A workbook matrix that maps which topics each page uses against the topics the ranking field uses, exposes the gaps on your tracked page, and rolls the whole grid up into a weighted topical coverage score.
| Term | Topical Heatmap |
|---|---|
| Category | Content and Topical Relevance |
| Also known as | Topic Heatmap |
| Where it appears | Workbook Topical Heatmap |
What it means in RankGear
The Topical Heatmap lives in its own workbook tab, where topics run down one axis and pages run across the other. Each cell shades to show how heavily a given page leans on a given topic, so the competitor set and your tracked page sit side by side in the same grid. Bright rows mark topics the ranking field returns to again and again; pale or empty cells on your row mark the topics your page barely touches. A weighted coverage score summarizes the grid into a single figure, weighting topics by how consistently the competitors use them rather than treating every topic as equal.
How to interpret it
Read the heatmap as a map of where the ranking field agrees, not as a checklist of words to insert. The topics that light up across most competitors are the ones the field treats as core to the query; those are the gaps worth closing first on your tracked page. Close them by adding genuinely useful information — the entity, the question, the supporting concept that competitors cover and you skip — rather than by repeating a phrase until a cell changes color. The score moves in the right direction when your page earns its coverage, and forcing terms toward a density target tends to add words without adding the substance the score is standing in for.
| What the grid shows | What to do with it |
|---|---|
| Topic-by-page usage | See at a glance which pages lean on which topics. |
| Competitor evidence | Identify the topics the ranking field consistently covers. |
| Tracked-page gaps | Spot the pale cells where your page under-covers a core topic. |
| Weighted coverage score | Track overall topical completeness as one comparable number. |
Example
Suppose you track a guide to cold-brew coffee. The heatmap shows nine of the ten ranking pages devoting bright cells to grind size, steep time, and dilution ratio, while your row stays dark on dilution ratio and empty on filtration. Your page covers the main phrase perfectly well, but the grid reveals a supporting concept the field treats as essential and yours never addresses. Writing a short, accurate section on dilution and filtration closes those two cells because the page now genuinely covers the topic — and the weighted score rises to reflect it.
Important considerations
- The heatmap describes what the current ranking field covers; it is a comparative indicator of topical coverage, not a Google relevance score, and closing a gap does not by itself cause a page to rank.
- Competitor usage is evidence, not instruction. A topic that lights up across the field is worth understanding, but blindly matching every cell can pull a page off its own intent.
- Related wording should preserve search intent. Repetition, keyword stuffing, and unsupported claims do not build topical authority — they inflate usage without adding coverage.
- The weighted score compresses a whole grid into one figure. Read the underlying cells before acting; the score tells you something is missing, the grid tells you what.
Related terms
Part of the RankGear glossary · how RankGear measures · the 870 factors.