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Use Content Gap Analysis

Select comparable pages, inspect competitor evidence in the topic matrix, and distinguish useful gaps from differences in scope.

A comparison is useful only when the source pages help answer the question you are investigating. This walkthrough shows how to choose those pages and turn a reported topic difference into an editorial decision.

Select a fair comparison

  1. Open Content Gap Analysis and enter your public page URL.
  2. Expand Options and add one to five competitor URLs covering a related topic and purpose. Compare a narrow tutorial with similarly focused explanations when possible; a broad overview may legitimately cover more ground.
  3. Review AI editorial analysis, which is selected initially. Keep track of whether it is enabled so you can distinguish its suggestions from the other comparison findings.
  4. If the source pages changed, consider Force a fresh content extraction. Choose Start Content Gap Analysis and wait for the comparison.

Use public pages you are authorised to analyse. A URL should not contain a private access token. See the tool privacy information for submission details.

Example input for the public MDN HTML guide. Options are expanded so you can check the settings used before starting.
Example input for the public MDN HTML guide. Options are expanded so you can check the settings used before starting.

Read an example report

This example compares the MDN Basic HTML syntax guide with web.dev’s HTML overview and W3Schools’ HTML introduction. They address related beginner questions, but their scope is not identical. AI editorial analysis was enabled.

Example comparison: 31/100 content coverage, two competitors, 20 observed gaps, and seven AI suggestions. These are comparison findings, not a quality grade.
Example comparison: 31/100 content coverage, two competitors, 20 observed gaps, and seven AI suggestions. These are comparison findings, not a quality grade.

Open the comparison matrix to see which pages the service lists for a topic. Not detected on the target and Not listed for a competitor are different statements. Neither replaces checking the source pages yourself.

The topic matrix connects reported gaps with competitor evidence. Use it to decide which source pages to inspect.
The topic matrix connects reported gaps with competitor evidence. Use it to decide which source pages to inspect.

In this comparison, topics such as HTML forms and history appear among the findings. A focused syntax lesson may reasonably leave those for other lessons. Add a topic only when it serves the page’s audience and purpose; a longer page is not automatically a better page.

Investigate the evidence behind a gap

Start with a reported topic and open its comparison evidence. Check which source page is associated with it and whether the relevant material is actually useful to your audience. A topic absent from a retrieved target and a topic not listed for a competitor are different findings.

Use the matrix as a route back to source material. It helps identify where to look; it does not establish that every competitor topic belongs on your page. A focused installation guide may reasonably link to a separate troubleshooting article instead of repeating it in full.

Build a focused editing list

  • Keep a suggestion when it answers an important question within the page's purpose.
  • Consider a related-page link when the topic belongs elsewhere in your site.
  • Set aside a difference caused by another audience, product or level of detail.
  • Verify AI claims about outdated concepts or content decay against current evidence before assigning an update.

For each retained edit, record the reader question, supporting source and the facts your business can confirm. Write your own explanation rather than copying a competing page.

Know the limits

Coverage depends on the selected competitors and the text successfully retrieved. A comparison score is not a general quality grade. AI suggestions can be mistaken, and adding every reported topic can make a focused page less useful.

If the comparison is incomplete

Check the competitor count, public access and retrieval settings. If one page is missing important content, inspect it with Content Extractor before interpreting the gap. Use the troubleshooting guide for failed requests.