How do you conduct a competitive analysis and identify keyword gaps and opportunities?

1 Choose your competitors

The first step is to choose your competitors wisely. You don't want to waste time analyzing irrelevant or unrealistic competitors. You want to focus on the ones that are targeting the same or similar audience, niche, and goals as you. You can use tools like Alexa or SimilarWeb to find out who your top competitors are based on traffic, keywords, and content.

2 Analyze their content

The next step is to analyze their content and see what topics, formats, and styles they are using to attract and engage their audience. You can use tools like BuzzSumo or SEMrush to find out what their most popular and shared content is, what keywords they are ranking for, and what gaps they have in their content strategy. You can also check their social media, blogs, newsletters, and reviews to get a sense of their tone, voice, and value proposition.

3 Identify their strengths and weaknesses

The third step is to identify their strengths and weaknesses and see how you can leverage or overcome them. You can use a SWOT analysis (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats) to evaluate their performance and potential. You can also use tools like Moz or Ahrefs to check their domain authority, backlink profile, and technical SEO issues.

4 Find your keyword gaps and opportunities

The fourth step is to find your keyword gaps and opportunities and see where you can improve your ranking and visibility. A keyword gap is a keyword that your competitors are ranking for, but you are not. A keyword opportunity is a keyword that has high search volume and low competition, but none of your competitors are ranking for. You can use tools like SEMrush or Ahrefs to perform a keyword gap analysis and find the keywords that you are missing or can target better.

5 Prioritize your keywords

The fifth step is to prioritize your keywords and decide which ones to focus on first. You can use tools like Google Keyword Planner or Ubersuggest to find out the search volume, difficulty, and cost per click of each keyword. You can also use tools like AnswerThePublic or AlsoAsked to find out the search intent, questions, and related keywords of each keyword. You want to choose the keywords that match your audience's needs, goals, and stage in the buyer's journey.

6 Create and optimize your content

The final step is to create and optimize your content based on your keyword research and competitive analysis. You want to create content that is relevant, valuable, and engaging for your audience and that follows the best practices of SEO. You want to use your keywords strategically in your title, headings, body, meta tags, URL, and images. You also want to use internal and external links, multimedia, and calls to action to enhance your content and user experience.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?