How can you improve your website ranking and create content that blows your competitors out of the water? The answer is to be strategic about your content creation. You need to identify opportunities to create unique and valuable content that sets your website apart from the crowd. And that’s where the content gap analysis process comes in.

What is a content gap analysis?

Content gap analysis is a fancy term for something pretty straightforward: figuring out what topics your website is missing content on.

You see, when it comes to creating content and content marketing, it’s not just about writing whatever pops into your head. You want to make sure you’re covering all the important topics related to your business or industry, and providing your audience with valuable information. And finding your content gaps is how to do it.

Basically, you start by looking at the content you already have on your website. Then, you compare that to the topics that your target audience is interested in, as well as what your competitors are writing about. This helps you to identify areas where you’re falling short and come up with new content ideas that target missing keywords or a particular keyword your competitors rank highly for that you don’t.

Why does this matter, you ask? Well, for starters, it can help improve your SEO (that’s search engine optimization). When you’re creating content on a wider range of topics, you’re more likely to show up in search results for a variety of search terms. Plus, by creating more content, you give your audience more reasons to come back to your site and engage with your brand.

And that’s the game, set, and match of content strategy right there.

Which tools can help you identify if you have a content gap?

1. Ahrefs content gap analysis

Ahrefs content gap analysis is a valuable tool for identifying opportunities to improve your content and rankings. It helps you see gaps in your content compared to your competitors, lets you see what types of content your competitors are creating and use that information to create unique and valuable content of your own.

The tool provides a visual representation of the topics and subtopics covered by your competitors, allowing you to see at a glance what types of content are missing from your own website. You can also see the keywords that your competitors are ranking for, which can help you identify new keywords to target.

It also delivers deep insights into the link profiles of your competitors, allowing you to see which pages are attracting the most links and why. This information can help you create more link-worthy content and improve your own link-building efforts.

1. Market Muse & AI algorithms

Wondering why your content isn’t getting the visibility you want? Market Muse can help. It’s a powerful content gap analysis tool designed to give you detailed insight into what other websites are doing so you can optimize your own content.

Identify any gaps in your keyword strategy by assessing the your existing site and SERP results then adjust your SEO accordingly. Using AI algorithms, the platform assigns scores to each site in its search results page so you can check keyword density and distribution.

1. Run a Content Gap Analysis Using an SEO Tool Like Ubersuggest

When you want to analyse content and read all the data on a page manually, Ubersuggest can handle it all. Get a free keyword analysis report, find top-performing content and analyse your competitors’ sites. You can easily see who’s getting more traffic than you, the number of common keywords you rank for, keyword gaps, their estimated traffic, and the number of backlinks you have.

1. Use Google Search Console

If you’re not into paying for a content gap analysis tool and you’re not afraid of doing some hard work, Google Analytics also help analyse content gaps in your website and deliver valuable insights into your content’s performance, including telling you which pages attract the most traffic, where that traffic is coming from, and the keywords people use to find your website.

Google Analytics also allows you to compare your website’s traffic and performance with that of your competitors. This can help you see how your website stacks up against your competitors and identify opportunities to create content that sets your website apart.

• Start by entering the search console and clicking “Search Results” on the right-hand side of the screen.

• Select “+ New” under “Search type” and “Dates range”.

• In the window that appears, click the link.

• Enter your top-performing page URLs one by one.

• When results are displayed, check what keywords you rank for on this page.

• Find your top keyword from the search console (either top clicks or impressions) by using the Search Console.

1. Ask ChatGPT

As an AI language model, ChatGPT can be a useful tool in conducting a Content Gap Analysis. Here’s how:

Firstly, ChatGPT can help you generate topic ideas for your content. By asking questions and engaging in conversation with you, it can identify areas where your website may be lacking content and suggest topics that your audience may be interested in.

Secondly, ChatGPT can assist with keyword research. By analyzing the words and phrases used in your existing content, as well as those used by your competitors and target audience, it can suggest keywords and phrases to target in your new content. This can improve your SEO and help you rank higher in search results.

Thirdly, ChatGPT can analyze your existing content and provide insights into areas where you may be missing information or not covering a topic in sufficient depth. It can also identify gaps in your content by comparing your site with your competitors’ sites and analyzing what topics they are covering.

Lastly, ChatGPT can assist with the creation of new content. It can help you generate outlines and structure your content, suggest relevant images and videos to include, and even proofread and edit your writing.

Make sure you check everything, though – AI’s good but it still needs a steady human brain at the helm to get the best out of it. Yell out if you need a hand!

TLDR: Follow these 3 easy steps for content gap analysis:

1. Identify Your Competitors: Start by identifying the websites that rank for the keywords you want to target. These websites will be your competitors, and you’ll use their content to identify opportunities for your own website.

2. Analyze Competitor Content: Use a tool like SEMrush, Ahrefs, or Moz to analyze your competitors’ content. Look at the topics they cover, the keywords they target, and the type of content they create. Take note of any gaps in their content that you can fill with your own unique content.

3. Create Unique and Valuable Content: Based on the gaps you identified in step 2, create unique and valuable content that fills those gaps. Make sure your content provides value to your audience and is different from the content of your competitors. Focus on creating high-quality content that solves a problem or answers a question, rather than just trying to rank for a specific keyword.

Once you’ve found your content gaps, then what?

Some content gaps anaylses are simply competitor analyses. You analyze your competitor’s content structure to find keywords and topics that are currently top of the rankings and then target these keywords in your new content.

But a content gap analysis can also help you better understand what visitors want from your website and that, in turn, helps you improve your customer user experience (UX).

Why UX matters.

Improving your website user experience is the key to keeping your website visitors happy and engaged. And let me tell you, it’s not just important, it’s absolutely vital if you want your website to be successful.

Think about it like this – if you went to a restaurant and the chairs were uncomfortable, the lighting was too bright, and the menu was confusing, would you want to stay and eat there? Probably not, right? The same goes for your website. If it’s hard to navigate, slow to load, or just plain ugly, your visitors are going to bounce right off it faster than a basketball on a trampoline.

On the flip side, if your website is easy to use, looks great, and provides a seamless experience, your visitors are going to stick around longer and engage more with your brand. And that’s what you want, right? You want your visitors to become fans, and your fans to become customers.

So, what can you do to improve your website UX? Well, there are a lot of things! You can make sure your website loads quickly, use clear and simple navigation, make your content easy to read and visually appealing, and provide a smooth checkout process for your e-commerce customers. And that’s just scratching the surface – you can strategise your customer journey to make sure you’re solving their pain points at every stage, from research to clicking the buy now button.

The bottom line is that improving your customer UX isn’t just a nice-to-have – it’s a must-have.

How to map your content to your buyer’s journey

Mapping your content to your customer journey is a super important process that can help you engage with your audience in a more meaningful way.

Not every visitor to your website is ready to make a purchase. Many are simply seeking information or comparing solutions to determine what’s best for them in terms of cost and availability. That’s why it’s important to give them content that caters to every stage of their buying journey, whether they’re looking to solve a problem or need guidance for the end-of-purchase process.

Unfortunately, many brands solely focus on creating informative content through “money” pages to attract customers, leaving gaps in their content for those who are still exploring their options. Adjust your content to help them at every stage of the customer journey, so that you’re giving them the support they need to make informed decisions (and be more likely to choose you over your competitors). Here’s how:

• The first step is to understand your customer journey. Think of it like a road trip – your customers start out with a problem they need to solve (like needing new shoes), and they go on a journey to find the best solution (like buying a pair of shoes that fit their style, budget, and comfort needs). Along the way, they may encounter different obstacles, make comparisons, or need more information to make an informed decision.

• The next step is to map out the stages of your customer journey and identify the different types of content that would be useful at each stage. For example, in the awareness stage, your audience may be looking for blog posts or social media content that introduces them to your brand or educates them on a problem they’re facing. In the consideration stage, they may want more in-depth guides or comparison articles that help them evaluate different solutions. And in the decision stage, they may be looking for product demos, reviews, or case studies to help them make a final choice.

• Once you’ve identified the different types of content needed for each stage of the customer journey, it’s time to apply your Content Gap Analysis. This involves reviewing your existing content and identifying any gaps or missing pieces. Brainstorm new content ideas or refresh your existing content to boost your rankings.

By mapping your content to your customer journey and conducting a Content Gap Analysis, you can ensure that you’re providing your audience with the right type of content at the right time. This will help you build trust with your audience, improve your SEO, and ultimately drive more sales. So, let’s get mapping and start filling those content gaps.

A word to the wise.

It’s great to get inspired by what your competitors are doing, but be careful you don’t just copy their content strategy (word for word or their intent).

Instead, put on your thinking cap and create fresh content ideas your competitors haven’t thought of. Think of it like a treasure hunt – you’re searching for gems no one else has discovered yet. Your competitors might be ranking high for certain keywords, but that doesn’t mean you should write the same content. You need to make sure that what you’re putting out there is actually relevant to your site and your target audience.

So, keep your eyes open and your mind sharp. Take inspiration from your competitors, but don’t be afraid to explore new angles and approaches. That’s how you’ll stand out from the crowd and make a name for yourself in the content game.

So there you have it, folks! Content Gap Analysis might sound like a snooze-fest, but it’s actually a really valuable tool for any website owner or content creator. If you need any help with the content gap analysis process, creating a content strategy using the info you’ve gleaned from it, or writing clickworthy copy that catapults you to the top of rankings, give us a hoy. In the meantime, happy writing!