A content gap is the difference between the topics for which you have content and the topics for which your competitors rank. Those gaps are opportunities: topics your audience searches for but for which you are not yet found.

There are two types of gaps:

1. Topic gaps: Themes competitors cover that you do not address at all
2. Depth gaps: Topics you have content on but cover less thoroughly or less well than competitors

Both types are worth addressing, but require a different approach.

The classic approach uses SEO tools like Ahrefs or Semrush:

1. Enter your website URL and that of two to four competitors
2. The tool shows search terms for which competitors rank and you do not
3. Filter on relevant terms, search volume and feasibility
4. Prioritise and plan content to close the gaps

This works well, but is labour-intensive with large competitor analyses and provides no insight into content depth or quality.

AI strengthens content gap analysis in multiple ways:

Thematic clustering: AI groups the identified gaps by topic and intent, so you can prioritise faster.

Depth analysis: Give AI the URL of a competing page and ask: "Which subtopics does this page cover that my page on [topic] does not?" AI compares the content and identifies the gaps.

Question analysis: AI generates all relevant questions people ask around a topic, which you then compare with your existing content.

Content briefings: Based on the identified gaps, AI can directly write content briefings for the pages you need to create.

A practical approach:

1. Export competitor data: Use an SEO tool to export the top 200 search terms per competitor
2. Filter on relevance: Remove irrelevant terms (brand names, unrelated topics)
3. Cluster with AI: Have AI group the remaining terms by theme and intent
4. Depth check: Ask AI to compare each cluster with your existing content
5. Prioritise: Rank gaps by volume, relevance and feasibility
6. Plan: Assign gaps to content planning for the coming months

Mach8 integrates analyses like this into broader SEO content strategies, where prioritisation aligns with the commercial objectives of the client.

Content gaps go further than keywords alone. They also cover:

• Content formats: Does a competitor offer videos or tools that you do not?
• Depth: Does a competitor have 2,000-word articles where you have 300-word pages?
• Recency: Does a competitor have recently updated content on a topic you have not touched in years?
• Audience segments: Does a competitor have content for beginners while you only offer expert content?

AI can help identify all these types of gaps when you ask the right questions.

AI does not have access to current search volume data and cannot determine how well a page actually ranks without that data as input. For the quantitative side of content gap analysis, you still need SEO tools. AI adds value to the qualitative and strategic analysis.

Content gap analysis with AI combines the data power of SEO tools with the analytical capability of language models. The result is faster, deeper insight into the opportunities you are missing and a clear plan to address them.

Want a content gap analysis done for your website? View our SEO content services or get in touch with Mach8.