A content gap analysis helps you uncover missing topics, keywords, or angles your audience is searching for—but you haven’t covered yet.
In this guide, I’m going to discuss content gaps, show you how to to identify and fill content gaps.
What you will learn
- What a content gap is and how to find them
- The importance of performing regular content audits
- 5 tips for getting the most out of your content gap analysis
- Effective strategies for filling gaps in your content
What is a content gap?
A content gap is a missing piece of content your target audience is looking for—but can’t find on your website. It’s the difference between what your audience wants and your current offer. These gaps could be:
- Keywords your competitors rank for, but you don’t
- Questions your content doesn’t answer
- Topics you haven’t covered yet
You can find a content gap in your overall content strategy as well as in individual pages.
Identifying content gaps helps you create more relevant, useful content which captures more traffic.
Why should you perform a content gap analysis?
You should perform a content gap analysis to uncover missed opportunities, improve SEO, and create content that better meets your audience’s needs.
You can pinpoint topics, keywords, or questions your content doesn’t yet cover by analyzing your competitors' ranking for and your audience's search for.
Also, performing a content gap analysis shows your pages' performance and can help you make data-driven decisions.
This helps you improve your SEO performance, attract more relevant traffic, and provide a better user experience.
5-step content gap analysis
Here's how you can perform a content gap analysis in five steps.
1. Start by auditing your existing content
To eliminate content gaps them, the first step is to identify them. And that starts with an internal evaluation of existing content.
Effective content gap analysis requires taking a close look at each piece of content on your website. Look out for:
- Outdated data and statistics
- Factually inaccurate information
- Areas in which there have been new developments or updates
- Missing secondary and related keywords
If your page is not ranking well or as it used to, then it's probably a sign of content gaps.
You can spot these by comparing the performance of your pages in Google Search Console.
Look for underperforming pages and those with declined rankings and impressions.
Surfer's Content Audit highlights these pages for you in the 🔥 Recommendations tab.
You can see which pages have dropped in performance and can benefit from a content refresh.
These pages can get you the most traffic gain in the least amount of time.
2. Map out your topics to the buyer journey
Content gaps don’t just mean missing keywords—they often show up as missing content for specific stages of the buyer’s journey. If you’re only creating top-of-funnel content, you might be losing visitors who are ready to compare options or make a purchase.
To spot these gaps, audit your existing content by mapping it to the three main stages of the buyer’s journey:
- Awareness (Top of Funnel – ToFu): The customer is looking for information on a need or problem.
Example: “10 Signs You’re Spending Too Much Time on Grocery Shopping” - Consideration (Middle of Funnel – MoFu): They’re exploring possible solutions.
Example: “Meal Kit Delivery vs. Grocery Shopping: Which Saves More Time?” - Decision (Bottom of Funnel – BoFu): They’re evaluating specific services or products.
Example: “Why [Brand] Is the Best Meal Kit for Busy Professionals”
You can use an SEO crawler to extract a list of urls on your site, which you can then place into one of the three buyer's journey buckets. You can then use a tool like ChatGPT to sort your pages.
Once you’ve organized your content, look for missing or thin spots.
Do you have plenty of ToFu content but barely anything for people ready to buy? Or maybe you’re skipping the consideration stage entirely?
Filling in those gaps ensures you’re guiding potential customers every step of the way—from curious browsers to confident buyers.
3. Perform competitor research
After you perform your internal analysis and making note of any obvious content gaps you may find, make a list of your main competitors. Then take a look at their content to see how it compares to your own.
Google Keyword Planner can help you identify which keywords your competitors rank for.
Take note of keywords they’re using that you are not to identify topics you may have missed.
Once you have a good idea of what the competition is doing, use that to brainstorm ways you can outdo them and provide better information.
The Keyword Planner is a good place to get started. But for a more detailed competitor gap analysis, use a content gap analysis tool like Surfer's Topical Map. It connects to your Google Search Console account and shows you which topics you are covering and which not.
The 🔥 Recommendations tab shows a list of keywords you can cover based on how good the idea is, including on whether your competitors are writing about it.
Once you click on an idea, you can see which competitors are ranking for it.
4. Analyze SERPs for search intent
As part of your content audit, it’s not enough to check what keywords you're targeting or not—you also need to ask: Does my content match what searchers actually want?
There are four main types of search intent:
- Informational – users want to learn something
- Navigational – users want to find a specific brand or page
- Transactional – users are ready to buy or convert
- Commercial Investigation – users are comparing options before deciding
To find intent gaps, Google your target keywords and study the top-ranking pages. Are they guides, how-tos, product comparisons, case studies, or something else?
For example, the SERPs for "best waterproof hiking shoes" is full of listicles.
If your article is a general overview but the SERP is full of templates or listicles, that’s a clear misalignment—and a content gap.
There are some common modifies that can help you identify the search intent of a query.
Search for these modifiers in your Topical Map so you can find content ideas to fill these gaps in different clusters.
5. Check out industry news and trends
Industries evolve quickly, and if your content doesn’t reflect the latest developments, tools, or conversations, it can become outdated or irrelevant.
To stay current, regularly monitor trusted news sources, blogs, and industry publications.
Look for emerging trends, product launches, updates, or shifting customer needs—and turn those into fresh content opportunities.
One powerful tool for spotting timely topics is Google Trends:
Use the “Trending Now” section to see what’s currently gaining traction in your region or industry.
Use the “Explore” feature to compare keywords and track interest over time. It's also great for spotting rising topics before your competitors do.
Other ways to keep your finger on the pulse include:
- Following industry leaders and experts on social media
- Subscribing to newsletters from relevant blogs, platforms, or communities
- Browsing industry-specific hashtags (e.g. #ecommerce, #martech, #fintech) to see what people are talking about right now
By making trend tracking a regular habit, you can spot content gaps early and publish timely, relevant pieces that attract traffic and establish authority.
How to fill content gaps effectively
Once you’ve identified what’s missing, it’s time to take action and strategically close content gaps.
Here’s how to do it:
1. Update existing content
Update your underperforming pages to include missing keywords, examples, or sections based on what competitors are covering.
One Surfer user went from 50 to 500+ clicks a day by updating the pages identified by our Content Audit Recommendations.
Here's what you can update:
- Add missing keywords or subtopics your competitors are ranking for
- Include new examples, data, or use cases to add depth
- Expand sections that are too thin or outdated
Surfer's Content Editor shows you exactly which keywords and topics to include to fill these gaps.
For instance, this article on "beard grooming tips" is too short compared to competitors' content and is missing out on quite some important terms.
And in the Topics tab you can see which facts your competitors are covering that you are not.
Add these facts in your content manually or use the ✨ Boost Coverage button.
2. Create new content
When a topic is completely missing from your site, fill the gap with a brand-new piece. But make sure it matches the format and intent of what’s ranking.
With Surfer's Content Editor you don't have to start from scratch. You can start writing based on the Editor's guidelines, with an auto-generated outline, or have Surfer AI draft a new piece for you.
With Surfer AI you will have a fully comprehensive article in just a few steps.
You can then focus on humanizing your content and strengthening its E-E-A-T profile (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, Trustworthiness):
- Add real-life insights or first-hand experience
- Include expert quotes or credentials
- Link to trusted sources and add author bios
3. Strengthen internal linking
As you update or create content, don’t forget to connect the dots. Link related articles together using descriptive anchor text. This:
- Helps users navigate between relevant topics
- Improves crawlability and indexation
- Signals to search engines that your site covers the topic in-depth
The Insert internal links feature inside the Content Editor can automatically add relevant internal links to your content.
Key takeaways
- Conducting a content gap analysis is essential to identify missing topics, keywords, and angles that can attract more traffic and meet your target audience's needs.
- Regular content audits help in uncovering outdated or missing information, which can be updated to improve SEO performance.
- Mapping your content to the buyer's journey ensures you are addressing all stages, from awareness to decision-making, to guide potential customers effectively.
- Competitor analysis reveals keyword gaps and content opportunities that your competitors are capitalizing on, allowing you to outdo them with better content.
- Analyzing SERPs for search intent ensures your content aligns with what users are searching for, preventing misalignment and filling content gaps.
- Staying updated with industry news and trends helps keep your content relevant, allowing you to publish timely pieces that attract traffic.
- Filling content gaps can be achieved by updating existing content, creating new content, and strengthening internal linking to enhance user navigation and SEO.
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