Content Gap Analysis: How to Publish What Will Rank

Most content teams don't have a content problem. They have a prioritization problem.

You can write 50 posts - but only 5 will drive pipeline. And your competitors already know which 5.

Content gap analysis is the discipline of finding topics your rivals are winning with that you're missing, then turning those gaps into a ranked backlog you can actually ship. This guide explains what content gaps are, how they differ from generic keyword research, and how to use them so you publish what will rank.

What Is Content Gap Analysis?

Content gap analysis identifies topics, keywords, and themes that your competitors rank for - and you don't. Instead of guessing what to write next, you prioritize based on proof: competitors are already capturing traffic and intent in these areas.

The output isn't a giant keyword list. It's a prioritized plan: what to write, why it matters, what intent it serves, and expected impact.

Content Gaps vs Keyword Research

Approach	What You Get	Best For
Keyword research	Volume, difficulty, intent - often thousands of keywords	Broad discovery, SEO audits
Content gap analysis	A ranked list of profit gaps - topics competitors win with that you're missing	Prioritization, roadmap planning

Keyword research answers "what do people search for?" Content gap analysis answers "what should we publish next to compete and convert?"

The difference: gaps are grounded in competitor performance. If three competitors rank on page one for "X vs Y comparison" and you don't, that's a gap. You know there's demand (they're getting traffic) and you know you're losing share. That's a higher-confidence opportunity than a keyword with volume but no competitive validation.

How Content Gap Analysis Works (In Practice)

A solid content gap workflow usually involves:

Define your domain - Your site is the baseline. What do you already cover?
Map competitor content - What topics, themes, and keywords do your competitors rank for?
Identify gaps - Where do they rank and you don't (or rank poorly)?
Prioritize - Filter by intent, impact, and effort so you know what to ship first.
Execute - Turn gaps into content briefs, drafts, and tasks.

The hard part isn't step 1-3 - it's 4 and 5. Most teams get a list and then stall. The analysis dies in a spreadsheet. The fix: tools and workflows that connect gaps to execution.

What You Get From SpyGlow Content Gap Analysis

SpyGlow's content gap analysis is built for teams that want competitive context, not generic keyword lists.

A Ranked List of "Profit Gaps"

Each gap includes:

What to write - Topic, angle, suggested direction
Why it matters - Buyer intent, competitive context, expected impact
Keywords and intent - What users are searching for
Priority - So you know what to do first

Competitive Context, Not Generic Volume

This isn't "here are 500 keywords with search volume." It's:

What competitors are covering
What your site is missing
Where the easiest wins are

Turn Gaps Into Execution

When you find a gap, you can:

Create an Action - Turn it into a task your team can track
Generate a draft - Use AI to produce a first draft for blog posts, landing pages, or case studies

So the analysis doesn't die in a doc. It becomes work.

Keyword Overlap Matrix

SpyGlow also surfaces a keyword overlap matrix - which competitors cover which keywords, and where you overlap vs. where you have gaps. That view makes it easy to spot patterns: "Competitor X is going heavy on comparison pages; we're missing that."

How to Run a Content Gap Analysis in SpyGlow

Go to Content Gap in your dashboard.
Enter your target domain (yours or a client's).
Click Analyze.
Wait 1-2 minutes while SpyGlow crawls and cross-references competitor data.
Review the Overview, Gaps, and Keywords tabs.
Select high-priority gaps and either create Actions or generate drafts.

Content gaps also auto-refresh when competitor monitoring completes - so your backlog stays up to date as competitors add or change content.

Who Should Use Content Gap Analysis?

Content and SEO teams - Build a roadmap based on competitor wins instead of guesswork. Startups and bootstrapped companies - Prioritize limited writing capacity on topics that move the needle. Marketing leaders - Get a clear view of where you're underinvesting relative to rivals.

If you've ever stared at a keyword list and thought "but which 5 do we actually ship first?" - content gap analysis is the answer.

Get Started

Stop guessing what to write. Try SpyGlow's content gap analysis - enter your domain, get a ranked backlog, and turn gaps into content your team can ship. Start a free trial to run your first analysis.