Keyword Gap Analysis: Identifying Opportunities by Comparing Your Site with Competitors

1. Overview and Purpose

Keyword gap analysis helps you find terms for which your competitor ranks but your site does not. By identifying these gaps, you can create or optimize content to capture additional organic search traffic. The process typically involves comparing keyword lists from your site and a competitor, then using a tool to surface missing opportunities.

2. Gather and Prepare Keyword Data

• Download keyword data for your site from Google Keyword Planner (or another keyword data source). Save the data as a CSV file.
• Download keyword data for a competitor from the same source. Save this data as a separate CSV file.
• Ensure the data sets include the keywords and related metrics you plan to analyze (e.g., search terms, ranking position, volume, or relevance where available).

Note: The two CSV files represent the target keywords of your site and the keywords for your competitor, forming the basis for the gap analysis.

3. Leverage AI Tools to Perform the Gap Analysis

AI tools can help process the two keyword lists and identify keywords where your competitor ranks but your site does not. The example approach below uses an AI assistant to perform the analysis and generate a comprehensive list of missing opportunities.

Example prompt for AI analysis

Based on the attached CSV files, perform a keyword gap analysis and provide Rank Math (or your business) with a comprehensive list of keywords that your competitor is ranking for but Rank Math isn’t.

Implementation steps aligned with this approach:

• Upload both keyword CSV files to the AI tool (for example, ChatGPT).
• Use the example prompt or a similar clear instruction to request a gap analysis.
• Run the prompt and review the resulting list of missing keywords.

Important notes:

• Outputs may vary depending on the AI tool and prompt wording, but the core goal is to surface missing keyword opportunities where your competitor holds rankings that you do not.
• Include any caveats related to data freshness and keyword coverage when interpreting results.

4. Interpreting and Prioritizing the Results

Once the AI-generated list of gaps is obtained, organize the keywords to enable actionable optimization. Consider the following criteria:

• Relevance: How closely the keyword matches your products, services, or content themes.
• Search intent alignment: Ensure the keywords reflect informational, navigational, or transactional intent appropriate for your pages.
• Potential impact: Prioritize terms with higher perceived traffic potential and strategic importance.
• Competitiveness: Assess keyword difficulty or ranking challenges to balance quick wins with long-term opportunities.

5. Translating Gaps into Actionable SEO Steps

The identified gaps should drive concrete optimization and content strategies. Consider the following actions:

• Content creation: Develop new pages or comprehensive guides targeting high-priority missing keywords.
• Content optimization: Update existing pages to incorporate the missing keywords where relevant and improve on-page SEO signals.
• Topic expansion: Create pillar content and supporting articles that cover related keywords and themes identified in the gap analysis.
• Internal linking: Connect new or updated content to relevant pages to boost topical authority and link equity.
• Monitoring with Rank Math: Track keyword rankings and page performance using Rank Math (or your preferred SEO tool) to measure progress over time.

6. Best Practices and Considerations

• Validate intent: Ensure targeted keywords match user intent and are actionable for your content strategy.
• Balance volume and difficulty: Prioritize keywords that offer meaningful traffic potential while remaining achievable.
• Avoid cannibalization: Ensure new or updated content serves distinct search intents and topics to prevent internal competition between pages.
• Quality over quantity: Focus on creating high-quality, relevant content rather than chasing a long list of low-value keywords.
• Data freshness: Regularly refresh keyword data and re-run gap analyses to capture shifts in search trends and competition.

7. Conclusion

Keyword gap analysis is a powerful method for uncovering opportunities where competitors outperform your site. By comparing your keyword data with a competitor’s, leveraging AI to surface missing terms, and translating findings into targeted content and optimization efforts, you can expand your organic visibility. Use tools like Rank Math to monitor progress and refine your strategy over time, ensuring that your site closes the gap on important keywords.