Keyword Gap Analysis: How to Boost your SEO Efforts?

In the competitive landscape of ranking pages higher on Google, businesses are making every possible effort to push their SEO strategies. Among all the important factors that they include, one crucial element will remain immensely valuable – that is Keyword Gap Analysis.

The art of finding keyword gaps between competitors and yours resides in how you understand this concept. No doubt that keywords help in boosting search rankings, but you need to make sure what should be included and what’s not.

In this guide, we will talk deeply about keyword gap analysis and how to utilize it for achieving tremendous SEO results. First, let’s start with – what is keyword gap?

What is a Keyword Gap Analysis?

Keyword gap is the difference between keywords that you used versus the keywords that your competitors are using to get desired results. This gap helps you to find what’s missing in your keyword strategy as compared to your competitors.

This whole analysis is termed as keyword gap analysis. So basically, it is a process of finding critical opportunities to rank your pages on the keywords that your competitors are using.Since keywords help you to make users and search engines understand what your page is all about, you will need to improve your strategy through this analysis.

Moreover, keyword gap analysis also simplifies to generate SEO keyword reports on which you can optimize content for better rankings. Knowing which terms can enhance the searchability of your pages can bring you on top of the game.

This is just a glimpse of what keyword gap analysis is. However, you should know the core reasons why big brands, marketers and even startups do this. Let’s begin!

Why Keyword Gap Analysis is Important?

Keywords play a critical role in SEO, and to find the right ones that can boost your efforts then keyword gap analysis is a must. Here are the most common reasons to do this analysis before your success to know how to do it:

1. To Boost Organic Traffic

One of the biggest reasons for using keyword gap analysis in SEO is to bring more organic traffic on your pages. By finding the right set of keywords on which your competitors are performing, you can bring more audience towards your website.

You might be using keywords that are conventional or might not be traffic oriented. Keyword gap analysis will help you explore the keywords that might not be in your target list. And hence, you will reveal some top performing phrases required to be included in your content.

Additionally, this approach will strengthen your keyword targeting approach, possibly expanding your audience reach. Discovering these keyword gaps will improve overall chances of boosting search rankings of your content.

2. To Strengthen Content Strategies

SEO thrives on topic relevance. The more relevant your content is to the targeted keywords, the higher it will likely rank on Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs). To maintain consistent relevance with Google’s ever-evolving trends and algorithms, re-optimizing the content is necessary.

Keyword gap analysis allows you to compare your existing content with competitors’ content, highlighting areas for improvement. This could be the targeted keywords they use, the content structure, length, or the subtopics they include.

By identifying these gaps, you can strategically incorporate them into your existing content, enhancing its overall value. Keyword gap analysis can be the key to transforming your existing content into even more effective pieces.

3. To Analyze Competitors’ Strategies

Developing a winning digital marketing strategy requires a thorough understanding of your competitors’ SEO tactics in this fiercely competitive landscape. Competitor research is a cornerstone of any marketing strategy, and it holds immense importance for SEO’s keyword gap analysis.

This analysis necessitates market research, competitor analysis, and other techniques to understand your competitors’ strategies. By leveraging this knowledge, you can tailor your SEO plan, content plan, and other initiatives to increase your website’s visibility.

4. To Gain Valuable Insights

Keyword gap analysis often reveals the language and terminology your potential customers use, offering deeper insights into their needs and preferences. This understanding is crucial for tailoring your marketing campaigns and content to resonate more effectively with your target audience.

The insights gleaned through keyword gap analysis can also expose trending keywords and emerging topics within your industry. By swiftly adapting to these trends, you can ensure your content and campaigns remain fresh and relevant, continuously attracting more traffic.

By incorporating keyword gap analysis into your SEO strategy, you gain a significant advantage in the competitive digital landscape. It empowers you to not only identify high-performing keywords but also understand your audience better and create content that resonates with them.

How to Do a Keyword Gap Analysis?

Once you understand why you need to do keyword gap analysis, the next step is to discover and understand this process. Following are the crucial steps you should consider:

1. Identify Competitors in Your Niche

The initial stage of keyword gap analysis involves pinpointing your top competitors within your industry or niche. These competitors will likely share similar target audiences and keyword targeting strategies with your business.

To effectively analyze your competitors’ approach to SEO and keyword research, begin by creating a comprehensive list of your primary competitors. Focus on companies that consistently rank highly for relevant keywords and possess a strong online presence.

This initial phase is critical as it lays the foundation for the subsequent analysis, allowing you to concentrate on factors that significantly impact your online performance.

2. Analyze Competitors’ Keyword Insights

Once you’ve identified your competitors, it’s crucial to gather information about their SEO performance and keyword rankings. Several valuable tools can be utilized for this purpose, including SEMrush, Ahrefs, Moz, and RanksPro.

These tools offer valuable insights into your competitors’ organic keyword rankings, backlink profiles, content performance, and other key SEO metrics.

By analyzing this data, you can gain a deeper understanding of your competitors’ SEO tactics, including the keywords they target, their ranking success, and how effectively their content performs in search results.

3. Compare Performing and Non-performing Keywords

Begin by utilizing your chosen keyword research tool to compile a list of keywords that your website currently ranks for. Repeat this process for each of your identified competitors. This will provide you with a comprehensive overview of the keyword landscape within your niche.

With this data in hand, analyze the keywords your competitors rank for. Prioritize keywords with high search volumes and low competition levels, as these represent opportunities for quick wins. Organize the keywords into categories based on user intent (informational, navigational, transactional, etc.), their relevance to your business, and their conversion potential. This categorization will help you prioritize which keywords to target first.

Furthermore, identify overlaps and gaps where you and your competitors rank for the same keywords. Analyze your ranking performance in comparison to identify areas where you outperform your competition and areas that represent opportunities for improvement.

4. Identify Weak and Missing Keywords

‘Weak Keywords are keywords for which your website ranks, but not as prominently as your competitors. This might indicate that your website appears on lower SERPs for these keywords.

An evaluation of the content associated with these weak keywords might reveal that it doesn’t fully address the user’s intent or is less comprehensive and engaging compared to your competitors’ content.

‘Missing Keywords’ are keywords for which your competitors rank, but your website does not rank at all. These represent untapped opportunities for your business. Carefully review the list of missing keywords and assess their relevance to your business and their potential to attract your target audience.

Additionally, consider the search volume and competition level for these keywords. Ideally, you should target high-volume keywords with low competition.

5. Leveraging Gaps to Improve Your Content Strategy

This step is crucial for capitalizing on the insights gleaned from the previous steps. Cross-reference your weak and missing keywords with your existing content. Identify topics or areas that are underrepresented or not covered at all.

This will provide valuable direction for improving your content strategy by creating new content that targets these identified opportunities.

Do Enhanced Keyword Gap Analysis with eSearch Logix’s Expertise

This blog has comprehensively explored the concept of keyword gap analysis, highlighting its significance in SEO and outlining the essential steps to follow. By understanding which keywords your competitors rank for, you can identify valuable opportunities to target relevant terms and attract new audiences.

Keyword gap analysis sheds light on the language and terminology your target audience uses, enabling you to tailor your content and marketing efforts for better resonance. By incorporating this concept into your SEO strategy, you gain a significant edge in the competitive online landscape.

However, doing this critical analysis requires professional assistance. And this is where eSearch Logix comes in. As a professional SEO company, we possess the expertise and tools to conduct comprehensive keyword gap analyses for your business. We’ll help you:

• Identify your top competitors: Our team will leverage industry knowledge and advanced tools to pinpoint your key competitors within your niche.
• Uncover valuable keyword opportunities: We’ll conduct in-depth competitor research to discover high-performing keywords you might be missing.
• Analyze competitor content: We’ll analyze your competitors’ content strategy and keyword usage to identify areas for improvement in your own content.
• Develop a data-driven SEO strategy: Based on the insights gleaned from keyword gap analysis, we’ll collaborate with you to develop a data-driven SEO strategy that targets the right keywords and attracts your ideal audience.

Contact eSearch Logix today to discuss your SEO goals and unlock the full potential of keyword gap analysis for your business.