If you’ve ever wondered why your competitors outrank you, the answer might lie in keyword gap analysis.
Keyword gap analysis is a strategic method to discover which keywords your competitors rank for that you don’t.
And with SEOBoost’s Topic Reports feature, you can simplify this process. It gives you a data-driven roadmap to fill those gaps and boost your content visibility.
So, in this guide, I’ll walk you through why keyword gap analysis is important, the benefits of using SEOBoost, and a step-by-step breakdown of how to perform it efficiently.
Let’s start with a definition.
- What is Keyword Gap Analysis?
- 6 Benefits of Performing Keyword Gap Analysis with SEOBoost
- Master Keyword Gap Analysis in Just 7 Steps Using SEOBoost
- Step 1: Analyze the Content of Top Competing Pages
- Step 2: Review Content Statistics for Top Competing Pages
- Step 3: Get an Overview of Top Competing Pages
- Step 4: Discover Relevant Questions to Answer
- Step 5: Identify Important Phrases and Words to Use
- Step 6: Analyze Alt Text Used in Top Ranking Articles
- Step 7: Review Outbound URLs Used by Competitors
- Other Tools to Conduct Keyword Gap Analysis
- Final Word
- FAQs
What is Keyword Gap Analysis?
Keyword gap analysis is the process of identifying missing or underutilized keywords in your content that your competitors are already ranking for.
By uncovering these gaps, you can refine your strategy, expand your reach, and rank for more relevant queries.
But identifying these keywords can be a lot of work!
So, instead of guessing which keywords to target, SEOBoost’s Topic Reports automate the research by analyzing top-ranking pages and giving you insights into the exact terms, phrases, and related questions you should be covering.
And in the later section, I’ll discuss how to do this step-by-step.
But before I do that, let’s quickly go through some of the benefits of keyword research using SEOBoost.
6 Benefits of Performing Keyword Gap Analysis with SEOBoost
Picture this: You’ve poured hours into creating content you’re sure will rank. It’s well-researched, optimized, and valuable. Yet, when you check the search results, your competitors dominate page one, and your post is nowhere to be found.
Frustrating, right?
That’s where keyword gap analysis with SEOBoost comes in.
Instead of playing a guessing game, SEOBoost’s Topic Reports give you a clear roadmap showing exactly which keywords your competitors are ranking for that you’re missing.
Think of it as an SEO cheat sheet that reveals the gaps in your strategy and tells you how to fix them.
1. Identify High-Opportunity Keywords
Not all keywords carry the same weight. Some have high search volume but are nearly impossible to rank for because of the high competition, while others have less competition but can drive highly targeted traffic.
SEOBoost scans the top-ranking pages and highlights high-opportunity keywords and content gaps you might have overlooked.
By doing so, it provides intent-based keyword suggestions, helping you target the terms that will actually drive conversions.
2. Improve Content Relevance and Coverage
Ever wonder why your content isn’t ranking as well as your competitors’, even when you’re targeting the same keyword?
Often, it’s because you’re not covering the topic as comprehensively as top-ranking pages.
Remember, Google prioritizes content depth, which means that it favors articles that fully satisfy user intent.
This is where SEOBoost can help compare your content with top-performing pages to reveal which subtopics, related keywords, and questions you’re missing.
It ensures that your content fully answers search queries, making it more likely to rank.
3. Gain a Competitive Edge
Here’s the hard truth: If you’re not keeping up with refreshing content, your competition will continue to outrank you.
Keyword gap analysis helps level the playing field by showing exactly what your competitors are doing right and where you’re falling behind.
So, SEOBoost reverse-engineers your competitors’ content strategy, showing which type of content they’re publishing so you can gain insights into that.
4. Optimize Existing Content to Bridge Gaps
Think keyword gap analysis is only for new content? Think again.
Your old content is a goldmine, but only if you keep it updated.
Search engines favor fresh, well-optimized pages, meaning stale content loses ranking potential over time.
And with SEOBoost, you can scan your existing content and update it to ensure it stays relevant.
5. Automation Saves Time
Manual keyword research is exhausting. You’d have to:
- Analyze competitor pages one by one
- Compare ranking keywords manually
- Figure out what’s missing without clear data
But SEOBoost eliminates the guesswork by doing all of this for you in minutes.
It automatically extracts high-impact keywords from competitor pages, saving you hours of research.
More importantly, it presents data-driven insights in a simple, easy-to-follow format, so you know exactly what to prioritize.
Instead of manually studying 10+ competitor articles, SEOBoost delivers a complete analysis in one dashboard, instantly showing where your content is falling short.
6. Data-Driven Recommendations
Data doesn’t lie.
And when it comes to SEO, guesswork isn’t an option.
With SEOBoost, you don’t have to second-guess which keywords to target. The tool provides precise recommendations based on actual ranking data.
Master Keyword Gap Analysis in Just 7 Steps Using SEOBoost
Now, let’s break down the step-by-step process of using SEOBoost to uncover keyword gaps and optimize your content strategy.
Step 1: Analyze the Content of Top Competing Pages
Before you can outrank your competitors, you need to understand why they rank in the first place.
This is why, when you create a topic report for a keyword you want to use in content, SEOBoost presents a content analysis of the top competing pages.
It scans the top-ranking competitor pages for your target keyword and analyzes keyword usage readability level and average word count to determine what’s driving their rankings.
Instead of guessing what makes a competitor’s content perform well, you get clear, data-driven insights into structuring your content before you’ve even started creating it.
Step 2: Review Content Statistics for Top Competing Pages
The next report it gives you is the content statistics for the top ranking pages.
It breaks down the content structure of high-ranking pages to reveal metrics like:
- Average word count: Are competitors writing long-form content or keeping it short and snappy?
- Readability scores: Is their content easy to digest, or do they use technical language?
- Heading structure: How do they organize their content using H1s, H2s, and H3s?
Step 3: Get an Overview of Top Competing Pages
To rank higher, you need to see the bigger picture and that means analyzing how your competitors build their content strategies.
SEOBoost provides a complete snapshot and breakdown of how competitors format their content and what pages are ranking at the top og search engines.
So, instead of reinventing the wheel, you get a clear blueprint of what works, so you can structure your content in a way that aligns with top-performing articles.
Step 4: Discover Relevant Questions to Answer
One of the easiest ways to improve content depth is by answering user questions that search engines prioritize.
This is also why we have the PAA (People Also Ask) questions box in Google so searchers can get quick responses.
Optimizing your content for these commonly asked questions gives it an edge and helps you win featured snippets.
SEOBoost extracts PAA questions directly from Google and other sources such as Quora to identify which questions top-ranking pages answer to ensure your content covers similar topics.
Adding these key user queries makes your content more relevant and improves its overall SEO strength.
Step 5: Identify Important Phrases and Words to Use
SEO is no longer just about one primary keyword.
Remember, Google rewards topic depth and semantic relevance.
And this is where the next report come sin handy as it analyzes LSI (Latent Semantic Indexing) keywords and other important phrases that naturally support your primary keyword.
Instead of keyword stuffing, you’ll know exactly which additional terms to use, helping Google better understand your content and improving your ranking potential.
Step 6: Analyze Alt Text Used in Top Ranking Articles
Many website owners forget about optimizing images, but search engines don’t.
You have to remember that Google values alt text as it improves accessibility and helps with image-based search rankings.
So, SEOBoost provides a breakdown of how competitors use alt text for their images.
Using these suggestions for optimizing your own images help you align with ranking trends.
If your competitors are using descriptive, keyword-rich alt text and you’re not, you’re missing an easy ranking opportunity.
And SEOBoost shows exactly how to fix it.
Step 7: Review Outbound URLs Used by Competitors
Who your competitors link to matters and Google pays attention.
That’s because linking to high-authority external sources builds trust, credibility, and improves SEO rankings.
SEOBoost analyzes which outbound links top-ranking pages are using to support their content.
By identifying the patterns in authoritative sources, you can find reliable references to cite in your own content.
Remember, adding high-quality, relevant external links to your content signals to Google that your page is well-researched and enhances its credibility which is a key ranking factor.
Other Tools to Conduct Keyword Gap Analysis
While SEOBoost provides the most comprehensive keyword gap analysis with real-time competitor insights, topic reports, and AI-driven recommendations, other tools can complement your keyword research strategy too.
So, here’s how they compare:
1. LowFruits
LowFruits is a keyword analysis tools that is best for finding low-competition, long-tail keywords for niche websites.
Here’s how it helps:
- Identifies low-competition keywords by analyzing weak domains in the SERPs.
- Helps small businesses, bloggers, and startups rank for untapped keyword opportunities.
- Filters results based on search intent, making targeting queries with high conversion potential easier.
- It uses AI-assisted keyword clustering, allowing you to group related keywords and create topic clusters efficiently.
If you’re a new website or a niche site looking to find easy-to-rank keywords without competing against high-authority domains, I’d strongly advise using LowFruits.
2. Semrush
Semrush is another SEO tool that provides comprehensive competitor analysis and keyword research.
Here’s how it helps:
- Provides detailed keyword gap reports, showing which keywords competitors rank for that you don’t.
- Tracks historical keyword trends to help you spot long-term ranking opportunities.
- Offers SERP feature tracking, helping you target People Also Ask, featured snippets, and AI-driven search results.
Use Semrush if you need a broad, data-heavy approach to keyword gap analysis, with historical ranking data and advanced filtering options.
3. Ahrefs
Ahrefs is another excellent SEO analysis tool that helps you with backlink analysis and competitor keyword tracking.
Here’s how it helps:
- Tracks competitor keyword rankings, showing where they outrank you and why.
- Provides site-wide keyword gap analysis, identifying content gaps across multiple pages.
- Monitors backlinks to reveal which sites link to competitors but not to you—helping you build an authoritative backlink strategy.
If you want a combined keyword and backlink strategy to strengthen both on-page and off-page SEO, I suggest pairing SEOBoost with Ahrefs.
Final Word
Keyword gap analysis is the missing link between where your content is now and where it needs to be.
By using SEOBoost’s Topic Reports, you can identify high-impact keywords, refine your strategy, and bridge the gaps in your content.
So, start using SEOBoost today and watch your content rank higher, drive more organic traffic, and outperform competitors.
Happy researching and ranking!
FAQs
1. What is SEO gap analysis?
SEO gap analysis identifies missed keyword opportunities by comparing your website’s rankings with those of your competitors.
2. What is the key purpose of gap analysis?
The goal of gap analysis is to find content and keyword opportunities to help you improve rankings and close the gap between you and your competitors.
3. What is keyword gap?
A keyword gap refers to valuable keywords that competitors rank for but your website does not. Conducting a keyword gap analysis helps uncover these missed ranking opportunities.