Three-Source Search Opportunity Discovery
Combine tools, competitor gaps, and product behavior to find content demand.
- Difficulty
- Moderate
- Time to result
- ~weeks to results
- Steps
- 5
- Confidence
- 97%
This discovery method triangulates search opportunity from three sources. Keyword tools such as Ahrefs create an initial map of relevant phrases and estimated demand, but their estimates and coverage are incomplete. Competitive analysis expands the map by identifying the leading sites within each topic and finding keywords they rank for that the company does not. First-party product or customer data adds a final layer by revealing workflows, integrations, questions, or behaviors that signal real demand even when external tools report little search volume. Combining these sources reduces dependence on any one dataset and keeps the content plan centered on what prospects and customers seek, use, and do rather than on internal campaign preferences.
Origin
The hosts describe a process used in cycles at HubSpot and during a four-to-six-week search-planning exercise at Zapier.
Core principles
- 01Keyword tools provide guidance rather than complete truth.
- 02Competitor rankings reveal relevant demand the company has missed.
- 03First-party product behavior can expose opportunities absent from keyword databases.
- 04Every data source should remain prospect- or customer-centered.
How to run it
- 1
Seed with keyword tools
Use a keyword platform to identify initial terms, related phrases, volume estimates, and topic clusters.
Pro tip Treat the output as a starting hypothesis.
Watch out Keyword tools do not contain every worthwhile query or estimate volume perfectly.
- 2
Identify topic competitors
For each cluster, determine which sites consistently rank across the relevant search results.
Pro tip Competitors in search may differ from direct product competitors.
Watch out Copying irrelevant high-traffic publishers can pull the plan away from product fit.
- 3
Run a content-gap analysis
Find relevant keywords those competitors rank for that the company does not currently capture.
Pro tip Review gaps by topic rather than collecting an unprioritized master list.
Watch out A competitor ranking is not sufficient evidence that the query can create product demand.
- 4
Mine first-party behavior
Inspect product usage, customer workflows, support questions, and other behavioral data for recurring needs worth explaining.
Pro tip Look for patterns that demonstrate actual work being performed.
Watch out Protect customer privacy and use aggregated signals.
- 5
Reconcile and prioritize
Combine all three sources, remove irrelevant opportunities, and prioritize those with both audience demand and a conversion path.
Pro tip Allow strong first-party evidence to justify testing a topic with low reported keyword volume.
Watch out Do not rank opportunities by search volume alone.
In the wild
Zapier's content team examines aggregated data about what customers automate in the product and creates content around recurring workflows. Some of those posts might not have been selected from keyword data alone, yet they attract substantial search traffic because the behavior revealed real audience needs.
→ First-party usage data uncovers valuable topics overlooked by conventional keyword research.
Common mistakes
Relying only on keyword tools
External tools can miss emerging, long-tail, or behavior-led demand and provide imperfect volume estimates.
Copying every competitor keyword
Some competitor traffic will be irrelevant to the company's product, audience, or conversion path.
Following internal interests
The method should reflect prospect and customer behavior rather than topics executives happen to care about.
Is it for you?
Best for
SEO and content teams with access to competitor-ranking data and at least some first-party customer or product signals.
Not ideal for
Teams looking for an instant, fully automated keyword list without strategic review.
From the transcript
“Keyword tools are not always accurate, right? So do not rely only on keyword tools.”
“The second thing is competitive analysis. So you should augment it with a competitive analysis.”
“The third is that there are some products like the interesting thing about Zapier is our content team do pretty incredible work where they look…”
From the episode
How do you build an organic marketing engine for your business? (#197)