Content Gap Analysis: Do You Know What You're Missing?

A content gap analysis empowers marketing leaders to uncover valuable insights, seize opportunities, and craft compelling content that resonates with their audience. In this article, we'll walk through a step-by-step process of performing a comprehensive content gap analysis and provide practical tips for both identification and creation.

Step-by-Step Guide to Performing a Content Gap Analysis

So, if you have a super duper sophisticated dev team, you may be able to automate some of this. But even if you do, the brass tacks of executing a content gap analysis will be pretty similar. First up: it's spreadsheet o'clock.

1. Data Collection in a Spreadsheet

In HAW world, we call this step a content audit.

• Compile a list of your website's existing content.
• Gather content data from competitor websites.
• Include factors like URLs, titles, target keywords, formats, and engagement metrics.

Here's an example of one, if you want to take a page out of our book.

2. Keyword Gap Analysis

Mind the SEO gap with a KW gap analysis.

• Utilize SEO tools (e.g., SEMrush, Ahrefs) to identify keywords competitors rank for but your site doesn't.
• Prioritize high-volume, relevant keywords your audience is searching for.

3. Sales Enablement Gap Analysis

• Identify content that directly supports your sales funnel.
• Assess whether competitors have content that bridges critical sales gaps.
• Create content that addresses specific buyer objections and concerns.

4. Premium Content Gap Analysis

• Identify high-value, comprehensive content pieces competitors offer (e.g., ebooks, whitepapers).
• Analyze gaps in your premium content offerings and create content that matches or surpasses competitors.

5. Website Content Gap Analysis

• Evaluate broader content categories on competitors' sites (e.g., blog topics, resource sections).
• Identify content themes that resonate with your target audience but are missing on your site.

Understanding Content Gaps: 10 Practical Tips

As marketers, knowing the facts is key. You want to understand not just want content you're missing (your content gaps), but how it could be hurting you re: performance. Here's how to do that.

1. Analyze Engagement Metrics: Look at social shares, comments, and time on page to identify underperforming content.

2. Assess Bounce Rates: High bounce rates may indicate that content doesn't meet user expectations.

3. Study Conversion Rates: Examine how various content pieces contribute to lead generation and conversion rates.

4. Keyword Research: Identify gaps in keywords you're not targeting but competitors are.

5. User Intent Matching: Ensure your content matches user intent for each stage of the buyer's journey.

6. Content Diversity: Analyze whether your content covers diverse formats (videos, infographics, podcasts).

7. Identify Top-Performing Competitor Content: Understand which competitor content drives engagement.

8. Social Listening: Monitor social media to understand what topics resonate with your audience.

9. Feedback from Sales and Support: Gather insights from your teams on common questions and customer pain points.

10. Audience Surveys: Collect feedback from your audience to uncover their content preferences.

Creating Competitive Content

As you consider stopping the gaps, keep these content tips in mind.

1. Address Pain Points: Create content that addresses specific challenges your audience faces.

2. Keyword-Driven Content: Develop content around identified gaps in keyword targeting.

3. Unique Value Proposition: Showcase what sets your content apart from competitors'.

4. Original Research: Create content based on original data, surveys, or studies.

5. Visual Appeal: Utilize graphics, videos, and interactive elements to enhance engagement.

6. Storytelling: Weave narratives that resonate emotionally with your audience.

7. Long-Form Content: Offer comprehensive guides that provide in-depth insights.

8. Expert Contributions: Collaborate with industry experts to add credibility to your content.

9. Actionable Insights: Provide practical takeaways readers can apply immediately.

10. A/B Testing: Continuously optimize content elements based on user engagement data.

Find the Content Gap, Fix the Content Gap

A content gap analysis isn't just about identifying shortcomings; it's a roadmap for crafting content that exceeds audience expectations. By following the steps outlined in this guide and implementing the practical tips provided, marketing leaders can harness the power of data-driven insights to create captivating, competitive, and compelling content that truly resonates with their target audience.