Writing unique content can sometimes feel difficult, with so many articles online saying the same thing. One way to create a unique piece of content in popular areas is to look for content gaps. You can do this using the Content Gap Analysis.
What is Content Gap?
A content gap is an information on a topic that may be missing or outdated. For example, if you wanted to write a unique article on a specific topic, you would look at other articles already written and see what it is they are missing.
What Is Content Gap Analysis?
To find what is missing in the content, you use a tool called Content Gap Analysis. This will show you where there are gaps in existing content that could be updated or improved upon. Some examples of gaps are:
- Content that is outdated
- Content that lacks detail or examples
- Content that is difficult to understand
Why Is Content Gap Analysis Important?
Content gap analysis helps you create content that will rank better than other pieces of similar content. It’s important for SEO purposes and helps you to create something unique in comparison to what is already out there.
Ways to do Content Gap Analysis
One of the first things to do when performing a Content Gap Analysis is to look at what content is already ranking high on Google. Once you have something to compare to, you can find where those content gaps are. Some of the most common gaps you will find in existing content are:
- Freshness – look at when the content was last updated or published.
- Thorough – how much necessary detail is given. Some content is not very thorough.
- How usable is it – content should be easy to understand and read.
- How impressive is it? Great content needs to be impressive if you want people to share it.
Once you’ve reviewed other content, you can start to fill in those gaps to create something better, which will help you rank higher and bypass your competition. Your goal is to create what your audience wants that is lacking. The same idea can be used when looking to update your website. Look at your goals for creating a more successful site and then look at where you are now in relation to those goals. Then you can look at steps to take in order to breach that gap.
Free Templates & Examples
You can download our free templates and samples to get a better idea of how to do Content Gap Analysis.
Content Gap Analysis Worksheet
Content Strategy Gap Analysis Template,
SEO (Search Engine Optimization) Content Gap Analysis Template,
Content Marketing Gap Analysis Sample,
Website Content Gap Analysis Sample,
How Content Gap Analysis Works
Content gap analysis is an important tool for any business, as it can draw more traffic to your site. Let’s say you are running an athletic footwear shop, and your focused keywords are “best athletic footwear”. This will only target potential customers looking for athletic footwear. This can limit customers and create a gap.
To fix this, you could create better content, such as the different types of athletic footwear and what the benefits are. It gives customers more information to help them understand what you are selling. You want to help customers solve their questions, which could then convert them into paying customers. You need to give them what the competition isn’t giving them in the form of interesting content.
How to collect data for Content Gap Analysis
Here are the things you should consider when collecting your data:
- Competitive landscape – look for who is at the top in ranking and anyone who could be competition.
- Market opportunity – what is the competition lacking that you can offer?
- Content ideas – look at the topics the competition is writing about and see if you can get some of that traffic coming your way with better content.
- Look at popular sites to see what content is working well for them. You can do this through keyword research.
How to do Content Gap Analysis?
The best way to do a content gap analysis is with these three steps:
Step 1 – Identify
What is it that you want to accomplish. Gap analysis is done when you want to improve something. It’s important to list the objectives or reasons for doing a content gap analysis, for example, your content isn’t showing up in relevant search queries, or isn’t ranking high enough. Or maybe you are looking to convert more traffic to purchases.
Step 2 – Analyse
Once you know your objective, it’s time to look at similar content that already exists. List each of your objectives and then write down the situation you are facing after you have looked at other content. For example, if one of your objectives is to get more traffic, you would list why you aren’t achieving this after looking at how others are.
Step 3 – Closing the gap
Once you have identified what your gaps are, create a plan to close that gap, and achieve your goals.
Frequently Asked Questions
SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) is used to evaluate your company against your competition. A gap analysis is used internally to find deficiencies in performance.
Content strategy defines how you create, deliver, and use your content. It focuses on getting the right content to the right groups at the right time.
