I use the Semrush Keyword Gap to Compare Competitor SEO Keywords With Semrush Keyword Gap because it reveals keyword opportunities by directly comparing multiple domains. When I want to discover keywords my site is missing, weak on, or uniquely winning, this tool gives a clear breakdown across shared, missing, weak, strong, untapped, unique and all keyword sets.
Table of Contents
- How do I access the Keyword Gap tool and add competitors to compare?
- Which datasets can I compare — organic, paid, or PLA — and how does that change the output?
- What do the main Keyword Gap sections mean and how do I use them?
- How do I interpret keyword overlap, volume, and ranking position data?
- How can filters help me narrow down hundreds of thousands of keywords?
- What is a practical workflow I use to turn Keyword Gap insights into content and SEO tasks?
- How do I decide between targeting missing, weak, or untapped keywords?
- FAQ
- Conclusion
How do I access the Keyword Gap tool and add competitors to compare?
I access the tool through Competitive Research → Keyword Gap. From there I can add up to five competitors. I often add four domains for an example use case, but you can add a domain, subdomain, or an exact URL/subfolder depending on the level of comparison you need. One URL can rank for thousands of keywords, so comparing at the exact URL level is sometimes useful.
Which datasets can I compare — organic, paid, or PLA — and how does that change the output?
I select the dataset before I run the comparison: organic keywords, paid keywords, or product listing ad (PLA) keywords. Organic is the most common dataset I use. If a competitor is not running paid campaigns, the paid dataset will show little or no data for them. Once I pick the dataset I click Compare and Semrush prepares the database for analysis.
What do the main Keyword Gap sections mean and how do I use them?
The tool splits results into clear sections. I rely on these categories to prioritize content and optimization work:
- Top opportunities — keywords the tool thinks you are missing and could quickly target.
- Shared — keywords shared among the domains I added, with ranking positions for each site.
- Missing — keywords where I have no ranking at all; these are prime content ideas.
- Weak — keywords where I rank much lower than competitors (for example, I might be 21 while a competitor is 7).
- Strong — keywords where I outperform competitors.
- Untapped — keywords where neither I nor competitors have fully optimized content; these can be low-competition gaps.
- Unique — keywords only one domain is ranking for, which signals niche strength or missed opportunities for others.
- All — the full combined keyword dataset for deeper analysis.
How do I interpret keyword overlap, volume, and ranking position data?
The Keyword Gap shows keyword overlap to tell me how much my keyword set intersects with competitors. It also includes metrics like search volume, keyword difficulty, CPC, and competitive density. For example, one domain in a demonstration had the largest organic reach targeting over 400,000 keywords. I can click any domain in the table to instantly adjust the view and compare per-domain performance.
How can filters help me narrow down hundreds of thousands of keywords?
Filters make this tool practical for real work. The data screen lists every keyword and associated pages. I can filter by search volume, keyword difficulty, intent, and other advanced criteria. In one walkthrough the full set was around 578,000 keywords; applying a simple filter for keywords with more than 100 searches reduced the set to about 230,000. Turning on difficulty or intent filters narrows it further to actionable lists.
What is a practical workflow I use to turn Keyword Gap insights into content and SEO tasks?
I usually follow this sequence:
- Select dataset (organic by default).
- Add up to five competitors, choosing domain, subdomain, or exact URL as needed.
- Click Compare and let the tool prepare the database.
- Scan Top opportunities and Missing lists for quick content wins.
- Use Weak to identify pages that need on-page improvement or stronger outreach.
- Apply filters for volume, difficulty, and intent to build a prioritized keyword list.
- Create or optimize content aligned to the filtered keyword list and monitor movement in rankings.
How do I decide between targeting missing, weak, or untapped keywords?
Missing keywords are low-hanging fruit for new content. Weak keywords are immediate improvement targets — examples where I rank just outside the top positions and a few optimizations could move me up. Untapped keywords often show low competition across competitors and can be excellent for new pages or feature content. I balance effort and potential impact: quick wins from missing keywords, priority fixes for weak ones, and experimental content for untapped spaces.
FAQ
What is the Semrush Keyword Gap tool and why should I use it?
The Keyword Gap tool compares keyword profiles across multiple domains to reveal shared, missing, weak, strong, untapped, and unique keywords. I use it to find opportunities where I can create content or optimize pages to close gaps against competitors.
How many competitor domains can I add to a comparison?
You can add up to five different competitors. You can compare at the domain, subdomain, or exact URL/subfolder level depending on how granular you want your analysis to be.
Can I analyze paid and PLA keywords as well as organic?
Yes. You can choose organic, paid, or PLA datasets. Paid and PLA data will appear only if the competitor is running ads or product listings.
How do filters reduce the keyword dataset to something actionable?
Filters let you narrow keywords by search volume, difficulty, intent, CPC, and other criteria. For example, filtering to keywords with more than 100 searches reduced a large set from 578,000 to about 230,000 in a demonstration.
What do categories like Missing, Weak, and Untapped actually indicate?
Missing shows keywords where you have no rankings. Weak indicates keywords where you rank much lower than competitors. Untapped points to keywords where neither you nor competitors have fully optimized content and which may represent low-competition opportunities.
Conclusion
I use the Keyword Gap to Compare Competitor SEO Keywords With Semrush Keyword Gap whenever I want a structured view of where my site stands against competitors. It highlights immediate content ideas, technical or on-page fixes, and strategic gaps that are often hidden in a large keyword universe. With deliberate filtering and prioritization, the tool becomes a powerful part of my SEO playbook.
