How do you find content gaps specifically for AI search? Traditional keyword tools miss so much

I developed a methodology for this. AI gap analysis is fundamentally different from keyword gaps.

The AI Gap Analysis Framework:

Step 1: Build Your Question Map

Start with your topic/category. List every question someone might ask AI:

• “What is [topic]?”
• “How does [topic] work?”
• “Best [category] for [use case]?”
• “How do I [action related to topic]?”
• “[Topic A] vs [Topic B]?”

Aim for 50-100 questions covering your space.

Step 2: Test Each Question

For each question, query ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Gemini. Record:

• Who gets cited? (competitor A, competitor B, other source)
• Are YOU cited? If not, why not?
• What format is the cited content? (FAQ, table, how-to)
• What specific info does AI extract?

Step 3: Categorize Your Gaps

Gap Type 1: Competitor Cited, You’re Not They have content, you don’t. Or their content is better structured.

Gap Type 2: No Good Source (AI Synthesizes Poorly) AI pieces together answer from multiple sources. Opportunity to be THE source.

Gap Type 3: You’re Cited, But Not First You appear, but others appear more prominently.

Step 4: Prioritize by Opportunity

• Gap Type 2 = Highest opportunity (greenfield)
• Gap Type 1 = Medium opportunity (compete)
• Gap Type 3 = Lower priority (optimize existing)

Competitor-focused gap analysis:

Step 1: Identify Top 3 Competitors Who appears most in AI responses for your category?

Step 2: Reverse Engineer Their Coverage What questions trigger their citations? What content formats get cited?

Step 3: Map Your Overlap

Create comparison matrix:

Step 4: Prioritize Your Gaps

Focus on questions where:

• Competitor A AND B are cited, but not you (proven demand)
• You have domain expertise to create superior content
• Question aligns with your business goals

The insight:

Competitors’ AI visibility reveals proven citation opportunities. They’ve done the demand validation for you. Now create better content.

Where to find questions people ask AI:

1. Your Own Support/Sales Teams What questions do customers ask that they might have asked AI first?

2. Reddit and Forums What questions are people asking in your space? Especially look for “I asked ChatGPT about X and…”

3. Answer the Public / AlsoAsked Traditional question tools still help identify question patterns.

4. ChatGPT Itself Ask: “What questions might someone ask about [your topic]?” AI generates its own question ideas.

5. Perplexity Related Questions After a query, Perplexity suggests related questions. Mine these.

6. Your Analytics What internal search queries do people run on your site? Often overlap with AI queries.

7. Competitor Content What questions do their FAQs answer? What do their H2s ask?

Build a master list. Test each in AI. Find your gaps.

Quantifying gap opportunity:

Not all gaps are equal. Prioritize by:

1. Citation Frequency How often does this question type get asked? More common question = bigger opportunity.

2. Commercial Value Does this question lead to buying decisions? “What is X” = informational “Best X for [use case]” = commercial “X vs Y pricing” = high commercial intent

3. Authority Achievability Can you realistically become THE source? Your core expertise = more achievable Tangential topics = harder

4. Content Investment What would it take to create definitive content? Quick win (restructure existing) vs. major project (new research)

Scoring matrix:

Prioritize: High frequency + High commercial + High achievability + Low investment

The biggest opportunities are often in niches:

Why niche gaps are valuable:

1. Less competition Fewer players = easier to become THE source.

2. Higher specificity = higher trust “Expert in [specific thing]” > “We cover everything.”

3. Better match to queries Specific questions get specific answers. If you have the specific content, you get cited.

How to find niche gaps:

Take any broad topic. Add modifiers:

• Industry: “[Topic] for healthcare”
• Company size: “[Topic] for enterprises”
• Use case: “[Topic] for customer retention”
• Role: “[Topic] for marketing managers”
• Challenge: “[Topic] when budget is limited”

Each modifier creates a niche question. Test which have gaps.

Example:

Broad: “Email marketing best practices” (Tons of competition, hard to stand out)

Niche: “Email marketing for B2B SaaS free trial conversion” (Specific, fewer sources, achievable authority)

Find your niches. Own them completely.

This thread gave me a complete methodology. Here’s my plan:

Phase 1: Question Mapping (Week 1)

• Build list of 100 questions for our space
• Sources: support tickets, Reddit, competitor content, AI suggestions
• Organize by topic cluster

Phase 2: Gap Testing (Week 2)

• Test each question in ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini
• Document who’s cited for each
• Categorize gaps: competitor-only, no good source, we’re secondary

Phase 3: Prioritization (Week 3)

• Score each gap by: frequency, commercial value, achievability, investment
• Identify top 10-15 opportunities
• Focus on “no good source” opportunities first

Phase 4: Content Planning (Week 4)

• Create content briefs for priority gaps
• Specify format based on what gets cited
• Plan for authority (comprehensive, well-structured, extractable)

Key insight:

AI gap analysis isn’t about keywords. It’s about citation opportunities. Find questions where you could be THE source, not just A source.

Thanks everyone for the frameworks and specific techniques!