Use keyword gap analysis to find relevant search terms competitors rank for that your site misses or underperforms on. Use backlink gap analysis to find relevant websites or pages linking to competitors but not to you. They answer different questions: one points to search-coverage opportunities; the other surfaces potential link sources. Neither report guarantees rankings or traffic.
How keyword gap and backlink gap analysis differ
| Decision point | Keyword gap analysis | Backlink gap analysis |
|---|---|---|
| Main question | Which relevant search terms do competitors rank for that we do not, or where do they rank higher? | Which relevant referring domains or pages link to competitors but not to our site? |
| Evidence compared | Competitor keyword rankings, filtered by the selected scope, region and organic or paid search type. | Referring domains or pages in a provider’s backlink index. Results vary with the sites compared and the provider’s data. |
| Likely next step | Check relevance and intent, then improve a page, create useful content or investigate paid search. | Review the linking site and exact page, then decide whether a legitimate editorial opportunity exists. |
| Best fit | Content planning, query coverage and competitor search visibility. | Link prospecting and understanding competitors’ link sources. |
| Main caution | A ranking keyword is not automatically relevant, attainable or worth targeting. | A competitor’s backlink is not automatically relevant, high-quality, replicable or safe to pursue. |
In Semrush, Keyword Gap compares keyword profiles and supports organic, paid and product listing ad keyword types; its help documentation also describes comparisons at domain, subdomain or URL scope and selection of a regional database. Backlink Gap compares referring-domain profiles and lets users filter for domains linking to competitors but not the analyzed site. See Semrush’s Keyword Gap documentation and Backlink Gap documentation.
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
What a keyword gap analysis finds
A keyword gap analysis compares your site’s ranking terms with competitors’ to identify relevant queries they rank for that you do not, along with terms where they outrank you. Reports may use labels such as “missing,” “weak,” “shared,” “unique” or “untapped,” but those labels are not universal; check the tool’s definitions.
Quick wins for a faster PC:
Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Semrush documents organic, paid and product listing ad comparisons. Its documented organic report covers Google’s top 100 results, while its paid keyword type reflects Google Ads positions. Those are definitions of that Semrush report, not a guarantee that other tools collect or display data the same way. Semrush Keyword Gap help.
#1 Best Overall
Use the resulting terms as candidates, not a publishing queue. Semrush recommends evaluating relevance, search intent, monthly volume and difficulty. The related idea of a content gap can be broader: keyword analysis identifies terms, while content analysis can reveal topics across a customer journey that are not obvious from search terms alone. Semrush’s keyword gap guide.
What a backlink gap analysis finds
A backlink gap analysis compares competitor link sources with your site’s profile to surface domains or pages linking to competitors but not to you. Ahrefs describes the method as a way to find relevant links competitors have that your site lacks, with quality and relevance checks before outreach. Semrush’s report compares referring domains, shows which competitor sites they link to, and can filter for prospects absent from your profile. Ahrefs’ link gap guide; Semrush Backlink Gap help.
Rank #2
- Students build unmatched deductive-reasoning skills as they become crime-solving stars
- Most scenarios have more than one plausible outcome, allowing individuals or groups to broadly interpret evidence
- Includes interpretive handwriting, body language, fingerprinting, and many more activities
The useful output is a qualified review list, not a raw count or a quota. A site linking to several relevant competitors may merit investigation, but review the domain and the precise referring page. Ahrefs recommends checking exact pages and removing irrelevant prospects; metrics such as authority, estimated traffic or “dofollow” status are screening signals, not proof of editorial quality or SEO benefit. Ahrefs’ guide.
Recommended Free Tools
Which analysis should you use first?
Start with keyword gaps for missing search coverage
Choose this when your question is, “What useful search terms are we missing?” Use the report to generate candidates, then assess audience relevance, intent, likely effort and whether your site can satisfy the need well. Semrush recommends evaluating those factors rather than targeting every row.
Rank #3
Start with backlink gaps for plausible link sources
Choose this when you already know which pages or topics matter and want to investigate potential citations, mentions or editorial prospects. A competitor’s link is a lead to review, not an instruction to copy its tactics. Ahrefs’ guide.
Use both when the work includes content and link prospecting
You can identify a relevant topic gap, publish a genuinely useful page, and then look for publishers linking to competitor pages that serve the same need. Treat this as a planning sequence, not a proven recipe: the reports draw on different datasets and cannot establish that a page or link change caused a ranking outcome. Semrush Keyword Gap help; Ahrefs’ guide.
Use Search Console to establish your own-site baseline
Google Search Console’s Performance report shows queries likely to surface your site, along with clicks, impressions, click-through rate and average position. You can filter by dates, search type and other dimensions. Google notes that results vary by time, place, device and recent search history, and the newest data may be preliminary. This is first-party performance information for your site, not a competitor gap report. Google Search Console Performance report.
Free tools Windows power users keep installed
One-click scans. No signup required.
A practical keyword-gap workflow
- Choose meaningful competitors. Include business rivals and search competitors whose pages serve the same audience and intent. A brand competitor may not compete in organic search, and an unrelated site can create distracting opportunities. Semrush’s guide.
- Set the search type, geography and scope. Decide whether you care about organic queries, paid queries or shopping product listings, then select the relevant country or database. Compare root domains for broad coverage, or a subdomain, subfolder or URL for a specific section or page. Semrush documents these options.
- Separate missing terms from weaker rankings. Look at terms competitors rank for but your site does not, then separately examine terms where you rank below them. Report labels and definitions vary by product. Semrush Keyword Gap help.
- Filter by real relevance. Check what the searcher wants, whether the page belongs on your site, whether competitor results match the same intent, and whether the effort or difficulty is realistic. Semrush’s guide advises reviewing intent, volume and difficulty. Semrush’s guide.
- Choose an action for the page. Refresh an existing page if it already serves the intent; create a new one only if your site can add distinct value. Consider paid search only when query intent and economics make sense. Do not publish thin pages just to fill a spreadsheet.
- Observe performance in Search Console. Review query and page impressions, clicks, CTR and average position over a suitable date range. These observations show site performance; on their own, they do not prove one content change caused a movement. Google Search Console Performance report.
A practical backlink-gap workflow
- Select relevant competitors. Compare sites that compete for the audience or pages you care about. When possible, compare like with like: domain to domain, section to section or relevant page to page. Semrush documents domain, subdomain and URL scopes. Semrush Backlink Gap help.
- Compare referring-domain profiles. Find sources linking to competitors but not your site. Semrush provides a referring-domain table and prospect filters; Ahrefs describes a competitor link-intersection workflow. Semrush help; Ahrefs’ guide.
- Make a review queue, not an automatic score. Several competitors sharing a source can make it worth investigating, but a source linking to just one competitor may also be relevant. Counts, authority metrics, estimated traffic and “dofollow” status do not guarantee editorial quality or SEO benefit. Semrush help; Ahrefs’ guide.
- Inspect the site and exact page. Check topical fit, editorial standards, audience and why the competitor link appears in context. Remove irrelevant, low-quality or manipulative prospects. Ahrefs recommends reviewing relevance and exact referring pages.
- Contact publishers only with a reader-serving reason. Offer something useful, such as a resource, correction or expert contribution. A competitor’s link does not mean you are entitled to, or should try to, duplicate it.
- Keep Google’s link-spam policy in view. Google defines link spam as creating links primarily to manipulate rankings. Its examples include buying or selling links for ranking purposes, excessive link exchanges, automated link creation and paid editorial links that pass ranking credit. Advertising and sponsorship links are acceptable when appropriately qualified, for example with
rel="nofollow"orrel="sponsored". Google Search Central’s spam policies.
How to choose an SEO tool for either analysis
If you are choosing a platform rather than deciding which method to use, compare what the tool can actually show for your use case. Feature access, data coverage and terms vary, so verify current plan details with the vendor.
Quick Recap
- Coverage and freshness: Check engines, countries, languages and how quickly new or lost rankings and links appear. Vendors do not necessarily observe identical datasets.
- Comparison scope: Confirm whether you can compare root domains, subdomains, folders or individual URLs. Semrush documents multiple scopes for both report families; access may depend on subscription. Keyword Gap help; Backlink Gap help.
- Useful filters and exports: Look for missing and weak keyword distinctions, intent and difficulty filters, referring-domain or referring-page views, and export options that support human review.
- Workflow fit: Decide whether your team needs keyword discovery and content planning, backlink prospecting and outreach, or both.
- Current cost and limits: Check live prices, usage quotas and tier access directly with the provider. Report limits are product terms that can change; they are not evidence that a tool improves SEO outcomes.
- Validation: Pair competitor estimates with Search Console for your own query and page performance, and review the actual target page or link source before acting. Google Search Console Performance report; Ahrefs’ guide.
Mistakes that make gap reports less useful
- Comparing the wrong competitors: Commercial rivals and search competitors can differ. Match the audience, geography and intent you actually serve. Semrush’s guide.
- Creating a page for every keyword: Relevance, intent and your ability to answer well should determine whether a term deserves action. Semrush’s guide.
- Confusing a ranking estimate with business value: A vendor’s keyword database does not establish conversion potential for your business. Assess intent and use first-party performance data where available. Semrush’s guide; Google Search Console Performance report.
- Treating shared backlinks or authority scores as quality guarantees: These are screening signals defined by providers; assess the domain and referring page yourself. Semrush help; Ahrefs’ guide.
- Copying link tactics without a policy check: A gap is a research lead, not a reason to buy, exchange or automate links to manipulate rankings. Google Search Central’s spam policies.
- Expecting guaranteed traffic or rankings: These reports describe opportunities and competitor data; they do not establish a guaranteed result for your site.
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
