Free template
Content Gap Analysis Template
A practical template for identifying and prioritising the content your site is missing. Copy the structure below, fill it in using the 15-minute process, and you'll have a ranked publishing queue — not just a keyword list.
The template — columns and what they mean
Nine columns. Each one has a job. The most important are Intent and Priority — without them, this is just a list of topics.
| Column | Why it matters | Example value |
|---|---|---|
| Competitor / Source | Which competitor ranks for this topic. Helps you understand if the gap is widespread (multiple competitors) or niche. | ahrefs.com |
| Missing Topic | The topic or query your site has no page for. Be specific — "content gap analysis" is too broad; "content gap analysis for SaaS" is actionable. | Content gap analysis for SaaS |
| Search Intent | What the searcher wants: information, a tool, a comparison, a template, a how-to. Intent determines page format. | Informational / How-to |
| Priority | High / Medium / Low — based on ICP relevance, competition level, and how close the topic is to your product. Score this honestly. | High |
| Why the Gap Exists | Your site never covered it / competitors have a dedicated page / topic is newer than your oldest content. Knowing why helps you fix it properly. | No dedicated page — topic buried in a general guide |
| Recommended Page Type | Landing page, guide, tool page, comparison, template, example collection. Format should match intent. | Guide with step-by-step process |
| Difficulty | How competitive is this query? Low = few strong incumbents. High = Ahrefs/HubSpot/SEMrush already own it. | Medium |
| Business Value | How close is this topic to your product or conversion path? High = searcher is your ICP at high intent. Low = general audience with no product connection. | High — ICP is a SaaS founder looking for exactly this |
| Status | Not started / In progress / Published / Monitoring. Keeps your backlog from becoming stale. | Not started |
Example — 4 filled rows
What the template looks like with real gaps from a content gap analysis tool targeting founders and small teams.
| Competitor | Missing Topic | Intent | Priority | Why Gap Exists | Page Type | Difficulty | Value | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ahrefs.com | Content gap analysis for SaaS | Informational / How-to | High | No dedicated page — SaaS angle missing | Step-by-step guide | Medium | High | Not started |
| semrush.com | Content gap analysis template | Resource / Template | High | No template page — searchers want a usable document | Template + walkthrough | Low | High | Not started |
| backlinko.com | How to find keyword gaps | Informational | Medium | Covered in passing — no dedicated page | Guide | Medium | Medium | Not started |
| moz.com | Content gap analysis examples | Informational / Examples | Medium | Examples page exists but lacks real-world specificity | Example collection | Low | Medium | Not started |
Sort by Priority descending. Your top rows become your next publishing queue.
How to fill this in 15 minutes
A repeatable process — not a research project. The goal is a working list, not a perfect list.
- 1.
Pick 3–5 competitors (5 minutes)
Choose sites that rank well in your niche — not necessarily your direct product competitors, but sites your ICP would find when searching for the problems you solve. Authoritative blogs, tool sites, and established players in your topic area all count.
- 2.
List their top pages (5 minutes)
For each competitor, identify their 10–15 most prominent pages — the ones they link to from their nav, their most-shared content, and any topic clusters they clearly own. You are looking for topic-level gaps, not individual keywords.
- 3.
Cross-reference against your site (3 minutes)
For each competitor page or topic cluster, ask: does my site have a page specifically targeting this? Not "do I mention this somewhere" — a dedicated page. Every topic that gets a "no" is a candidate row.
- 4.
Fill in intent, priority, and business value (2 minutes per row)
Intent is the most important column. A template searcher wants a document to copy — not a 2,000-word guide. A how-to searcher wants a process. Get the intent right and the page format follows automatically. Priority and business value filter out the rows that look interesting but won't move the needle.
- 5.
Sort and pick your top 10
Sort by Priority descending, then by Business Value. Your top 10 rows are your next publishing queue. Everything else waits. Don't try to action the whole template at once — a focused list of 10 pages published consistently outperforms 50 rows that never get built.
Common mistakes
These are the patterns that turn a useful template into a useless spreadsheet.
Copying keywords instead of topics
A keyword list and a content gap are not the same thing. "Content gap analysis" (keyword) maps to several different pages — a tool page, a how-to guide, a template, an examples page. If you treat every keyword as its own row, the template becomes unmanageable and the output is a keyword list, not a content plan.
Chasing high-volume gaps you cannot realistically rank for
The highest-volume gaps in your niche are almost always owned by Ahrefs, HubSpot, Moz, or SEMrush. Copying those into your template feels productive but produces nothing useful. Prioritise gaps where the search demand is real and the competition is weak — typically the niche, vertical-specific, or intent-specific variants of broader topics.
Skipping the "why the gap exists" column
If you don't know why a gap exists, you don't know how to fill it. A gap that exists because nobody has written a good guide needs a different response than a gap that exists because the topic is technically complex, or because competitors have a tool page you'd need to replicate. The why shapes what you build.
Publishing pages disconnected from your product
A gap in your content graph is only worth filling if the traffic it brings is relevant to what you sell. A high-traffic topic with no connection to your product or ICP fills the template but not the pipeline. Prioritise by business value — not by volume alone.
Treating the template as a one-time exercise
Content gaps change. New competitors publish. Your product expands. A template you filled six months ago will have rows that are now less important and gaps that weren't visible then. Treat it as a living document, not a project deliverable.
Skip the manual work
The template above works. It also takes time — finding competitors, mapping their pages, cross-referencing against your site. GetContentGap runs this automatically: paste your URL and get a prioritised gap list with intent labels and suggested page titles in under a minute. Use the template to understand the process; use the tool to run it.
FAQ
What should a content gap analysis template include?
The essential columns are: missing topic, search intent, priority, why the gap exists, recommended page type, difficulty, and business value. Intent and priority are the most important — without them, you have a list, not a plan.
How do I use a content gap analysis template?
Pick 3–5 competitors, list the topics they cover that your site doesn't, fill in intent and priority, sort by priority, and take the top 10 rows as your next publishing queue. The full process takes about 15 minutes.
Is there a faster way than filling this manually?
Yes — paste your URL into GetContentGap. It benchmarks your content against your niche automatically and returns a prioritised gap list with intent labels and suggested page titles. The template helps you understand the process; the tool does it in under a minute.
How often should I run a content gap analysis?
For most small sites: once when setting your content strategy, then every 3–6 months as your site grows. More frequently than that is usually not worth the time unless you're publishing at high volume or a major competitor has significantly changed their content strategy.
What to do next
- →Want to see what filled gaps look like? 8 real content gap examples
- →Want to understand the full process? How to find content gaps — 5-step process
- →Running this for a SaaS site? Content gap analysis for SaaS
- →Looking for a tool to do this automatically? Run the free analysis — results in under a minute