01
What does query fan-out look like?
Google's own example: for the question "how to fix a lawn that's full of weeds," fan-out searches might include "best herbicides for lawns," "remove weeds without chemicals" and "how to prevent weeds in lawn." Each sub-search covers one angle of the question, and the AI combines what they find into one answer with links.
OpenAI says that when ChatGPT search uses outside search providers, it "typically rewrites your query into one or more targeted queries," and after reviewing the first results may send "additional, more specific queries." Its local example: "What are some good restaurants near me?" can become the search "top restaurants San Francisco," based on the person's approximate location.
02
What searches does ChatGPT run for a contractor's question?
More specific ones than the person typed. In a separate, smaller check from our 50-metro study, we asked ChatGPT with web search, five times, "Who is a good marketing agency for a HVAC company?" The runs were collected around October 21, 2026 through a third-party data provider, not through the OpenAI API we use for our study. The searches the provider recorded included "HVAC lead generation strategies companies 2026" and "HVAC lead generation services agencies pricing reviews."
Another was "best HVAC marketing agencies for contractors services 2026." Notice what the sub-searches added: the year, "pricing" and "reviews." The answer went looking for current lists, prices and reviews, not just names. Treat them as examples of what one tool did on those days, not as a measurement.
03
Should you make a page for every fan-out query?
No. Google says creating separate content for every variation, including fan-out queries, "primarily to manipulate rankings or generative AI responses in Google Search violates Google's scaled content abuse spam policy." It also calls the approach "an ineffective long-term strategy," because "a high quantity of pages doesn't make a website higher quality or more relevant to users."
Google adds that its AI systems "can understand synonyms and general meanings," so "you don't have to worry that you don't have enough 'long-tail' keywords." Be wary of anyone selling hundreds of near-identical pages built from AI sub-queries. Our guide to AEO, GEO and AI SEO lists other claims to check.
04
What should a contractor do about query fan-out?