Keyword gap analysis
Find the searches your competitors win and you don't
Your competitors' rankings show you where the opportunities are. Find the gaps, then go after the ones you can realistically win.
The problem
Sound familiar?
Guessing at keywords
Content gets written around assumptions instead of what customers actually search for.
Competitors keep pulling ahead
You can see them ranking but not why, or for what.
Unrealistic targets
Effort goes into keywords dominated by national brands and directories.
What it costs
Why it's worth fixing
- Months of content that targets searches nobody makes
- Missed demand that competitors capture by default
- No clear idea of where to differentiate
The solution
Tools built for this
Competitor Intelligence
Analyzes competitors' keyword gaps, top pages, content strategy, strengths and weaknesses, and positioning. Free.
Analyze your competitorsSEO Audit & Action Plan
Checks how well your existing pages target their keywords and where content is thin.
Audit your websiteResults
What you can measure
Realistic signals to track. Results depend on your market and starting point.
- New pages ranking for gap keywords
- Impressions and clicks in Search Console for target topics
- Coverage of the competitor topics that matter
How it works
Practical next steps
- STEP 1
Run the free competitor analysis
- STEP 2
Shortlist gap keywords with clear intent you can win
- STEP 3
Map each keyword to one existing or new page
- STEP 4
Publish, link internally and track it in Search Console
Checklist
Keyword Gap Analysis checklist
- List 3–5 competitors that actually rank for your services, not just businesses you compete with offline
- Collect the keywords they rank for that you don't, then remove ones that don't match what you sell
- Group the remaining keywords by intent: researching, comparing or ready to buy
- Check the real results for each group to see what kind of page ranks (guide, service page, list)
- Assign each group to one existing page or one new page so pages don't compete with each other
- Prioritise by business value first, then by how realistic the competition looks
Worked example
Example: a landscaper finding easier wins
A landscaper targets "landscaping" and gets nowhere against national brands. A gap analysis of three local competitors shows they rank for "patio installation [town]", "artificial grass cost" and "garden drainage solutions", which the landscaper offers but has no pages for.
They create a dedicated patio installation page with local project photos, and a cost guide with honest price ranges. Both target clear intent that smaller businesses can compete for.
These are estimates of opportunity, not promises. Search volumes in tools are approximate, especially for local terms.
Troubleshooting
If something isn't working
The gap list is huge and unusable
Filter to keywords containing your services or locations, and drop anything informational that won't lead to an enquiry.
Two of your pages rank for the same term and both are weak
That's keyword cannibalisation. Pick one page to target the term and adjust the other or merge them.
Tools show zero volume for terms customers use
Low-volume local phrases are often under-reported. Use Search Console impressions as a better signal.
Guides
More Keyword Gap Analysis articles
How to perform a keyword gap analysis
A step-by-step keyword gap analysis: choose the right competitors, find the searches they rank for and you don't, and prioritize the gaps worth targeting.
5 min readDIY competitor analysis for SEO
Competitor analysis is the fastest way to improve SEO. Use real data from top-ranking sites instead of guessing what works in your market.
6 min readSearch intent explained: choosing the right keywords
What search intent is, the four main types, how to identify intent from search results, and how to match your pages to what searchers actually want.
7 min readHow to find low-competition keywords for your business
Practical ways to find low-competition keywords you can realistically rank for: long-tail variations, local modifiers, Search Console data and weak SERPs.
6 min readHow to identify content gaps on your website
Find the topics and questions your website doesn't cover yet, using customer questions, competitor pages, Search Console and the customer journey.
6 min readHow to build a keyword map for your website
Build a simple keyword map that assigns one primary topic to each page, prevents cannibalization and shows where new pages are needed.
FAQs
Common questions
See what your competitors rank for
Keyword gaps, top pages and positioning insights. Free.