Effective content management on a website is the foundation of marketing and positioning strategies. Companies are constantly competing for users' attention, trying to provide them with valuable and industry-specific information that will not only increase views and click-throughs, but also engage recipients and convince them to take action on the website. One of the quite important elements included in the assessment of content quality is the so-called content GAP analysis. It allows for the identification of strengths and weaknesses of texts on the website so that they better meet the needs and expectations of users.
Content GAP analysis in practice is the verification of gaps in content. It is a multi-stage process that includes, among others, research on user behavior, competition analysis and an audit of existing content on the site. The aim of content GAP analysis is to create a comprehensive picture of the needs of recipients (especially in the context of obtaining information) and fill these gaps. As a result, the company can not only gain a competitive advantage, visible, for example, in positions in SERPs, but also build stronger relationships with customers by providing them with valuable and precisely tailored content.
Ultimately, the aim of GAP content analysis is to adapt the content on the website in such a way that it can lead (as one of the elements) to the point of purchase or use of the offer or service.
GAP content analysis often includes audits of: industry e-books (available on your website), social media content, and website content, including blog articles, category and product descriptions.
To conduct a content gap analysis, it is necessary to identify your competitors. Why? Because you should compare the quality of your content to that of your top-performing competitors. This will give you a reference point that will allow you to assess the need for changes on your own domain.
Choose a maximum of three to five of your best competitors. It can take some time to determine who competes with you in Google search. To do this, you can rely on your own knowledge, intuition, but also on the results in SERPs – i.e. domains that appear in the best positions in the TOP3 for the most important keywords for your industry. You can also use available SEO tools that indicate competition, e.g.
Source: Senuto
Source: Ahrefs
Analyze data from Google Analytics 4 , heatmaps, and other analytical tools to understand how users navigate the site, what they are looking for, and where they encounter difficulties. Perhaps this analysis will point you to content-related topics – some will be incomprehensible to them, some potential customers spend more time on, and others less – and these are worth developing and optimizing. You can improve the content not only in terms of SEO, but also UX . Thanks to this, it will bring the intended conversion or force users to go to another subpage or contact form.
Content analysis – content GAP – is primarily… content review and evaluation of the content of the website. In a word, you need to be patient. When reviewing your own and your competitors’ content, remember the following:
Verify all of the above points both for yourself and your competitors. Compare the results and transfer them to a spreadsheet. This will help you identify gaps faster. In general, most of the above activities will be easier to verify if you previously perform a keyword analysis (you will know what to look for and what keywords to base yourself on). Especially in matters related to them [phrases]. You can read more about this in: Analyzing keywords for positioning – how to do it? or here: How to choose keywords? Tips .
Based on the identified gaps – GAP content, create a plan for publishing new materials that will meet the needs of users. After implementing new content, monitor its results using analytical tools – whether it generates entries or is a source of transitions to other subpages (via internal links , banners, photos, videos). Regularly analyze the data and adjust the content strategy, because once created content, even the best optimized, will not bring positive results forever. Unless you focus on creating content from the so-called evergreen content .
What’s the best way to find out what your audience wants? What content do they want to read? Ask them! That’s how it would work in an ideal world, but there’s some truth to it. If you have a large enough audience, you could create a social media poll or, again, look at what your competitors are posting. Try to see how their audience reacts on social media as well. How do they react to the content that’s there?
If you don’t have a large enough audience to appeal to, you’ll need to work a little harder on your market research and find out what GAP content means to them. For example, you could revisit your competitors and check their latest surveys or read comments on social media and blog posts to see what people want to learn about and what their information needs are.
Additionally, keywords that users type into the search engine can provide clues as to what they want to read about, e.g. how to recycle bags, what color in the bedroom, what kind of wood for the terrace. Some phrases can be valuable hints!
A meticulous analysis of the content GAP of the competition and your domain, studying user behavior and auditing current content can reveal not only areas for improvement, but also new opportunities that can turn into concrete business benefits. This process requires patience and systematicity, but it brings tangible results in the form of better visibility in search results, higher levels of user engagement and more clicks, and ultimately conversions .
Many business owners make the mistake of creating a content plan by focusing on just a few key pages to drive sales or just a few blog posts to attract readers. It used to work! Now, you need both, or more, on your site—optimized content that fills all or most of your pages. In short, it’s about content that fills the gap between each stage of the buyer’s journey: from the moment they first land on your domain to the moment they make a purchase or use a service decision.
Kasia Cieslik
SEO Specialist