What is content gap analysis? Broadly speaking, a content gap analysis highlights missing information. In the context of blogging, the gap is absent pockets of knowledge. That knowledge centres around a wide-ranging subject, one with many subcategories.
Missing intel isn’t the only gap revealed during a content gap analysis (so keep reading to find out the rest).
Here’s what we’re covering:
Find the gaps.
Topic holes are a biggie but here are other gaps to uncover during a content gap analysis:
- Outdated content
- Irrelevant content
- Badly written content
- Poor user experience
- Zero search optimisation
Outdated content.
Digital content older than two years is ancient (ageism really does crop up everywhere). Reviewing your published content annually is preferable——yes, EVERY DAMN YEAR.
↑THIS↑ is why businesses need a designated content manager. It isn’t a job you can do in your spare time (you’ll always choose to do something way more fun).
Irrelevant content.
Blogs about your life as a digital nomad, on a website selling comedy socks, would be regarded as irrelevant content (and if you think that’s a ridiculous example, trust me, I’ve seen it all). Stick to the script; write about the subject you want to be known/found for.
Badly written content.
Badly written content is, well, bad and if you don’t care about the quality of the blogs you publish, it tells your audience you don’t much care for them.
Content marketing (done right) is about adding value. Now I know you know——that I know the word ‘value’ is subjective (and overused), but if you’ve taken the time to consider what your clients value, in terms of their buying or hiring expectations, they’ll respond accordingly.
>>Learn how to write engaging content<<
Terrible UX.
Busy pages are distracting/anxiety-inducing/ugly as fuck. Clutter also slows loading times (and no one can be arsed to wait while a website gets its shit together). Want a real-time example of poor user experience? Visit your local newspaper’s website, it’ll be a UX horror show.
>>Improve your DIY website with 5 SEO truisms<<
User experience is the god we worship because terrible formatting means users don’t stay——that’s a website fail btw, so when you conduct a content gap analysis, look out for how user-friendly your layout is.
>>Write an SEO-friendly blog humans love to read<<
Zero search optimisation.
SEO should be part of your content workflow. It’s a foundational building block for websites. Anything you create online has SEO potential.
>>How to optimise content writing for organic traffic<<
That doesn’t mean your content will be found. (Shit.) Just like in life, there are no guarantees with SEO. (But that shouldn’t stop us from trying though.)
Position your strategy.
A content gap analysis quickly reveals articles that don’t serve your content plan. Yeah, but how will you know that? If your website has a goal——a purpose (and it absolutely should), the content that doesn’t align stands out like a clown at a wake.
>>Update old blog posts (and SEO ’em): an easy-peasy guide<<
Don’t have the first clue about how to start a content strategy? Here’s how I can help: >>My expertise: The Complete Guide<<
Look at the data.
If you’re churning out content, without measuring results, that’s pretty dumb. This is especially true for the content you create for search (organic traffic). How do you know what works and what doesn’t? You don’t.
Register your website with Google Search Console (GSC) and Google Analytics (GA4). Both tools offer similar reports and insights, however, GSC focuses on search-related metrics whereas GA4 provides a broader picture of user engagement and interaction.
GSC reveals your website’s top search queries (keywords). That can be an eye-opening experience because sometimes the content which performs the best, might not be the content you had in mind——and again, that comes back to content strategy and the goals you’ve set.
Fix underperforming content.
Examine content that flops in GSC/GA4; copy the title (of the page or article) and paste it into a search.
Have a gander at what’s currently on offer. Compare your article with those that land on the first page. Click on those links and read the content. Do they put your content to shame? Are they showing gaps in your article? Can you improve the top-ranking content, maybe by providing extra details?
Side note: let’s be real. The keyword you’ve chosen might be too competitive. Sure, it has bags of search traffic but the keyword difficulty score is off the charts. You could try researching approximate keywords and tweak the article to match or, consolidate the content with an article that performs better.
Top tips for content gap analysis:
- Seek keyword opportunities
- Prioritise search intent
- Exploit existing knowledge
- Add an expert opinion
- Share experience
- Ask the audience
Seek keyword opportunities.
Evaluate your main assets: find search terms that best promote them. Snoop on the competition to get the keyword upper hand. Semrush’s keyword gap tool, and organic search tool, compare your ranking with competitors.
>>4 different keyword types for SEO<<
Those tools show you where you can steal the keyword advantage. YES!
Prioritise search intent.
When you research keywords, google them to check out the search results. The SERPs reveal what the users ACTUALLY want. For example, if the results are mostly how-to guides, that keyword is heavy with informational intent.
>>Smash your keywords with user intent<<
Switching focus to keywords with commercial (transactional) intent makes perfect sense because keywords loaded with ‘intent to buy’ offer a higher ROI.
The SERPs also tell you something else: the preferred type of content for that keyword. Take notice next time you pop a query into a search engine. Are the pages filled with articles, or does video dominate? To increase your ranking chances, lean into the most popular media shown.
Exploit existing knowledge.
Existing knowledge can really help your content gap analysis. Knowing about something means you waste no time researching the subject. Producing content is a piece of piss for someone like you. Yeah, you might have to do a bit of fact-checking (everyone loves a trusted source), but you don’t have to learn anything new.
Add an expert opinion.
Companies often publish content from varied experts within their organisation. But for freelancers, that’s tricky——you ARE the expert. However, nothing is stopping you from interviewing other pros in your industry. Sharing different specialisms broadens your content portfolio (and that plugs a gap).
Share experience.
Experience: what does that mean for your content gap analysis? Google updated E-E-A-T (a component of its Search Quality Evaluator Guidelines) to include experience.
>>E-E-A-T: the SEO principle to feed your website users<<
Buying and hiring decisions depend heavily on experience. When you fail to demonstrate know-how, you give folks a reason to choose someone else. But it isn’t only your professional experience prospects want to read about, publishing client feedback is also big news. Real-life experience with your service or product builds trust.
Ask the audience.
Here’s a mad thought… why not ask your audience what they want? Compile a list of client-centric questions, things like:
- What are your challenges?
- What solutions do you struggle to find?
- What product features are your faves?
- What are you looking for online?
- What’s your experience with a product/service?
In summary.
A content gap analysis is a helluva task (especially for large websites). It could take weeks to complete so organise the analysis into phases. Keep things on track by scheduling a timescale for each phase. Focus on what you currently have, then go spy on your business rivals.
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