In Genezio, query fanouts are the additional searches that an answer engine does internally when it answers a question. Genezio extracts these searches from each conversation, so that you can see what the answer engine searched for and which sources it found. When a user asks a question, a modern answer engine almost never uses only one query. It expands the initial question into many related searches to get more information. These additional searches are the query fanouts, also known as follow-up searches. Query fanouts are important because they have a large effect on:
  • The sources that the answer engine gets
  • The brands that the answers mention
  • The citations that the answer engine makes
For a longer introduction, refer to Query fanouts explained.

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Why query fanouts exist

User questions are frequently broad or not clear. One search query can get too little information for a useful answer. To make the responses better, the answer engine expands the initial question into many related queries. Each query examines the topic from a different angle. For example, the question:
User query: What CRM should a startup use?
can expand internally into searches such as:
  • best CRM for startups
  • startup CRM comparison
  • HubSpot vs Pipedrive for startups
  • affordable CRM tools for small teams
Each of these searches gets different documents. The answer engine can use these documents to make its response.

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Where query fanouts come from

Most answer engines do not publish their search infrastructure. Only the companies that make these systems know which search engines or indexes they use. But public statements, research papers, and observed behavior show a probable answer. Answer engines use a combination of sources, such as:
  • Large web search engines (such as Google or Bing)
  • Internal search tools of the AI provider
  • Databases of open web content
Thus, the answer engine can send its fanout queries to many different search tools before the model gets the content. These systems change continuously. Thus, the sources can be different for each answer engine, and they can change over time. For your content strategy, this is the important point: the search channels must find your content. One channel is not sufficient.

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How query fanouts change the answers

Query fanouts control which documents the answer engine gets when it collects information. These documents have an effect on:
  • The brands that the answer mentions
  • The cited sources
  • The claims in the response
For example, a fanout query can get comparison articles that mention specific products. Then, the probability increases that these products appear in the answer. Because of this, query fanouts are one of the strongest signals for AI Recommendations and Visibility.

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Query fanouts in Genezio

Genezio finds and extracts the query fanouts of the conversations with answer engines. For each conversation, Genezio analyzes:
  • The additional queries of the answer engine
  • The relation between these queries and the initial prompt
  • The sources that the answer engine got for each query
Thus, teams can see what the answer engine searched for when it answered a question.

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Example of query fanouts for one prompt

Initial prompt:
User query: What CRM should a startup use?
The fanout queries that Genezio finds can include:
  • Query fanout: best CRM for startups
  • Query fanout: CRM tools for SaaS startups
  • Query fanout: HubSpot vs Pipedrive
  • Query fanout: startup CRM pricing comparison
These queries show how the answer engine expands the initial question to make a response.

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Why query fanouts are important

The analysis of fanout queries helps organizations to understand:
  • How answer engines interpret a topic
  • Which questions have an effect on the answers
  • Which sources control the available information
  • Where opportunities for content exist
For example, fanout queries can frequently include topics that the content of your brand does not cover. This can show an opportunity to increase your visibility. To change these gaps into content, refer to From data to content strategy.

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Query fanouts and keywords

Traditional SEO optimizes pages for specific keywords. Query fanouts show a broader concept: how answer engines examine a topic. An answer engine does not use only one keyword. It examines many related queries before it makes an answer. When you know this set of queries, you understand better how answer engines make their responses.

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Query fanouts in the conversation view

In Genezio, you can examine query fanouts in the conversation detail view. This view shows:
  • The initial prompt
  • The fanout queries that Genezio found
  • The sources that the answer engine got for these queries
  • The final response of the answer engine
With this view, users can understand how an answer engine got to a specific answer.

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Next steps

To learn how the sources from fanout queries change the answers, refer to:

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Query fanouts in the public API

The public API reads query fanouts. Refer to List the searches.