What is Query Fan Out and Why it Matters for AI Search
Query fan out is a relatively new search system used by AI platforms. It splits a question up into smaller topics, collects information from various sources about said topics, and then merges all of it together to answer the original question, as concisely as possible.
Large Language Models (LLMs) like ChatGPT and Google’s AI Mode use query fan out when they receive prompts and questions. It helps them improve the quality of their responses.
The method in which the content is retrieved is still a bit of a mystery, which is one of the reasons why it’s currently so hard for many businesses to understand why they appear in AI search and LLMs.
This is why we wanted to break it down, and explain why you should start considering query fanning as a potential option for AI search optimisation.
How Does Query Fanning Work?
We’ve touched on how it works, in a very basic sense, but if you’re gearing up to get your brand visible in AI search you’ll want to know the more intricate nuances too.
A typical user journey for someone on ChatGPT will start with a prompt or question.
Let’s say someone asks, ‘How do I start eating healthy and avoid eating unhealthy foods?’
It will then segment and contextualise that question into its base elements to make sure it answers the question fully. For example, the prompt above could be split into ‘how to eat healthily’, ‘the best healthy recipes’, ‘tips on avoiding fast food’, ‘how to develop better food habits’.
Similarly to a search engine, all of the research and prompt generation happens behind the scenes, but happens in front of the user in real-time. On the other hand, Traditional search shows you results that were already sorted in advance.
AI search figures out what you mean as you go, in real time, and adjusts instantly based on your feedback.
Making these AI platforms much more conversational, you can correct them, refine what you meant, and do so much much quicker than traditional search.
How Is This Different From How Traditional Search Works?
In its simplest form, it’s quite similar to the way traditional search and SEO works. A user inputs a prompt, question or request and an advanced system works with what it has been given to provide an answer to help the user.
So, a lot of what has been honed over the years and part of SEO best practices may very well be relevant to AEO. And in our experience dealing with AEO for our clients, this is becoming clearer and clearer that good SEO is good AEO.
While they may be similar, there are of course some differences that are very important to note. First and foremost, traditional SEO relies very heavily on keywords.
Let’s say someone types in ‘Manufacturing firm’ into Google, that will present just one set of search results and brands who want to appear as high as possible in those search results. Normally, an SEO agency like ROAR would track that as a keyword.
With platforms that use query fan out, there won’t just be one set of search results after the user enters a prompt, there will be multiple different query sets each with their own sets of results and answers.
The way in which search engines review websites to decide who or what content appears in AI search results is notably different too. A search engine will look at an entire web page, even an entire website to determine whether it use it, but query fan out will only look at chunks or select parts of a web page or website.
Why Do AI Platforms Use Query Fan Out?
Because it is arguably a better way to answer the user’s question. This form of conversational search seems to appeal to people much more than traditional search results.
It directly answers your question in real-time, doing the research for you and often communicating it to you in a concise and straightforward manner.
It takes all of the effort out of searching for the end user, and explores multiple angles for you, possibly even before you’ve thought about it yourself. Even, giving you the most logical next steps on a topic that you’re unsure about.
Our final thoughts
(Recap the key learnings, reinforcing the value of understanding the topic. End with a gentle nudge toward further exploration)
- Query fan out is a major shift from traditional search.
- It works by breaking a single question into multiple sub-topics to deliver clever, more complicated answers.
- Strong SEO best practices still matter, but content now needs to be well-structured, focused, and useful at a more granular level, not just across the whole page.
- As AI search becomes increasingly popular, exploring how your content answers questions from multiple angles is an important next step in staying visible and relevant.
There’s a relatively new player in AI search that we think you’ll find interesting. It’s called ChatGPT Atlas, and it has the potential to fundamentally change how people discover brands and search online. Take a look to learn more about what ChatGPT Atlas is and why it matters.
Or If you want to continue exploring AI search more broadly, you can also dive into the latest insights and updates on our blog.
