A useful question, topic, or search need that existing content does not adequately address.
A content gap is a useful question or task that your existing material does not adequately address. The gap may be an entirely missing topic, but it can also be an unclear explanation, an outdated fact or a missing decision detail inside an existing page.
Competitor research can suggest questions to investigate. It does not prove that your business needs an equivalent page for every topic another site covers. Compare the suggestion with your audience, offer and available expertise. A gap worth filling should help someone do or understand something relevant.
Choose the smallest useful repair. Improving a service page, adding a clear explanation or linking to an existing resource may answer the need better than creating another article. A new page is appropriate when the question deserves a distinct destination and enough original substance to be useful there.
Takeaway: Look for repeated customer uncertainty and missing decision information. Prioritize gaps that affect a real task rather than trying to match another site’s entire publishing inventory.
Example
A storage company has detailed unit descriptions but never explains how vehicle access works. Repeated customer questions reveal the gap. Adding accurate entrance dimensions and access arrangements to the relevant facility page may be more useful than publishing a generic article about storage convenience.
What to check
Record who needs the answer, where they currently look and what evidence the answer requires. Check existing content before assigning a new URL. Avoid copying a competitor’s wording or treating a research tool’s list as an automatic publishing plan.
For more detail, see Creating helpful, reliable, people-first content.