SurfSense/.cursor/skills/content-gap-analysis/references/analysis-templates.md

# Content Gap Analysis — Analysis Templates

Templates for each step of the content gap analysis workflow. Use these to structure your output.

## Content Inventory Template

```markdown
## Your Content Inventory

**Total Indexed Pages**: [X]
**Content by Type**:
- Blog posts: [X]
- Landing pages: [X]
- Resource pages: [X]
- Tools/calculators: [X]
- Case studies: [X]

**Content by Topic Cluster**:

| Topic | Articles | Keywords Ranking | Traffic |
|-------|----------|------------------|---------|
| [topic 1] | [X] | [X] | [X] |
| [topic 2] | [X] | [X] | [X] |
| [topic 3] | [X] | [X] | [X] |

**Top Performing Content**:
1. [Title] - [traffic] visits - [keywords] keywords
2. [Title] - [traffic] visits - [keywords] keywords
3. [Title] - [traffic] visits - [keywords] keywords

**Content Strengths**:
- [Strength 1]
- [Strength 2]

**Content Weaknesses**:
- [Weakness 1]
- [Weakness 2]
```

## Competitor Content Analysis Template

```markdown
## Competitor Content Analysis

### Competitor 1: [Name/URL]

**Content Volume**: [X] pages
**Monthly Traffic**: [X] visits

**Content Distribution**:
| Type | Count | Est. Traffic |
|------|-------|--------------|
| Blog posts | [X] | [X] |
| Guides | [X] | [X] |
| Tools | [X] | [X] |
| Videos | [X] | [X] |

**Topic Coverage**:
| Topic | Articles | Your Coverage |
|-------|----------|---------------|
| [topic] | [X] | [X or "None"] |

**Unique Content They Have**:
1. [Content piece] - [traffic] - [why it works]
2. [Content piece] - [traffic] - [why it works]

[Repeat for each competitor]
```

## Keyword Gap Analysis Template

```markdown
## Keyword Gap Analysis

### Keywords Competitors Rank For (You Don't)

**High Priority Gaps** (High volume, achievable difficulty)

| Keyword | Volume | Difficulty | Competitor | Their Position |
|---------|--------|------------|------------|----------------|
| [kw 1] | [vol] | [diff] | [comp] | [pos] |
| [kw 2] | [vol] | [diff] | [comp] | [pos] |
| [kw 3] | [vol] | [diff] | [comp] | [pos] |

**Quick Win Gaps** (Lower volume, low difficulty)

| Keyword | Volume | Difficulty | Competitor | Their Position |
|---------|--------|------------|------------|----------------|
| [kw 1] | [vol] | [diff] | [comp] | [pos] |

**Long-term Gaps** (High volume, high difficulty)

| Keyword | Volume | Difficulty | Competitor | Their Position |
|---------|--------|------------|------------|----------------|
| [kw 1] | [vol] | [diff] | [comp] | [pos] |

### Keyword Overlap Analysis

```
Venn Diagram Representation:

       You          Competitor 1
        ○               ○
       / \             / \
      /   \           /   \
     /  A  \ B       / C   \
    /       \       /       \
   ○─────────○─────○─────────○
             Competitor 2

A: Keywords only you rank for: [X]
B: Overlap with Comp 1: [X]
C: Keywords all competitors share: [X]
Gap: Keywords they all have, you don't: [X]
```

**Unique Keywords (Your Advantage)**:
| Keyword | Your Position | Volume |
|---------|---------------|--------|
| [kw] | [pos] | [vol] |
```

## Topic Gap Analysis Template

```markdown
## Topic Gap Analysis

### Topic Coverage Comparison

| Topic Area | You | Comp 1 | Comp 2 | Comp 3 | Gap? |
|------------|-----|--------|--------|--------|------|
| [Topic 1] | ✅ [X] | ✅ [X] | ✅ [X] | ✅ [X] | No |
| [Topic 2] | ❌ 0 | ✅ [X] | ✅ [X] | ✅ [X] | **Yes** |
| [Topic 3] | ✅ [X] | ✅ [X] | ❌ 0 | ✅ [X] | Partial |
| [Topic 4] | ❌ 0 | ✅ [X] | ✅ [X] | ❌ 0 | **Yes** |

### Missing Topic Clusters

#### Gap 1: [Topic Area]

**Why it matters**: [Business relevance]
**Competitor coverage**: [Who covers it and how]
**Opportunity size**: [Traffic/keyword potential]

**Sub-topics to cover**:
1. [Sub-topic] - [X] search volume
2. [Sub-topic] - [X] search volume
3. [Sub-topic] - [X] search volume

**Recommended approach**:
- Pillar content: [topic]
- Cluster articles: [list]
- Supporting content: [list]
```

## Content Format Gap Template

```markdown
## Content Format Gap Analysis

### Format Distribution Comparison

| Format | You | Comp 1 | Comp 2 | Industry Avg |
|--------|-----|--------|--------|--------------|
| Long-form guides | [X] | [X] | [X] | [X] |
| Tutorials | [X] | [X] | [X] | [X] |
| Comparison posts | [X] | [X] | [X] | [X] |
| Case studies | [X] | [X] | [X] | [X] |
| Tools/calculators | [X] | [X] | [X] | [X] |
| Templates | [X] | [X] | [X] | [X] |
| Video content | [X] | [X] | [X] | [X] |
| Infographics | [X] | [X] | [X] | [X] |
| Original research | [X] | [X] | [X] | [X] |

### Format Gaps to Fill

#### Gap: [Format Type]

**Current state**: You have [X], competitors average [Y]
**Best examples**: [Competitor content examples]
**Opportunity**: [Description]
**Effort to create**: [Low/Medium/High]
**Expected impact**: [Low/Medium/High]

**Recommended first project**:
[Specific content idea]
```

## GEO Content Gap Template

```markdown
## GEO Content Gap Analysis

### AI-Answerable Topics Assessment

**Topics where competitors get AI citations (you don't)**:

| Topic | AI Cites | Why They're Cited | Your Gap |
|-------|----------|-------------------|----------|
| [topic 1] | [Comp] | [reason] | [what you need] |
| [topic 2] | [Comp] | [reason] | [what you need] |

### GEO-Optimized Content Gaps

**Missing Q&A Content**:
| Question | Search Volume | Currently Answered By |
|----------|---------------|----------------------|
| [question] | [vol] | [competitor] |

**Missing Definition/Explanation Content**:
| Term | Search Volume | Best Current Source |
|------|---------------|---------------------|
| [term] | [vol] | [source] |

**Missing Comparison Content**:
| Comparison | Search Volume | Best Current Source |
|------------|---------------|---------------------|
| [A vs B] | [vol] | [source] |

### GEO Opportunity Score

| Topic | Traditional SEO Value | GEO Value | Combined Priority |
|-------|----------------------|-----------|-------------------|
| [topic] | [score] | [score] | [priority] |
```

## Audience Journey Gap Template

```markdown
## Audience Journey Gap Analysis

### Funnel Stage Coverage

| Stage | Your Content | Competitor Avg | Gap |
|-------|--------------|----------------|-----|
| Awareness | [X] articles | [X] articles | [+/-X] |
| Consideration | [X] articles | [X] articles | [+/-X] |
| Decision | [X] articles | [X] articles | [+/-X] |
| Retention | [X] articles | [X] articles | [+/-X] |

### Journey Gap Details

#### Awareness Stage Gaps
- Missing: [topics/content]
- Opportunity: [description]

#### Consideration Stage Gaps
- Missing: [topics/content]
- Opportunity: [description]

#### Decision Stage Gaps
- Missing: [topics/content]
- Opportunity: [description]
```

## Prioritized Report Template

```markdown
# Content Gap Analysis Report

## Executive Summary

**Analysis Date**: [Date]
**Sites Analyzed**: [Your site] vs [Competitors]

**Key Findings**:
1. [Most significant gap]
2. [Second significant gap]
3. [Third significant gap]

**Total Opportunity**:
- Keywords gaps identified: [X]
- Estimated traffic opportunity: [X]/month
- Quick wins available: [X] pieces

---

## Prioritized Gap List

### Tier 1: Quick Wins (Do Now)

| Content to Create | Target Keyword | Volume | Difficulty | Impact |
|-------------------|----------------|--------|------------|--------|
| [Title idea] | [keyword] | [vol] | [diff] | High |
| [Title idea] | [keyword] | [vol] | [diff] | High |

**Why prioritize**: Low effort, immediate ranking potential

### Tier 2: Strategic Builds (This Quarter)

| Content to Create | Target Keyword | Volume | Difficulty | Impact |
|-------------------|----------------|--------|------------|--------|
| [Title idea] | [keyword] | [vol] | [diff] | High |

**Why prioritize**: High value, requires more resources

### Tier 3: Long-term Investments (This Year)

| Content to Create | Target Keyword | Volume | Difficulty | Impact |
|-------------------|----------------|--------|------------|--------|
| [Title idea] | [keyword] | [vol] | [diff] | High |

**Why prioritize**: Builds authority, competitive differentiator

---

## Content Calendar Recommendation

### Month 1
| Week | Content | Type | Target Keyword | Status |
|------|---------|------|----------------|--------|
| 1 | [Title] | [Type] | [Keyword] | Planned |
| 2 | [Title] | [Type] | [Keyword] | Planned |
| 3 | [Title] | [Type] | [Keyword] | Planned |
| 4 | [Title] | [Type] | [Keyword] | Planned |

### Month 2
[Continue...]

### Month 3
[Continue...]

---

## Success Metrics

Track these to measure gap-filling success:

| Metric | Current | 3-Month Target | 6-Month Target |
|--------|---------|----------------|----------------|
| Keyword coverage | [X] | [X] | [X] |
| Topic clusters complete | [X] | [X] | [X] |
| Traffic from new content | [X] | [X] | [X] |
| AI citations | [X] | [X] | [X] |
```