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With all the changes in data, privacy and advertising that we’ve seen recently, SEO remains the cornerstone of digital marketing strategies. However, creating high-quality, relevant content that aligns with user search intent is not an easy job. Companies should really mind the gap between their current content and their users’ search intent. This is where a content gap analysis comes into play. It’s a crucial tool for maximizing your SEO efforts. But why is a content gap analysis essential for your SEO?
First of all, let’s look at the ‘what’. A content gap analysis is the process of identifying and evaluating the gaps in your current content strategy compared to your competitors or to market standards. It involves analyzing your existing content, conducting keyword research, and understanding your target audience’s search behavior. The goal is to identify areas where your content is lacking, allowing you to strategically fill those gaps and improve your overall SEO performance.
There are a number of compelling reasons why a content gap analysis should be part of your compny’s SEO strategy.
Analyzing your current content will help you identify topics that you are not covering yet, or not sufficiently. By finding these content voids, you get a list of opportunities to create new content and ultimately establish your company as a thought leader for these topics.
Identifying areas where your content is lacking also helps you understand how well it meets user search intent. If you understand that, then you can also improve your content quality and make it more relevant for users. This is the whole reason why you do content after all, right?
By comparing your competitors’ content and keyword strategies to your own, you can uncover valuable keywords that your website is not currently targeting. This allows you to expand your reach and attract more organic traffic from relevant search queries that you are currently missing out on.
We already wrote about how the customer journey impacts your content marketing. A content gap analysis allows you to identify gaps across the different stages of the buyer journey. With that knowledge, you can provide a comprehensive and informative user experience for prospects and customers in every stage of the journey.
Performing a content gap analysis helps you identify exisiting pieces of content that don’t align with your overall brand identity and messaging. Once you know where the inconsistencies are, you can start fixing your content. This creates a cohesive user experience and reinforces your brand message across your entire website.
A content gap analysis typically involves the following steps.
Clearly outline your goals for the content gap analysis. Your objective could be to increase organic traffic, to improve keyword rankings, or to expand your content coverage.
Assess your current website content, including blog posts, articles, and landing pages. Identify strengths and areas for improvement, and track content performance metrics such as page views, bounce rate, and social engagement.
Identify relevant keywords that align with your target audience’s search intent and align with your business objectives. You can do this using tools like Google Keyword Planner or Moz Keyword Explorer to generate keyword suggestions for your business.
Evaluate how your existing content compares to current market standards and best practices in your company’s industry. Identify topics that are not being covered or that you need to improve upon.
Ideally you are already using a content plan. Based on the findings of your gap analysis, create a content strategy that addresses the identified gaps and aligns with your overall SEO goals. Use your findings to further develop your content plan for improved results.
Now it’s time to put your content plan into action. Create and publish new content that fills the gaps you identified in your content gap analysis. It’s important to track the performance of your new content and make adjustments as you go along.
There you have it: a simple plan that will help you find and close the gaps in your content. Incorporating a content gap analysis in your SEO strategy can help you gain a competitive edge. Any company would like to attract more relevant traffic and establish their website as a trusted source of information within their industry. Remember, content is at the heart of good SEO. A content gap analysis helps you unlock your company’s full content potential.
Download our whitepaper and develop a content marketing strategy that will help you attract the right people and generate more leads.
