Home / Lessons / Lesson 6

Find your content gaps before you write

Short answer: Before you write a page, check who already answers the question. Search each question for your county in Google and in an AI assistant, log every result, rate how helpful each one is, and note who shows up. Write first where answers are missing or aren't local. Skip the questions that are already crowded with strong results.

Why audit before you write?

Not every question is worth a page. Some are already answered well by national sites, courts, and local professionals. Others have thin, outdated, or generic answers, or none for your county at all. An audit shows where there is room for a clear, local, helpful page, and it keeps you from spending weeks on a topic you can't win.

Step 1: build a question list for your county

Start with the questions families really ask, and add your county name. Examples:

• How long does probate take in [county]?
• Can I sell an inherited house before probate closes in [county]?
• Who can sign to sell a house in probate in [county]?
• What happens to a house when there is no will in [county]?
• How do I clean out a deceased person's house in [county]?
• Who pays property taxes on a house in probate?
• How do I handle an inherited house from out of state?
• What happens to a mortgage when the owner dies?

For more questions, look at search suggestions, “People also ask,” forum threads, and the questions families ask you on calls.

Step 2: search each question twice

Search it in Google, then ask the same question in an AI assistant. Log every result and every source the AI names, not only the top one. For Google, log the first page. A simple sheet works: question, date, who showed up, what kind of source it is, and what they offer.

Step 3: rate each result for your market

• Strong: answers the question fully, is recent, feels trustworthy, and speaks to your area.
• Okay: answers it, but is thin, dated, or generic.
• Weak: old, vague, off-topic, or written mainly to sell.

Rate coverage for your market. A topic covered well nationally can still be a gap in your county.

Step 4: see who shows up

Tag each result with a type: local agent or investor, national brand, lead-generation network, adjacent professional (attorneys, title companies, cleanout services, appraisers), directory, news or information site, court or government page, or forum. Type each name the same way every time so you can count repeats. Also note which platforms nobody is using, such as video. A zero is an opening.

Adjacent professionals serve the same families, so they may also be people to learn from. Any relationship should stay educational, with no payment for referrals.

Step 5: give each question a verdict

• Wide open: no strong results. Write it now.
• Local opening: strong results exist, but none are local. Write the local version.
• Contested: a strong local result exists. Go narrower, or wait.
• Locked up: several strong results in Google or in AI answers. Skip it for now.

These are judgment calls, not rules. Decide your own cutoffs, for example how many strong results make a topic crowded. Then choose a format (page, video, or both) and a priority for each opening.

Get the free worksheet

I built a spreadsheet that does the counting for you: a ready-made question list for your county, a log for every result, automatic verdicts, and a summary of who shows up. It opens in Excel or Google Sheets.

Download the Content Gap Finder (Excel)

In Google Sheets, choose File, then Import, then Upload, to use it there. It is educational research and does not guarantee that any page will rank or be quoted.

What should you remember?

AI answers change, so treat each result as a snapshot and repeat the audit every few months. Don't copy anyone's content. Write your own answer from your own experience. This audit is research, not a guarantee that a page will rank or be quoted.

Try this week

1. Pick your county and write ten questions.
2. Search each in Google and in one AI assistant, and log every result.
3. Choose the three best openings and write the first page this week.

Questions people ask

How long does the audit take?

Plan an hour or two for ten questions the first time.

Do I need a special tool?

No. A simple spreadsheet is enough.

What if every question is crowded?

Go narrower: a specific county, neighborhood, or situation. Specific pages often have room.

This lesson is educational. Results depend on your niche, your effort, and your follow-up. Nothing here is legal advice, and nothing here promises leads, listings, clients, or income.