What Is Content Gap Analysis? Definition & Guide

Content gap analysis is the process of identifying topics, keywords, or questions that your target audience is searching for but that your current content does not adequately address. It compares what you have published against what competitors rank for, what your audience asks, and what your keyword research reveals -- surfacing the missing pieces that represent your biggest content opportunities.

Why Content Gap Analysis Matters

Without a gap analysis, content strategy tends to be reactive -- creating content based on what feels relevant or what stakeholders request, rather than what is actually missing. The result is often a content library that covers some topics thoroughly and leaves major audience questions unanswered. Gap analysis makes strategy proactive.

From an SEO perspective, content gaps represent unearned traffic. Every keyword your competitors rank for that you do not is organic traffic flowing to them instead of you. Systematically closing those gaps -- by creating the missing content -- is one of the fastest ways to grow your organic reach.

Gap analysis also reveals buyer journey holes. Teams often discover that they have plenty of top-of-funnel awareness content but almost nothing to help buyers in the consideration or decision stage. Closing those gaps can have a dramatic impact on conversion rates, not just traffic.

How It Works

The most common form of content gap analysis compares your site against competitors using SEO tools like Ahrefs, Semrush, or Moz. These tools show you the keywords your competitors rank for in the top 10 that you do not rank for at all -- representing clear opportunities where you are absent from conversations your audience is already having.

Beyond competitor comparison, gap analysis should include customer research. What questions do your sales and support teams hear repeatedly? What topics do customers ask about that you cannot point them to great content on? These internal sources often surface gaps that keyword tools miss.

Once gaps are identified, prioritize them by search volume, competitive difficulty, and strategic importance. Build the highest-priority gaps into your content calendar immediately. Averi streamlines this process by centralizing keyword research and content planning in one platform, making it easy to move from gap identification to brief creation without losing momentum.

Content Gap Analysis Best Practices

• Run a competitor gap analysis using SEO tools at least quarterly -- competitor content landscapes shift frequently
• Supplement tool-based analysis with input from sales, support, and customer success teams
• Prioritize gaps by both search volume and funnel stage -- mid-funnel gaps often have higher conversion impact
• Map each gap to an existing content piece or a new piece to be created -- do not let the analysis sit unused
• Review your content gap findings against your existing content calendar to avoid duplication
• Treat gap analysis as an ongoing process, not a one-time exercise

Explore More

• 📋 Template: Competitor Content Analysis Template
• ✦ Example: Best SaaS Blog Post Examples (With Analysis)