Gap Analysis Reports

What It Does

Gap Analysis Reports compare your content and SEO performance against your competitors to identify actionable opportunities. The feature analyzes SERP rankings, backlink profiles, and content coverage to find topics and keywords where competitors outrank you. Reports are generated as professional PDFs that can be shared via secure, time-limited links with stakeholders who do not have ILLIXIS accounts.

Creating a Report

Step 1: Navigate to Gap Analysis

Go to Reports > Competitive Gap Analysis from the main navigation, or access directly at /reports/gap-analysis/.

Step 2: Click "New Analysis"

Click the New Analysis button in the top-right corner of the page.

Step 3: Enter Competitor Domains

In the Competitor Domains field, enter up to 5 competitor domains you want to analyze. Enter one domain per line.

Example:
```
competitor1.com
competitor2.com
competitor3.com
```

If you have competitor domains configured in your Settings, they will be pre-filled automatically. You can edit or add to this list.

Tips for choosing competitors:

• Include direct competitors who target the same audience
• Add aspirational competitors you want to outrank
• Mix established players with emerging challengers

Step 4: Add Focus Keywords (Optional)

In the Focus Keywords field, enter specific keywords you want the analysis to focus on. Enter one keyword per line.

If left blank, the analysis will use your tracked keywords from existing briefs and brand settings.

Step 5: Add a Report Title (Optional)

Enter a custom title for your report. If left blank, a title will be auto-generated based on the competitor names.

Example: "Q1 2025 Competitor Analysis" or "Summer Campaign Gap Report"

Step 6: Start the Analysis

Click Start Analysis to begin. The analysis typically takes 2-5 minutes to complete. You will be redirected to the report detail page where you can watch the progress.

Report Contents

Each Gap Analysis Report includes the following sections:

Executive Summary

• Competitors Analyzed - Total number of competitors in the report
• Content Gaps Found - Topics competitors cover that you do not
• Keyword Opportunities - High-value keywords to target
• High Priority Actions - Urgent recommendations requiring attention
• Key Insight - The most important finding from the analysis

Competitor Profiles

A comparison table showing each competitor's:

• Domain Authority (DA)
• Referring Domains
• Content Gaps Found
• SERP Wins (keywords where they outrank you)
• Threat Score (0-100 competitive threat rating)

Content Gaps

Topics and keywords where competitors rank in search results but you have no content. Each gap shows:

• The target keyword
• Which competitor ranks for it
• Their ranking position
• Estimated monthly traffic
• Gap Score (opportunity rating)

Keyword Opportunities

Related keywords with high potential that you are not currently targeting:

• Search volume
• Competition level
• CPC (cost-per-click for paid ads)
• Opportunity Score

Backlink Analysis

• Your domain's backlink metrics (referring domains, total backlinks, domain authority)
• Competitor backlink comparison
• Link Gap: Sites that link to competitors but not to you

Recommendations

Prioritized action items organized by:

• High Priority - Address immediately for maximum impact
• Medium Priority - Important but less urgent

Each recommendation includes:

• Action type (Content, Keyword, or Backlink)
• Specific action to take
• Rationale explaining why this matters
• Potential traffic impact

Sharing Reports

Generate a Share Link

1. Open a completed report
2. Click the Share button in the top-right corner
3. In the modal, click Generate Link
4. Copy the shareable URL

Share Link Details

• Share links work without requiring login
• Links expire after 30 days by default
• Anyone with the link can view the full report
• Expiration date is shown when generating the link

Regenerating Links

If a share link has expired, click Share again and generate a new link. The previous link will no longer work.

Downloading Reports

Download as PDF

1. Open a completed report
2. Click the Download PDF button in the top-right corner
3. The PDF will download to your computer

PDF Contents

The downloaded PDF includes all report sections formatted for printing or sharing via email. PDFs support white-label branding if enabled for your account.

Customizing Reports

Pre-filled Data

If you have configured competitors and brand keywords in your Settings, these will be pre-filled when creating a new report. Look for the green "Pre-filled" badges on the form.

White-Label Branding

If white-label branding is enabled for your account, PDF reports will use:

• Your company name instead of ILLIXIS
• Your brand colors
• Custom header and footer text
• Optional "Powered by" attribution

Configure branding in Settings > White Label.

Tips for Best Results

• Analyze direct competitors first - Start with 2-3 close competitors before expanding to aspirational targets
• Update quarterly - Run new gap analyses quarterly to track competitive movement
• Focus on actionable gaps - Prioritize content gaps with high Gap Scores and reasonable traffic potential
• Use reports for planning - Export recommendations to your content calendar
• Share with stakeholders - Use share links to get buy-in from leadership on content strategy
• Cross-reference with briefs - High-scoring content gaps make excellent brief topics

Related Features

• Competitive Gap - Real-time competitive monitoring
• Keyword Discovery - Find new keyword opportunities
• Content Briefs - Create briefs from gap analysis findings
• Executive Reporting - Monthly and quarterly performance reports