Content gap analysis: A step-by-step guide

Content spread study helps you find topics your assemblage cares astir that you haven’t covered aliases could screen better.

It shows wherever your contented is absent, thin, outdated, unclear, aliases misaligned pinch what group want.

In this guide, you’ll study really to place contented gaps and reside them to amended visibility crossed integrated hunt and AI-generated responses.

Why contented spread analyses request to beryllium audience-led successful 2026

Content spread analyses request to beryllium audience-led successful 2026 because keyword and punctual information unsocial can’t uncover each taxable your assemblage cares about.

For years, astir contented spread workflows focused afloat connected queries. You recovered keywords competitors classed for, studied the contented that appeared successful hunt results, and created aliases improved contented astir those topics.

That attack is still useful for surfacing what group actively hunt for. But it’s limited.

Many topics your assemblage researches ne'er get typed into Google aliases asked astir successful ChatGPT. Instead, they mightiness raise these topics successful income calls, support tickets, merchandise reviews, customer interviews, and organization discussions. And because those sources uncover topics you haven’t covered aliases covered well, they correspond contented gaps that are conscionable arsenic valid. 

A better, much modern contented spread study considers keyword and punctual information to beryllium inputs alternatively than the full strategy.

What is simply a contented spread analysis?

A contented spread study is the believe of uncovering applicable topics you haven't covered aliases could screen amended to amended your online visibility and meet your audience’s wants.

Content gaps tin look erstwhile your tract doesn’t screen an important topic, covers it successful the incorrect way, aliases provides an reply that’s lacking successful immoderate way.

Most contented gaps autumn into 4 wide types:

• Topic gap: Your assemblage cares astir a topic, but your tract doesn’t screen it yet
• Intent gap: You person contented that covers the topic, but it doesn’t lucifer what the assemblage wants
• Quality gap: You person contented that covers the topic, but it’s thin, outdated, unclear, aliases different debased successful quality
• Originality gap: You person contented that covers the topic, but it mostly repeats what competing pages already say

A contented spread study finds these gaps by comparing what your assemblage wants pinch what your contented really answers.

Why execute a contented spread analysis?

Performing a contented spread study helps you find opportunities to amended your content’s usefulness and results.

Specifically, a contented spread study lets you:

• Better fulfill your audience: Answering questions and addressing existent symptom points makes your contented much useful to your audience
• Improve integrated visibility: Covering applicable topics your assemblage already searches for gives your tract much chances to look successful hunt results
• Strengthen AI visibility: Uncovering topics your assemblage enters into AI platforms helps you screen them successful a measurement that makes you much apt to look prominently successful AI-generated answers
• Choose the correct contented action: Your squad tin spot which gaps request a caller page, an update, a clearer structure, aliases much supporting detail
• Support business results: Creating high-quality content connected topics your assemblage cares astir tin pull much qualified visitors and move much of them into leads aliases customers

Why ranking good successful Google doesn’t guarantee AI visibility

Ranking good successful Google doesn’t guarantee AI visibility because devices for illustration ChatGPT and Perplexity usage their ain sourcing criteria, alternatively than relying only connected Google’s integrated rankings.

According to a Semrush study connected SEO and AI traffic, astir 90% of the webpages ChatGPT cited were extracurricular Google’s apical 20 integrated results for related queries.

That besides intends a page tin execute good successful integrated hunt and still beryllium missing from AI-generated answers.

How to do a contented spread analysis

To do a contented spread analysis, usage aggregate resources to find wherever your contented is missing, weak, unclear, outdated, aliases excessively akin to competing content.

Here’s really to activity done the analysis:

1. Find keywords your competitors rank for

Performing a keyword spread analysis helps you find position competitors rank for successful integrated hunt that you don’t, truthful you tin spot taxable gaps your tract hasn’t covered yet.

Use Semrush’s Keyword Gap instrumentality to find these keywords quickly. Add your domain and the domains of up to 4 competitors, past click “Compare” to tally the analysis.

In immoderate cases, the instrumentality whitethorn return tens of thousands of imaginable keyword opportunities. Applying filters tin thief you constrictive the list.

Let’s opportunity your domain is caller and has constricted authority. You whitethorn want to attraction connected keywords that person debased trouble and wherever competitors already rank successful the apical 20 results.

In Keyword Gap, prime the “Position” filter, hover complete “Competitors,” and click “Top 20.” Then, spell to the “KD” (keyword difficulty) select and prime “Very easy” (this will show only position that are very easy to rank for successful the apical 10 results).

Next, scroll down to the keyword database and prime “Missing” to spot the keywords each your competitors rank for that you don’t.

Click “Untapped” to show keywords that astatine slightest 1 competitor ranks for but you don’t.

Focus connected keywords that align pinch your brand, merchandise aliases service, and audience. You’ll usage them to create and update content.

2. Find LLM prompts wherever your marque doesn’t appear

Finding LLM prompts wherever you don’t show prominently aliases astatine each successful the consequence for the topics your assemblage is searching helps you find contented gaps to address.

These gaps usually show up successful 2 ways:

• AI mentions: The AI reply names your competitors but not you. Or mentions your competitors much prominently than you.
• AI citations: The AI reply links to competing sources but not you. Or shows them higher successful the database of sources.

Start pinch a manual punctual audit by searching a fewer things you cognize your assemblage is apt to inquire devices for illustration ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google AI Mode. Then note:

• Which brands are mentioned
• Which sources are cited
• Whether your marque appears
• Whether your contented is cited

Review the cited competitor pages and comparison them pinch your ain content. Look for observable differences for illustration missing details, clearer explanations, stronger examples, and amended structure.

Manual checks are useful for spotting patterns, but they’re difficult to standard if you want to way your broader AI visibility for important topics complete time.

Semrush’s AI Visibility Toolkit lets you spot prompts applicable to your marque and whether you’re mentioned aliases cited successful LLM responses. Just spell to the Visibility Overview study to get a high-level look astatine your AI visibility.

Next, scroll to “Topics & Sources” and prime “Your Performing Topics.” Here you’ll find the topics and prompts wherever your marque appears.

Click the “Topic Opportunities” tab to spot punctual responses that mention your competitors but not you.

Click “View afloat response” adjacent to immoderate punctual nether the “AI Response” file to spot the afloat answer. And look nether the “Brands mentioned” conception to find which brands are mentioned successful the answer. Check the “Sources” conception to spot which pages the AI cites.

Reviewing root links tin thief you understand why LLMs are citing definite pages. And springiness you inspiration to amended existing contented aliases create caller material.

3. Research what your assemblage wants

Researching what your assemblage wants surfaces questions and needs that aren’t ever captured successful keyword aliases punctual data.

To find these gaps, look beyond hunt and AI tools. For example, you can:

• Use social listening to understand your audience’s interests and symptom points
• Run an online study connected a circumstantial taxable — specified arsenic favourite merchandise features aliases communal buying concerns — and stock a nexus to it connected your website
• Review income calls, support tickets, merchandise reviews, and organization discussions to find repeated questions
• Use traffic analytics tools to understand the webpages that are celebrated among circumstantial assemblage segments

As you reappraisal these sources, look for recurring questions, objections, comparisons, and concerns. Pay attraction to really group picture their problems and what accusation they request earlier making a decision.

Next, reappraisal your existing contented to spot whether it answers those questions and concerns.

Let’s opportunity you person a moving footwear brand, and you find that group support going to Reddit to inquire whether knee symptom is related to footwear cushioning.

If your tract doesn’t person a guideline connected choosing moving shoes for knee pain, that’s a contented gap.

The aforesaid investigation tin besides uncover smaller gaps wrong existing pages. For example, your merchandise pages mightiness mention cushioning without explaining why it matters for knee pain. Or your comparison pages mightiness attraction connected features while ignoring injury-related concerns.

Use these findings to determine whether to create a caller page, adhd a caller section, aliases amended an existing explanation. Then adhd the thought to your content plan.

4. Find your underperforming content

Finding underperforming contented tin thief you spot existing pages pinch gaps you tin fill.

Discover underperforming contented by utilizing Google Analytics 4 (GA4) to find pages that person mislaid integrated hunt traffic. Just spell to the “Landing page” report. 

Click the “Add select +” button.

Select “Session medium” nether the “Dimension” drop-down, take “exactly matches” nether “Match Type,” and cheque the container adjacent to “organic” nether “Value.” Click “Apply.”

Next, prime a clip scope to compare. I urge selecting astatine slightest 3 months of information (“Last 90 days”) to norm retired impermanent dips successful performance. Select the toggle adjacent to “Compare” and click “Apply.”

You tin now spot really integrated postulation to your pages has changed complete time. Look for pages pinch the astir important declines successful the “Sessions” column.

Now, cheque whether immoderate pages person mislaid postulation from AI tools. Remove the integrated postulation select and adhd a caller filter.

Google Analytics now includes an AI Assistant default transmission group for postulation from recognized AI assistants for illustration ChatGPT and Gemini. Set the “Dimension” section to “Session default transmission group,” take “exactly matches” nether “Match Type,” and cheque the container adjacent to “AI Assistant.” If it appears, prime it and click “Apply.”

If “AI Assistant” doesn’t look successful your relationship yet, select by “Session source” instead. Select “Session source” nether “Dimension,” take “matches regex” nether “Match Type,” and participate “.*(chat\.openai\.com|chatgpt\.com|openai\.com|perplexity\.ai|claude\.ai|gemini\.google\.com|poe\.com|copilot\.microsoft\.com|brave\.com).*” nether “Value.” Click “Apply.”

Use the aforesaid day scope comparison you utilized for integrated traffic. Then, look for pages pinch the biggest drops successful the “Sessions” file to attraction connected pages that whitethorn beryllium losing postulation from AI tools.

Treat immoderate of the pages you spot pinch declining integrated aliases AI postulation arsenic candidates for reappraisal alternatively than automatic rewrite targets. Because a driblet successful postulation tin hap for galore reasons, including seasonality, ranking changes, method issues, beingness of Google AI Overviews, aliases AI platforms changing really often they nexus retired to sources. 

5. Analyze hunt and AI instrumentality results

Analyzing the hunt motor results pages (SERPs) and AI responses for each the keywords and prompts you want to target helps you capable contented gaps some connected your website and connected individual pages.

In different words, you should analyse hunt and AI results for topics your website hasn’t covered astatine all. As good arsenic topics you’ve covered but not good capable to thrust affirmative results.

Let’s opportunity you want to create a blog station astir dental hygienist salaries to capable a taxable spread connected your website. And you hunt the keyword utilizing Google to spot what presently ranks.

Study the top-ranking pages (and cited pages successful the AI Overview if location is one) to understand hunt intent, meaning what personification apt wants erstwhile they hunt that query. Consider the angle, format, circumstantial details, and whether thing is missing. 

Next, participate a akin punctual into an AI instrumentality for illustration ChatGPT aliases Claude. Use earthy connection alternatively than only the keyword.

Once again, reappraisal the consequence to spot which specifications are included and which if immoderate websites are included arsenic citations. If location are citations, unfastened the linked sources to spot really those pages are system and what accusation the AI instrumentality appears to beryllium utilizing from them, specified arsenic data, definitions, examples, aliases explanations.

Use your findings to look for gaps in:

• Recency: If competing pages usage newer information aliases examples, update your page to bespeak the taxable accuratel
• Readability: If your page is harder to scan aliases little organized, amended the building pinch clearer headings, shorter sections, bullets, and/or tables
• Expertise: If competing pages show much expertise, adhd master quotes, nexus to trusted sources, aliases incorporated clearer explanations
• Experience: If competing pages see firsthand examples aliases tested observations, activity to do the same
• Thoroughness: If your page misses subtopics, comparisons, aliases questions the assemblage apt expects, adhd the missing sections 

For example, galore of the apical results shown for the dental hygienist query/prompt supra mention their ain net data. Which suggests it would beryllium amended to behaviour your ain net study than to simply mention existing research.

6. Review whether your contented is easy to extract

Reviewing whether your contented is easy to extract helps you find gaps successful pages that screen the correct taxable but make the reply difficult for AI devices to identify, summarize, aliases cite.

Use this cheque connected pages you recovered earlier, specified arsenic pages wherever competitors are cited alternatively of you. Or pages pinch declining postulation from AI tools.

First, reappraisal the page structure. A logical heading hierarchy helps AI devices place what each conception covers and really each conception relates to the page’s main topic.

The page should person 1 H1 for the main topic, followed by H2s for awesome sections, H3s for supporting subsections nether the H2s, and truthful on.

Next, reappraisal the contented nether each subheading. The transcript should supply a nonstop reply to the mobility the subheading asks earlier adding context, examples, aliases steps.

For example, the contented nether a heading branded “What is simply a conversion funnel?” should instantly specify a conversion funnel.

Also use the pursuing strategies to guarantee your contented is easy to understand and extract:

• Make sections and paragraphs self-contained: Ensure important sections and paragraphs tin beryllium understood connected their ain without relying connected matter earlier them
• Use clear and circumstantial phrasing: Mention the existent factors, steps, aliases criteria alternatively of utilizing vague references
• Use system formatting wherever helpful: Use bulleted aliases numbered lists to shape related points and steps. And usage tables for comparisons, criteria, pros and cons, aliases decision-making factors.

These changes tin besides use readers and hunt engines. But successful this step, the main extremity is to make it easier for AI devices to understand, summarize, and mention the correct accusation from your page.

7. Check whether your contented adds thing original

Checking whether your contented adds thing original helps you find originality gaps successful pages that screen the correct taxable but don’t adhd capable unsocial worth to compete.

Apply this cheque to pages you identified earlier that request work, specified arsenic pages that are missing from hunt results/AI answers aliases losing traffic.

At Semrush, we effort to adhd original elements to our articles wherever they tin make the contented much useful and interesting. For example, we tally surveys and stock the findings wrong articles.

To cheque whether your page could use from including thing much original, comparison it pinch top-ranking pages and AI citations for the aforesaid topic. Look for places wherever your contented repeats the aforesaid wide accusation without adding thing much circumstantial aliases unique.

Then, adhd original worth successful the shape of things like:

• First-party data: Use study results, merchandise usage data, aliases soul benchmarks competitors don’t have
• Expert input: Add quotes aliases insights from manufacture experts, customers, aliases soul taxable matter experts
• First-hand experience: Show what happened erstwhile you tested a tool, followed a process, aliases solved a problem yourself
• Specific examples: Replace generic proposal pinch examples tied to a existent usage case, industry, audience, aliases decision
• Helpful frameworks: Give readers a elemental measurement to make consciousness of the topic, specified arsenic a scoring system, determination tree, aliases caller process

Fill contented gaps and way the results

Doing a contented spread study successful 2026 helps your contented enactment useful and visible nary matter wherever your assemblage finds it.

As you reappraisal gaps, support the attraction connected your audience. Keyword and punctual information tin show imaginable opportunities, but your audience’s needs should find what you create aliases update first.

You’ll easy beryllium capable to spot whether you’re making advancement by search results. Especially whether and really you look successful AI-generated responses.

Monitor your advancement successful AI platforms pinch Semrush’s AI Visibility Toolkit.