How can you validate search intent and find opportunities competitors have missed?

To validate search intent, start with the actual search results, then cross-check them against your site’s search query data, customer reviews, and questions in online communities. To find competitive opportunities, distinguish between “competitors rank for this, but we don’t cover it” and “existing content doesn’t answer this well.” The former is a keyword gap; the latter is an unmet need. Tools can suggest avenues to explore, but rankings or search volume alone cannot establish whether an opportunity is worth pursuing.

Start with search results to understand what users want to accomplish

Before investing in writing, search for your target keyword. Check whether the main results are service pages, comparison articles, tutorials, or videos, and review the questions in “People also ask.” The goal is not just to identify the topic, but to determine what kind of answer readers need.

• Ready to buy or contact a service provider: offer a page that lets users take action directly.
• Comparing options: offer comparison content and review roundups.
• Looking for instructions: offer tutorials, guides, or FAQs.

For example, “emergency plumbing repair near me” and “how to fix a leaking pipe” cover similar topics, but the former suggests a need for immediate help, while the latter suggests a do-it-yourself approach. They should not be answered with the same content. However, search results are only clues. Semrush’s 2018 article on local search analysis cautioned that mixed intent, seasonal changes, current events, and latent intent that has not yet been satisfied can all prevent existing results from reflecting the full range of needs.

Use search queries and customer language to uncover questions ranking pages miss

In a 2022 tutorial, Welly demonstrated how to review queries by page in Google Search Console, then use filters and regular expressions to identify symptom descriptions, long-tail terms, or questions. You can apply this research approach to understand how readers actually ask questions, rather than relying solely on your brand’s terminology. However, interface labels in an older tutorial may differ from those in the current interface.

Next, read reviews of competing products and discussions in communities where their users gather. Note unanswered questions, difficulties people encounter when using the products, and the words and phrases they use. For example, if someone reports difficulty importing and exporting data in a project management tool, you can investigate relevant search results and keyword data. This is a clue to a potential need that requires validation; a single complaint does not establish market size.

At Procrustes, we turn the questions customers genuinely care about into articles, with ongoing content planning, writing, and updates.

Examine ranking gaps and answer gaps separately

First, identify websites competing for the same audience and keywords. Use keyword gap analysis to find terms competitors rank for but you do not, then ask:

• Do these terms align with your products, services, and business goals, beyond simply having search volume?
• Do search intent, estimated search volume, and ranking difficulty justify prioritizing them?
• Should you create new content or improve an existing page?

Then read the ranking pages themselves: which questions do they answer, and which concerns do they still overlook? In a 2019 article, Animalz argued that tools should be combined with human critical judgment to find unanswered questions and fresh angles, rather than piecing together several competitors’ articles into a longer guide. When evaluating an opportunity, you should therefore be able to explain “which answer we need to provide,” not merely point out “which keyword a competitor ranks for.”