How to do PPC keyword gap analysis

Sticking to the same set of keywords in your paid search campaigns might feel safe, but it can limit your reach.

Consumers search in countless ways, often using terms you may not have considered.

To stay competitive – whether you’re scaling your budget, chasing growth goals, or trying to revitalize PPC performance – you must identify and fill keyword gaps. Here’s how.

Keyword tools

Google’s built-in Keyword Planner (and Microsoft’s equivalent product) provides a natural starting point for researching additional keywords. 

The tool can automatically filter out existing keywords in your account so you can easily see new suggestions.

You can use Keyword Planner by either inputting a keyword (or a set of keywords) to get suggestions for similar keywords, or you can input a URL. 

If you aim to fill in gaps for specific products you offer, use the URL specific to that product or product category. 

Remember that pages with descriptive content will give the tool the best signals to generate ideas. 

You can input competitor URLs to get keyword ideas related to their content. 

Aside from using competitors you may already be familiar with, look at Auction Insights for the campaigns and ad groups where you plan to expand, and use those brands’ URLs.

There are also a number of third-party keyword research tools available, such as: 

• Semrush. 
• SpyFu.
• Answer The Public.
• AlsoAsked.

Many of these tools have free versions with limited features, plus paid plans for more in-depth insights.

Using a variety of them can help uncover a broader range of keyword ideas. Leverage them to search by “seed” keywords and competitor URLs where applicable.

Search term analysis

By reviewing existing search terms that match your keywords, you may identify terms you aren’t bidding on that would be worth adding as new keywords. These might include:

• Search terms with a high enough impression/click volume to justify adding as keywords.
• Search terms with an exceptional conversion rate and/or reasonable CPA.
• Search terms that are still relevant to your brand but not related to the keyword/ad group where they matched.

If you’re running in both Google and Microsoft, be sure to include search terms from both platforms, as you will likely find unique results between each. You can then test relevant terms as new keywords in both.

If you’re running a Performance Max campaign, you can use Insights to view search terms. 

You can then evaluate bidding on high performers in regular search campaigns to better control bidding and ad copy.

Today, even exact match keywords can trigger a wide range of search terms. 

If performance is similar and aligns with your ad messaging, there’s no need to separate them. 

However, if intent or performance differs, adding them to new ad groups or campaigns can be valuable.

Dig deeper: 11 free tools for PPC campaign management

Google Search Console data

Looking through queries in Google Search Console may help to flag keywords that are driving relevant traffic organically but are not currently in your paid search campaigns. 

If you’ve linked your Search Console and Google Ads accounts, you can also use the Paid and Organic report to identify keywords you are strictly showing organically but not in paid results.

Generally, appearing for the same keywords in both paid and organic results helps drive incremental traffic and conversions that would not have happened with just appearing for one or the other. 

Even if you already show up organically for a particular keyword, you can tweak the ad copy and URL for the paid search end to feature current offers.

Website content

When was the last time you thoroughly reviewed your brand’s website? 

A sitemap lets you view the site’s hierarchy and pinpoint products and categories for which you may not already be bidding on related keywords.

Analytics data can reveal which product or service pages attract the most views and engagement.

You can pinpoint areas of interest for which you aren’t pushing traffic or bidding on relevant keywords.

Generative AI 

With careful prompt guidance, you can use generative AI tools to provide recommendations. 

For instance, paste in an existing list of keywords, describe your brand and marketing, and ask the tool to provide additional suggestions. 

Building off the previous section, you could provide the URL for your site or specific pages and ask for recommendations or paste in content directly from those pages.

You’ll need to carefully review the outputted keyword suggestions for relevance. Also, you may need to provide further prompts to refine what you receive back.

Dig deeper: Top AI tools and tactics you should be using in PPC

Feedback from SMEs and customers

As an agency or in-house marketer, you likely don’t have the same “in-the-weeds” level of knowledge that SMEs (subject matter experts) in the organization may have.

Connect with individuals such as product marketers, sales teams, and owners in a small business setting.

Ask them questions such as:

• What are the key problems your products solve?
• What are the main concerns customers ask about?
• What are the top competitors you hear mentioned by prospects?
• What less obvious phrases might customers use when referring to the products you sell?

These questions, and others tailored to the products or services you are promoting, can inform new keywords you may want to include in your campaigns.

Similarly, you may have access to talk directly to customers or review customer survey data. 

Use the information customers provide for further insight, as this may contradict or add to what SMEs share.

For instance, I once managed paid search campaigns for a heating/AC business, and the marketing staff insisted that the average consumer did not use the acronym “HVAC” to refer to their services. 

However, actual search volume proved otherwise, as search terms containing “HVAC” were on par with the volume and conversion performance of heating/air conditioning terms.

Start researching new keywords

Regular keyword research keeps your PPC strategy fresh and competitive. Don’t let valuable opportunities slip by.

Review your existing search campaigns, utilize available tools and resources, and incorporate staff and customer feedback to determine additional keywords that may help cover current gaps.