Query Fanout
See the web searches ChatGPT makes when answering your prompts, and use fan-out queries to find topics your content doesn't cover yet.
Updated
When you ask ChatGPT a question, it doesn't necessarily search the web using the exact words you typed.
ChatGPT may decide to run several searches to find the information it needs. These searches are called fan-out queries, and they offer an interesting look at what AI is actually trying to find.
Klarvu lets you examine these searches and use them as inspiration for your own content.
What are fan-out queries?
When ChatGPT receives a prompt, it decides whether a web search is needed.
If it chooses to search, it will typically make several queries exploring different parts of the original question.
Imagine your prompt is:
"What's the best project management tool for a team of 10 people?"
ChatGPT might search for things like:
- "best project management software for small teams"
- "project management software pricing comparison"
- "task management and team collaboration tools"
- "project management software reviews for small businesses"
These are illustrative examples, not actual queries collected from ChatGPT.
The point is that one customer question can lead to several searches covering different aspects of the decision.
That's useful when planning website content. You might already have a good product page but be missing information about pricing, comparisons, or specific customer needs that AI is investigating.
Find "Query Fanout" in Klarvu
There are two ways to open the tool:
- From the menu: Go to "Improve" → "Audit Tools" → "Query Fanout".
- From a prompt: Click "Fan-out queries" on the prompt's detail page. This opens "Fan-Out Queries" for that specific question.
The page is titled "Query Fanout — [brand]" and includes the description:
"What ChatGPT internally searches for when answering each of your tracked prompts."
The tool only works with ChatGPT. There is no option to select a particular country or market.
Your prompt overview
The overview contains a table of all prompts associated with your brand.
| Column | What it shows |
|---|---|
| "Prompt" | The question you're tracking in Klarvu. |
| "Last checked" | When the prompt's fan-out queries were last checked. If it hasn't been checked, you'll see "Never checked". |
| "Fan-out queries" | The number of searches recorded during the most recent check. |
Use "Search prompts…" to find a particular question. The table displays 10 rows at a time.
Click a row to open a panel showing the result for that prompt.
If you haven't created any prompts yet, you'll see:
"No tracked prompts yet — add one on the Prompts page first."
How to collect fan-out queries
Fan-out queries aren't collected automatically as part of your regular AI tracking. You need to start each check yourself.
Find the prompt you want to investigate
Open "Query Fanout" under "Improve" → "Audit Tools".
Use "Search prompts…" if needed, then click the relevant row to open its panel.
You can also open the tool directly from the "Fan-out queries" button on a prompt's detail page.
Click "Refresh"
Click "Refresh" to check which searches ChatGPT makes when answering the question.
The button displays "Checking..." while the request is running.
Read the searches and answer
Once the check is complete, you can see whether ChatGPT used web search, which fan-out queries were recorded, and the answer ChatGPT generated.
The result also includes "Last refreshed" with the time of the latest check.
Starting a check requires editing permissions. Owners, administrators, and analysts can use "Refresh".
Understand the results
After running a check, you'll see some of the following information:
| Field | What it means |
|---|---|
| "Used web search" | ChatGPT chose to search the web when answering the question. |
| "No web search used" | ChatGPT answered the question without using web search. |
| "Fan-out queries" | The searches ChatGPT made during this specific check. |
| "Answer" | The answer ChatGPT generated during the check. |
| "Last refreshed" | When the result was most recently collected. |
If ChatGPT doesn't use web search, there won't be any fan-out queries to display.
This can happen with questions ChatGPT can answer without retrieving information from the web.
It's not an error, and it doesn't mean there's anything wrong with your prompt.
How is this different from regular tracking?
A fan-out check is a separate request to ChatGPT.
The response shown under "Answer" is not included in your regular tracking results. It doesn't contribute to metrics such as "Mention Rate".
Fan-out queries show the searches ChatGPT made during that particular check. They don't necessarily represent the searches ChatGPT would make the next time someone asks the same question.
Use fan-out queries to plan content
The most interesting thing isn't necessarily how many searches ChatGPT makes.
It's what ChatGPT decides to look for.
If ChatGPT searches for pricing, features, or specific customer needs, that may reveal information worth making easier to find on your website.
Start with questions you're already tracking
Choose prompts that matter to your business.
The Writing good prompts page explains how to select questions that reflect what your customers would actually ask.
Look at what ChatGPT searches for
Run a fan-out check and review the queries.
Are there topics, follow-up questions, or phrases you hadn't considered? Perhaps ChatGPT is looking for a comparison that your website doesn't currently provide.
Compare the searches with your sources
Open the regular AI answers for the prompt and see which websites were cited.
Compare the searches with the sources appearing in the answers. The Sources page lets you investigate cited websites in more detail.
Look for gaps in your own content
Review your website with those searches in mind.
Are you missing clear answers to particular questions, useful product information, or relevant comparisons?
You can use "Content Checker" to review the content of an individual page.
Frequently asked questions
Why am I not seeing any fan-out queries?
ChatGPT decides whether a web search is necessary.
If the result shows "No web search used", ChatGPT answered the question without searching the web. There are therefore no fan-out queries to display.
Does a fan-out check count toward my tracking metrics?
No. Fan-out checks are separate from your regular tracking runs.
The result shown under "Answer" doesn't affect your metrics or the answers you're tracking over time.
Why do the searches change when I click "Refresh" again?
ChatGPT may choose different searches each time, even if the prompt hasn't changed.
Klarvu only displays the latest result, so there's no historical list of previous fan-out queries.
Are fan-out queries updated automatically?
No. You need to click "Refresh" whenever you want a new result.
"Query Fanout" is a tool for investigating individual prompts, not an automatic monitoring system for ChatGPT's searches.
Fan-out queries help you understand what information ChatGPT looks for when answering a question. Together with your AI answers and cited sources, they can give you a more concrete starting point for planning and improving your content.