DataForSEO Brain

Play: Competitor Gap Analysis

4 min read

Play: Competitor Gap Analysis

Find keyword and link gaps against competitors: Labs domain/keyword intersection, ranked keywords, Backlinks domain intersection, and tech-stack fingerprinting. Sits under DataForSEO Brain → Flows.

Overview

This analysis maps where competitors win and you do not, across two axes: search (which keywords they rank for that you do not) and links (which domains link to them but not to you). It leans on DataForSEO Labs (pre-indexed, cheap) for the keyword side and the Backlinks API for the link gap, with Domain Analytics Technologies adding a stack fingerprint for context.

Trigger

A team needs a competitive content/link roadmap: a market-entry plan, a quarterly competitor review, or a link-building campaign. Inputs are your domain plus 1-20 competitor domains, with location_code and language_code.

Endpoints used (in order)

  • POST /v3/dataforseo_labs/google/competitors_domain/live (discover SERP competitors).
  • POST /v3/dataforseo_labs/google/ranked_keywords/live (each domain’s keyword footprint).
  • POST /v3/dataforseo_labs/google/domain_intersection/live (shared-SERP keyword overlap).
  • POST /v3/dataforseo_labs/google/page_intersection/live (page-level overlap).
  • POST /v3/backlinks/domain_intersection/live (link gap: who links to them, not you).
  • POST /v3/backlinks/competitors/live and POST /v3/domain_analytics/technologies/domain_technologies/live.

Pipeline

  1. Confirm the competitor set: run competitors_domain on your domain to surface the domains that share SERPs with you, then finalize the comparison list.
  2. Profile each domain’s footprint with ranked_keywords (returns the keywords a domain ranks for, with keyword_data, ranked_serp_element, and aggregate metrics position distribution; updates weekly). Set item_types to include organic, featured_snippet, local_pack, ai_overview_reference.
  3. Find keyword gaps with domain_intersection (target1 = competitor, target2 = you, intersections: true): each item gives the shared keyword plus first_domain_serp_element and second_domain_serp_element, so you see who holds the position. Invert/filter to isolate keywords the competitor ranks for where you are absent or weaker.
  4. Localize the gap with page_intersection to find the specific competitor pages capturing shared keywords, giving concrete content targets.
  5. Find the link gap with Backlinks domain_intersection: supply your domain and up to 20 competitors in targets, set exclude_targets to your own domain (or use intersection_mode), and read the referring domains that link to competitors but not you, scored by rank and backlinks_spam_score. Cross-check with Backlinks competitors.
  6. Fingerprint the stack with domain_technologies (returns the technologies object: CMS, frameworks, analytics, CDN, etc.) to understand competitor platforms and migration signals.
  7. Synthesize a roadmap: a prioritized keyword-gap list (volume x difficulty x intent) plus a ranked link-prospect list, both tied to the competitor pages that earn them.

Cost & cadence

  • Labs competitive endpoints bill about 0.0105; domain_rank_overview $0.0101).
  • Backlinks domain_intersection is Live-only and billed per request under pay-as-you-go; no Backlinks subscription is required as of 2026-07-01.
  • Domain Analytics domain_technologies bills about 0.01); Whois overview is pricier at about $0.101.
  • include_clickstream_data: true doubles Labs request cost; leave it off for gap work.
  • Cadence: full gap analysis quarterly; ranked-keyword refresh monthly (Labs updates weekly).

Output

A competitive gap pack: keyword-gap table (competitor ranks, you do not), page-level content targets, a link-prospect list (referring domains linking to competitors but not you), and a competitor tech-stack fingerprint.

Pitfalls / limits

  • Labs returns pre-indexed estimates, not live SERPs; for a few high-stakes terms confirm against a live SERP query.
  • domain_intersection takes exactly two targets (target1, target2); to compare many competitors, run pairwise or use competitors_domain first.
  • Backlinks domain_intersection allows up to 20 targets and up to 10 exclude_targets; mind intersection_mode (all vs partial) which changes what counts as a gap.
  • Labs limits: max 1,000 results/page, 8 filters, 3 sort rules, 30 simultaneous requests, 2,000 calls/min.
  • Tech detection is best-effort fingerprinting and can miss server-side or obfuscated stacks.

Decisions in play

  • dec-labs-vs-live-apis: the keyword gap runs entirely on pre-indexed Labs (cheap, slightly stale); confirm only a few high-stakes terms against live SERP.
  • dec-which-api-for-which-job: Labs for the keyword/page gap, Backlinks for the link gap, Domain Analytics for the tech fingerprint.
  • dec-dataforseo-vs-ahrefs-semrush-moz: build-your-own gap analysis on raw data versus a packaged competitor tool; DataForSEO wins on cost at scale and white-labeling.

Sources

Graph View

Backlinks