Measure and improve · 7 min read
Turning Visibility Gaps Into Content
The gap list is the most practical part of your report: a set of specific questions, the businesses named instead of you, and a suggestion for each. Here is how to work through it.
The short answer
A gap is a tracked question where at least one AI tool named a competitor and did not name you. For each one, look at what the named competitor publishes that answers the question, check whether your site answers it plainly, and publish a clear, specific answer on the most relevant page. Then compare later scans. Publishing gives the tools something to read; it does not decide the outcome.
What a gap tells you
In a Found in AI report, a gap is a question where at least one of the five AI tools named a competitor and did not name you. The report lists each gap, who was named instead, and a suggestion of what to publish so your website answers that question plainly.
A gap is a symptom, not a diagnosis. The cause might be that your site never addresses the topic, that it does so in a way that is hard to quote, that the competitor has far more third-party mentions, or simply that the tool reads a source where you are absent. Working out which is most likely tells you what to do.
Investigate before you write
Ask the gap question yourself in a tool that shows sources, such as Perplexity, and look at what it cites. If it cites the competitor's own website, open that page and see how it answers the question. If it cites a directory, a review site or an article, the gap may be more about your off-site presence than about content.
Then search your own site for the answer. Be honest: is there a sentence that answers this question directly, or does the answer exist only implicitly, spread across three pages?
- Cites the competitor's site: your page likely needs a clearer, more specific answer
- Cites a directory or review site: check your listing and reviews there
- Cites an article or list: consider whether you can earn a similar mention
- Cites nothing visible: start with your own page, then revisit
Decide where the answer belongs
Not every gap needs a new page. Often the right move is to strengthen an existing service page: add the missing specifics, a direct answer near the top, or a short question-and-answer section. A new page makes sense when the question is about something you genuinely offer that has no page of its own.
A blog post is the right home when the question is informational or comparative ('how much does it cost to rewire a house in Miami', 'should I repair or replace my AC'). Make the post genuinely useful on its own terms, and link from it to the service page it relates to.
Write the answer, not an article about the answer
Open with a direct response to the question in two or three sentences. Follow with the specifics that matter: what is involved, what affects cost or timing, what makes your business a fit, and what to do next. Use your real details, not generic claims.
Resist the urge to stuff the exact question wording into headings over and over. Write for the customer who asked it. If the page would genuinely help that person decide, it is doing its job.
Prioritise, then pace yourself
You will rarely fix every gap at once, and you should not try. Rank gaps by how much the question matters to your business and how many tools name a competitor for it. A gap on your most profitable service, where four of five tools name someone else, comes before a gap on a minor service where one tool did.
Work through two or three per cycle, with care. A handful of strong, specific answers is worth more than a pile of hurried ones.
Check the next scans, honestly
Note the date you published each answer. Over the following scans, look at whether that question's results changed in any tool. Some gaps close quickly, some slowly, some not at all, and occasionally one closes for reasons that have nothing to do with you. Your 'since your last scan' view shows which questions moved.
If a gap stays open after a solid answer has been live for a while, revisit the investigation step. The cause may be off your site.
Your checklist
- Sort your gap list by business importance and how many tools named a competitor
- For the top three gaps, ask the question in Perplexity and record its sources
- Find the sentence on your site that answers each question, or confirm there is none
- Decide for each gap: strengthen an existing page, add a page, or write a post
- Open each answer with a direct two or three sentence response
- Link any new post to the related service page
- Log the publish date and check the question's results over the next scans
Common questions
If I publish what the gap suggests, will the tools name me?
No one can promise that. Publishing a clear answer gives the tools something to read, and later scans record what they say. Some gaps close and some do not.
Should I copy what the named competitor wrote?
No. Use it to understand what kind of answer the question needs, then write your own with your real details. Copied content helps nobody.
How many gaps should I tackle at once?
Two or three per scan cycle is a good pace for most businesses. Quality matters more than volume.
Read next
Choosing Which Questions to Track
Tracking the wrong questions gives you a precise measurement of something that does not matter. Spend real time on the list.
Read the guide →How to Read Your AI Visibility Report
A report has a lot of numbers on it. Here is what each one means, which ones to look at first, and which to stop worrying about.
Read the guide →Tracking Competitors in AI Answers
Your competitors in AI answers are whoever the tools name for your customers' questions. That list is worth studying closely, because it is often not the one in your head.
Read the guide →See where you stand today.
Found in AI asks five AI tools the questions your customers ask and shows where you are named, where you are linked and where a competitor is named instead.