If you want to show up in AI search results, you need to understand something called query fan-out.

Most people assume AI tools process a search query the same way traditional search engines do — by looking at a single phrase and returning results. That’s no longer how it works.

AI-driven search systems like Google AI Mode, ChatGPT, and Perplexity don’t just evaluate one query. They expand it behind the scenes, running multiple related searches at the same time, then combining those results into a single answer.

This is the foundation of how AI search works today.

What Is a Query Fan-Out?

A query fan-out happens when an AI system takes a user’s search and breaks it into multiple related sub-queries.

For example, if someone searches:

“Best cities for remote workers in Europe”

The AI doesn’t stop there. It may also run searches like:

• “Best cities for remote workers in Europe 2025”
• “Top European cities for digital nomads”
• “Remote work hotspots in Europe”
• “Best cost of living cities for remote work in Europe”

Each of those queries pulls in different sources, perspectives, and data points. The AI then blends that information together to generate a single response.

So while the user sees one answer, the system is actually referencing many different queries in the background.

Why Targeting One Keyword Isn’t Enough Anymore

If your content only targets the surface-level query, you’re missing how AI evaluates relevance.

AI search isn’t asking:

“Does this page match the keyword exactly?”

It’s asking:

“Does this source help answer the full set of related questions behind the query?”

This is why content that ranks well in AI answers often:

• Covers multiple angles of a topic
• Answers follow-up questions before they’re asked
• Includes comparisons, context, and supporting details
• Aligns with how people naturally explore a topic, not just how they phrase it.

This Isn’t New — But It Matters More Now

SEOs have been building content around related queries, supporting topics, and search intent for years. The difference is that AI search does this by default.

Instead of users clicking through multiple pages themselves, the AI does the exploration for them. Your content either feeds that system — or gets ignored.

The following content is AI-assisted, and based on the video you just watched above:

AI Search, whether it’s Google AI Overviews, Perplexity, or ChatGPT’s Search mode doesn’t process just one query at a time.

When someone searches “best cities for remote workers in Europe”, AI tools don’t just look for that phrase.
They expand it behind the scenes into a web of related queries, like: