How to Perform Keyword Gap Analysis to Outrank Your Competitors

Suppose you're consistently being outranked on Google by your competitors. In that case, it isn't always necessarily because their content is better—it could easily be that they're targeting keywords that you potentially may have missed. This is where Keyword Gap Analysis comes into play.

Keyword Gap Analysis refers to an effective SEO method that allows you to identify keywords that your competitors are ranking for, but you are not ranking for. By closing this keyword gap, you can enhance your content strategy and traffic, and thereby start to outrank your competitors.

Whether you run an eCommerce store, SaaS business, blog, or service website, mastering keyword gap analysis can have a significant impact on your digital visibility. Many companies offering SEO services in Jaipur, for example, implement this strategy to gain visibility at a local and national level by targeting keywords that their competitors are already making money on.

What is Keyword Gap Analysis?

Keyword Gap Analysis is the process of analyzing your website's keyword rankings against your top competitors' keyword rankings and finding missed opportunities. Those keywords your competitors rank for but you don't, or rank poorly.

It gives you a peek into what is driving traffic to other websites in your niche and gives you actionable insights to refine your content strategy better.

For example, your competitor is ranking first page for "best wireless headphones under 5000" and your website isn't even appearing for that search term. You have found a worthwhile targeting gap.

Things get even more compelling when you use it in conjunction with things like the Skyscraper Technique, where you author even better, more substantial content than what is currently ranking, to overcome the competition.

Why Keyword Gap Analysis is Essential for SEO Success

Here is why every business that is serious about organic growth should integrate keyword gap analysis as part of its ongoing SEO strategy.

• Find opportunities: You will discover valuable keywords that are currently being used by your competition that you are not currently using.
• Increase content ROI: By using tested keywords, any future and existing content gets better distribution.
• Improve content marketing strategy: It helps prioritize content development using actual data.
• Improve PPC Campaigns: You will probably identify organic keywords we can later optimize for our ad spend.
• Beating competitors: Regular analysis helps stay on top of current search intent trends in your market.

For example, a local SEO agency in Pune will be using keyword gap analysis to build subject mapping roadmaps that deliver a local intent for buyer questions and allow them to have a competitive edge in a local market.

Step-by-Step Guide to Performing a Keyword Gap Analysis

Let's go through the process of how to conduct a complete keyword gap analysis and how to implement that knowledge for actual growth.

Step 1: Determine your top competitors

Before you go into data, determine who your digital competitors are, which is not always the same as your offline competitors. You want to look for websites that rank on the first page (top 10 results) of search for your main keywords. There are several ways to find these websites, such as:

• Google Search (Google your main keywords manually)
• Ahrefs
• SEMrush
• Moz
• Ubersuggest

For example, if you own a digital marketing agency, you may find competitors like "Neil Patel", "HubSpot", or "Backlinko" for similar topics.

Tip: Opt for 2-4 competitors that are strong to get the best comparison.

Step 2: Use the Keyword Gap Analysis Tool

Now that you have listed your competitors, an easy way to get started is to use a keyword gap analysis tool like:

• SEMrush's Keyword Gap Tool
• Ahrefs' Content Gap Tool
• Moz Keyword Explorer
• SpyFu
• Ubersuggest

These tools allow you to enter your domain, along with your competitors' domains, and will generate a list of keywords they rank for that you do not. Typically, you will get a breakdown showing:

• Missing keywords - Competitors rank, you do not.
• Weak keywords - Competitors outrank you.
• Shared keywords - You and competitors rank, but are comparing positions.

It's like getting your competitor's playbook—and it's legit.

Step 3: Analyze the Gaps

Once you have the keyword data, don't get carried away and add all the keywords to your list. You will want to prioritize your keywords using the following filters:

• Search Volume: Only consider keywords that have enough search volume every month.
• Keyword Difficulty (KD): Target medium keywords if you are a new site or have a lower authority.
• Relevance: Only pursue keywords that are related to your products, services, or content themes.
• Search Intent: Determine which keywords fall under informational (queries hoping to learn), transactional (queries looking to purchase), or commercial investigation (queries comparing products).

For example, if you are selling home decor and you have identified a gap for "budget bedroom decor ideas," this would fall under highly relevant and valuable content to focus on.

Step 4: Categorize Keywords based on Search Intent

Search intent is crucial for writing content that ranks and converts. You can categorize keyword opportunities as;

• Informational: "How to style a small bedroom"
• Navigational: "IKEA bedroom furniture"
• Transactional: "Buy wall shelves online."
• Commercial investigation: "Best bedroom furniture brands in India."

Afterward, you can develop your content plan accordingly—blogs to meet the informational intent, product pages to meet transactional intent, etc.

Step 5: Create or Optimize Content

This is where the real work begins. You have identified your gaps. Now it is time to take action:

• Create new content that targets high-potential missing keyword opportunities.
• Update existing pages to include missed keyword opportunities.
• Combine overlapping topics in one huge, helpful guide.
• Optimize titles and meta-descriptions of weak keywords where you rank but just not near the top.
• Include internal linking to pass authority to newly created or updated pages.

For example, suppose your competitor is ranking for "email marketing for small businesses", and you have a generic blog on email marketing. In that case, you can create a new guide that targets that keyword.

If you are the best web developer in India, you could take that keyword insight a step further to target client search phrases that are related to your service and boost your website presence even further.

Step 6: Track Your Progress

SEO is not a one-off activity. Now that you have made your changes:

• Look at Google Search Console for impressions, clicks, and average position.
• Watch your keyword movement in Ahrefs, SEMrush, or other relevant tools.
• Watch traffic sources in Google Analytics.

Check the keywords that are starting to have very modest traffic and those that still need work.

Pro Tip: Use the keyword gap analysis again after a quarter to find new opportunities and stay competitive.

Real-World Keyword Gap Analysis Example

Let's imagine that there are two companies: Company A and Company B, which offer online yoga classes.

• Company A is your business.
• Company B is your key competitor.

You use a keyword gap tool and discover that Company B ranks for:

• "15-minute morning yoga routine"
• "Yoga for office workers"
• "Beginner yoga for weight loss"
• "Yoga with blocks for flexibility"

None of these are in your keyword portfolio, but they are relevant and have a high search volume. That's your signal to create:

• A blog post with a morning routine
• A guide for desk workers
• A beginner's weight loss yoga video
• A tutorial on yoga blocks

In doing this, you close the content gap, fulfill real user intent, and increase your chance of outranking Company B.

Mistakes to Avoid in Keyword Gap Analysis

While it's an effective strategy, some common pitfalls will lead to a poor outcome:

• Choosing volume over relevance: Having a high search volume means nothing if the keyword doesn't match what you offer.
• Forgetting about long-tail keywords: These types of keywords often convert better and are easier to rank.
• Ignoring intent: If you are targeting a transactional keyword, don't do an informational blog. You will not get the conversions you're looking for!
• One-time analysis: SEO is a marathon - not a sprint! Always be analyzing.

Tips to Make the Most of Keyword Gap Analysis

• Merge it with competitor backlink analysis for wider-ranging SEO information.
• Utilize it for YouTube and Pinterest SEO if your competitors also use those aspects.
• Use it for product descriptions and category pages as well, not just for blog content.
• Please work with your content and PPC teams to align their organic and paid content.
• Build out topic clusters around the gap keywords to enhance your topical authority.

Final Thoughts

A keyword gap analysis is not just snooping on your competition; it is about learning, adapting, and ultimately getting more from it. When done correctly, a keyword gap analysis can demonstrate precisely what you are missing and help shape your content strategy for more organic visibility, more traffic, and ultimately more leads or sales.

With proper keyword gap analysis tools and regularly following it, you will soon be the one that others are trying to outrank, rather than the other way around.

Start filling those content gaps today, and put a curtain between you and your competition for an SEO strategy that you can build on in the future.