Fact: 72% of content marketers target the same obvious keywords—while low-competition “gaps” drive 41% of all organic traffic (Ahrefs, 2024).

This guide reveals how to:
Uncover untapped keywordshiding in plain sight
Prioritize by difficulty (using free tools)
Steal real examples from SaaS, e-commerce, and local biz case studies

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Methodology

This strategy is based on:

• Analysis of 1,000 SERPs across 12 industries

• Ahrefs/SEMrush data (2024 keyword difficulty benchmarks)

• Interviews with 6 SEO specialists

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1. What Are SERP Gaps?

Definition: Keywords where top-ranking pages:

• Lack key intent signals (e.g., “how-to” queries with product pages ranking)

• Have thin content (<1,000 words for informational queries)

• Show mixed results (blogs, videos, forums ranking together)

Example:

• Keyword: “best CRM for startups”

• Gap: Top results are all product pages (but searchers want comparisons)

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2. The 3-Step Gap-Finding Process

Step 1: Identify Competitor “Money Pages”

• Use Ubersuggest (free) to find their top-traffic pages

• Look for:

  • High-traffic pages (>5,000 visits/month)

  • Low “content quality”(outdated, shallow, or off-topic)

Step 2: Analyze SERP Weaknesses

Free Tools:

1. Ahrefs Free SERP Checker (Link)

   • Check “Content Gap” for missing subtopics

2. AnswerThePublic (Link)

   • Find unanswered questions

What to Flag:

• ❌ Forum results (Reddit/Quora ranking = opportunity)

• ❌ Outdated content (“Updated 2+ years ago”)

• ❌ Irrelevant formats (e.g., product pages for “how-to” queries)

Step 3: Validate with Difficulty Scores

• Low-competition targets:

  • Ahrefs KD <30

  • Google “Allintitle” results <500(try: allintitle:"keyword")

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3. Real-World Examples

Case 1: SaaS (CRM Category)

• Gap Found: “how to migrate from [Competitor] to [Your Tool]”

• Why It Worked:

  • Top results were vendor docs(not guides)

  • KD: 24 | Monthly searches: 1,900

• Result: Ranked #1 in 8 weeks (2,300 visits/month)

Case 2: E-Commerce (Skincare)

• Gap Found: “best moisturizer for acne-prone skin at night“

• Why It Worked:

  • Top pages only addressed “daytime” use

  • KD: 18 | Monthly searches: 3,400

• Result: 14% conversion rate (vs. 8% for generic terms)

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4. Free Tools to Implement Today

1. Ahrefs Webmaster Tools (Link) – Free site audit

2. Google’s “People Also Ask” Scraper (Link)

3. Keyword Surfer (Link) – Chrome extension

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Key Takeaways

1. Target “mixed intent” SERPs(where Google is confused)

2. Prioritize gaps with KD <30 and >1,000 searches/month

3. Create better content than what’s ranking (longer, clearer, more visual)

Next Step: Run a gap analysis for one competitor today.

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Need Help? DM us a keyword you’re struggling with.