Find New Content Ideas from Competitors and Real Questions

Your competitors have already tested what people search for. Their content plus real customer questions gives you a list of ideas that already have demand.

45–60 minutes Checked on live screens:

Verified by Hassan Rawther ·

Hassan Rawther is the Founder, Unlearn Academy. Written by the Unlearn Academy team.

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The short answer

To find content ideas from competitors, list 3–5 competitors that rank for your topics, then use a content gap tool (Ahrefs Content Gap, Semrush Keyword Gap) to find keywords they rank for and you don’t. Free alternatives: their sitemap and top pages, Google’s People Also Ask, Reddit and Quora threads, and YouTube comments. Keep ideas with buying or problem intent that fit your services, and plan them as one page per topic.

Before you start

By the end of this SOP

A prioritised list of 15–30 content ideas, each with a target keyword, intent and the page type to build.

Time
45–60 minutes
You’ll need
A list of competitors, and optionally Ahrefs or Semrush access.
Who does this
The SEO or content specialist.
About this SOP: why it matters, where and when

Why it matters: Writing on topics with proven demand beats guessing, and gaps show where you can win.

Where: Google, an SEO tool, Reddit, Quora, YouTube and a Google Sheet.

When: Every quarter when planning content.

Stage 1

Find the right competitors

  1. 1

    Search your 5 main keywords. The sites that keep appearing are your search competitors, even if they aren’t business competitors.

  2. 2

    Include at least one local competitor and one bigger national site.

Stage 2

Run the content gap

  1. 1

    Paid: in Ahrefs Content Gap or Semrush Keyword Gap, enter your domain and the competitors. Filter to keywords where at least 2 competitors rank in the top 10 and you don’t.

  2. 2

    Free: open each competitor’s sitemap (competitor.com/sitemap_index.xml) and blog, and list the topics they cover that you don’t.

  3. 3

    Check their top pages (SOP 092 method) to see which topics bring them the most traffic.

Stage 3

Add real customer questions

  1. 1

    Google: People Also Ask and autocomplete for your main topics (SOP 212).

    Google People Also Ask questions
    Google People Also Ask questions. Real screenshot, Oct 2026.
  2. 2

    Reddit and Quora: search “digital marketing course Kerala” or your topic and note repeated questions and complaints.

  3. 3

    YouTube: comments on popular videos in your niche, and your own sales team’s most common questions.

Stage 4

Choose what to write

  1. 1

    Score each idea: fits our services (0–2), buying or problem intent (0–2), search demand (0–2), we can add first-hand experience (0–2).

  2. 2

    Group ideas so each becomes one page with one main keyword; avoid creating pages that compete (SOP 320).

  3. 3

    Write a brief for the top ideas (SOP 213) and add them to the calendar.

Practice & check

Now do it for real

Reading is not doing. Open your own account and complete this task before you move on.

Practice task (5 min)

Run a free content gap for a Kerala institute against 3 competitors and produce a scored list of 15 ideas.

Prove it

1. Who counts as a search competitor?
2. Which idea should come first?

Two questions. Get both right and this SOP is done.

Common questions

What is a content gap analysis?

Comparing the keywords and topics competitors rank for against your own to find valuable topics you haven’t covered.

Can I do content gap analysis for free?

Yes, roughly: review competitors’ sitemaps and top pages, People Also Ask, and Reddit or Quora questions. Paid tools make it faster and add volume data.

Should I copy competitors’ articles?

No. Use their topics as a signal of demand, then write something better with your own experience, examples and data.

Done. That’s a real skill, not a certificate.

Want to do this on real client budgets, with a mentor checking your work? That’s Level 2 at Unlearn. See the Digital Marketing track