“Focus on these, and you’ll outperform them.”
That’s what DeepSeek hit me with after giving me a list of questions to cover if I wanted to compete with a top-ranking article. Bold statement? Maybe.
The confidence caught my attention, but what really impressed me was how it broke down the competitor analysis. Instead of surface-level keyword research, it identified specific gaps in how the top-ranking article addressed search intent.
Here’s the complete process I’ve developed for using AI tools to analyze competitors and spot content opportunities—including the exact prompts that give these results.
Let’s get into it.
A. Comparing Structure and Coverage
Goal: Understand the structure and depth of top-ranking content.
Process:
I collected PDFs of the top three pages ranking for the keyword “energy efficiency.” Then used this prompt:
“I have attached PDFs of the top three articles for ‘energy efficiency’. Can you give me a brief breakdown of each article’s structure, including headings, approximate length, and any unique features (like visuals, tools, or data)? Also, list the key subtopics they cover and explain how each article is positioned in relation to search intent.”
Results:
DeepSeek:
Delivered a clean bullet-point breakdown of each article’s structure, main topics, and how they mapped to search intent. That alone gave me a good sense of what readers would expect and what my article would need to deliver.
ChatGPT:
Did the same, but with broader coverage.
Then it added a comparison table for quick visual reference.
What really made a difference, though, was a follow-up question from ChatGPT. It asked if I wanted a summary comparing the three articles based on their patterns, strengths, weaknesses. I said yes.
So, it gave me:
- An analysis of what worked and what didn’t
- A table, based on competitor gaps, outlining strategies for strengthening my article, reasons why those changes mattered, and examples of ways to apply them
- And a four-step summary to guide my rewrite
I copied those straight into a file for easy reference while writing.
B. 3 Underrated Ways AI Can Uncover Overlooked Angles
1. Spotting Missing Topics and Angles
Goal: Find content gaps, fresh ideas to improve your draft.
Method:
I pasted my draft and a competitor’s article into ChatGPT and DeepSeek. I told them not to analyze the articles yet because I wanted to guide the process with specific prompts.
First prompt:
“I’m going to paste two articles. One from a competitor, the other my own draft. Then I’ll ask you a few questions. Just read the articles. Don’t respond until I ask.”
What happened:
Though it enthusiastically promised to wait, DeepSeek pumped out suggestions immediately after I hit Enter.
This is typical, it doesn’t follow prompts specifically, yet. Anyway, the suggestions were good.
It broke down both articles side by side:
- Compared structure and depth
- Highlighted SEO and readability issues
- Suggested unique angles to explore
- Reviewed CTAs and offered ideas to improve mine
- Gave me a simple to-do list to implement everything
ChatGPT
ChatGPT waited per the instruction. Then I followed up with the Second Prompt:
“Based on this competitor article and the search intent for ‘QuillBot alternatives,’ what important points or angles are missing that I could include in my draft?”
It gave a clear comparison of my draft vs. the competitor’s and highlighted where mine came up short.
It pointed out that I hadn’t been specific enough and hadn’t compared the alternative tools directly against QuillBot’s weaknesses.
Other areas of note were the lack of a summary table at the top and a “best for” breakdown by audience type—both of which my competitor had nailed. Then, it wrapped up with a clear bullet list of new sections I could add to improve my article.
DeepSeek (again)
Next, I ran the same prompt through DeepSeek.
The response came in two parts:
a) What I missed
b) What I could add to win
This one dug deeper. It highlighted blind spots, like not stating the criteria for choosing the alternatives or showing how the tools actually work. Every missing point it mentioned was valid.
It also uncovered angles my competitors hadn’t covered. One idea that stood out: test each tool with the same input and compare the results to QuillBot. I might not do it, but it’s a smart approach worth considering.
It also brought up concerns around AI detection and plagiarism. These topics that show up in Google’s People Also Ask and that my competitor is ranking for (confirmed using Moz’s Keyword Gap tool).
Then came the gist.
It said my draft wasn’t deep enough. That I wasn’t answering the right questions to help readers make decisions. So it gave me three question to cover, and then declared:
“Focus on these, and you’ll outperform them.”
Bold claim. But I’m listening.
2. Upgrading Your Draft
Goal: Get clear, actionable suggestions to improve your draft.
Prompt:
“To better compete with the competitor post in terms of structure, scope, and completeness, what improvements can I make to my article?”
The previous breakdown from DeepSeek already covered this, but I like to get a second opinion. So I ran it through only ChatGPT.
Results:
Repeated some earlier points about areas to be improved, but this time, expanded each one. Provided a specific way to implement every suggested improvement.
3. Tone Check
Goal: Bonus insight for polishing content beyond structure and keywords.
Prompt: “Compare the tone and style of these two articles. Which one is more clear, engaging, or suited to the audience, and how could I adjust mine?”
Result:
ChatGPT said mine sounded flat and technical.
The competitor’s? More conversational. More scannable. Easier to read.
C. Finding Missing Keywords with ChatGPT
Goal: Spot keyword gaps.
Method:
I started by using Google Autocomplete to gather questions and keywords related to “QuillBot alternatives.” I then gave ChatGPT both my draft and a competitor’s article, along with this prompt:
“These are questions related to the keyword ‘QuillBot alternatives.’ Can you identify occurrences of same or related terms in A. my competitor’s content and B. my draft?”
ChatGPT compared both pieces and highlighted the gaps in mine. It even suggested new sections I could add to cover those missing angles.
Expert Tip (and proof this works):
I adapted up this method from a YouTube video by Si Quan Ong at Ahrefs.
He used a similar approach for a content refresh that took a post from position 7 to #1, and grabbed the featured snippet too. First, he had ChatGPT rewrite the headings for clarity. That alone bumped the article to position one on mobile.
Here’s how he did it:
- First, he asked ChatGPT to rewrite his headings for clarity. That alone bumped the post to #1 in 3 hours, but that was only on mobile.
- Next, he pulled a list of keywords the top 10 ranking pages covered (using Ahrefs’ “Also talk about” feature), and asked ChatGPT to find missing entities from his content based on the list.
- Then rewrote his post based on the gaps ChatGPT found.
If you’d like to watch his breakdown, you can find it here.
Sharpen Your Drafts with Fast AI Analysis
AI won’t replace your entire competitive analysis process, but it can take a lot off your plate. From spotting content gaps to finding missed keywords, it’s a fast, free way to compete smarter. The key is knowing how to guide it. Use the right prompts, review the insights, and adjust the results to fit your voice and audience.
