validate Search Intent

For each gap keyword, verify the search intent and confirm you can create content that matches it. Link to search intent mapping for the intent analysis process.

Step 5: Prioritize by Business Impact

Framework for scoring gap keywords by a combination of search volume, difficulty, conversion potential, and strategic importance.

Step 6: Plan and Execute

How to turn a prioritized gap list into a content calendar with deadlines and quality standards.

Content Gap Analysis Without Expensive Tools

The Manual SERP Method

How to run a basic content gap analysis using nothing but Google searches and a spreadsheet. Time-intensive but free.

The Search Console Method

How to use your own Search Console data to find topics where you get impressions but no clicks, indicating content gaps or poor content quality.

Affordable Tool Options

Overview of budget-friendly tools for automated gap analysis. Cover how tools like Delulu9 provide competitive data at $12/mo.

Going Beyond Keywords: Topic and Format Gaps

Identifying Topic Gaps

How to analyze competitor content at the topic level, not just keyword level. Cover content hub analysis and topical authority mapping.

Identifying Format Gaps

How competitors might own certain SERP features (videos, tools, calculators) that you are not competing for at all.

Turning Gaps Into a Content Strategy

How to integrate gap analysis findings into your broader content strategy. Link to keyword research complete guide for building a full keyword strategy and competitor content analysis for evaluating competitor content quality.

How often should I run a content gap analysis?

Run a full gap analysis quarterly. Competitors publish new content constantly, and search landscapes shift. A quarterly cadence catches new opportunities without overwhelming your content team with constant replanning.

Should I create content for every gap I find?

No. Many gaps will be irrelevant to your business, too competitive, or too low in volume to justify the effort. Filter ruthlessly for keywords that have both search demand and clear relevance to your product or audience.

Can I do content gap analysis for AI search too?

Yes. Analyze which prompts and questions AI engines answer with competitor content instead of yours. This is an emerging practice but increasingly important. See how LLMs recommend software for understanding AI content selection.