--- title: "Google query fan-out: a step-by-step guide · Avouch" description: "A simple Google query fan-out walkthrough: review an AI answer, group buyer questions and inspect Gemini search queries when you need more detail." url: https://avouchedfor.com/insights/find-google-query-fan-out markdown_url: https://avouchedfor.com/insights/find-google-query-fan-out.md --- # Google query fan-out: a step-by-step guide Start with one buying question and finish with a clear list of page improvements. **Steen Stones** · Reviewed 8 Oct 2026 Query fan-out means an AI runs several related searches to help answer your question. Google says AI Mode and AI Overviews can do this. This guide starts with the answer and its links, then shows the optional Gemini test for recording search queries. ## Before you start You need the search tool and a blank worksheet. Finish the main exercise first. Use the optional section only if you need a saved record of returned search queries. [Download the blank worksheet ](https://avouchedfor.com/downloads/query-fan-out-worksheet.csv) ## Step 1: choose one question your buyer would ask Use a question someone would ask before choosing a supplier. Leave your company name out. Our practice example is: “Which project management software suits a small team working across countries?” Open a blank worksheet. Add columns called Question, Date, Engine, Source page, Buyer question and Page to improve. Paste your question into the first row. You should now have one question and somewhere to save what you find. Keep the same wording throughout this exercise. ## Step 2: ask Google and save the answer Open Google AI Mode and enter your question. Read the answer and save a copy with the supporting links. Google says its AI search features can show different responses and links, so record which experience you used. Keep this first answer separate from follow-up questions. In your worksheet, record the date and write “Google AI Mode” in the Engine column. You should now have an answer you can return to, rather than a memory of what Google said. This is a review of visible sources, not an export of every search Google ran. Find AI Mode beside the Google search box Google desktop, captured 8 October 2026 while signed out. Genuine, unaltered screenshot; layouts can differ. [![Google homepage with the AI Mode button at the right-hand end of the search box.](https://avouchedfor.com/img/insights/google-ai-mode-start-2026.png) Open full-size screenshot in a new tab](https://avouchedfor.com/img/insights/google-ai-mode-start-2026.png) Select the screenshot to enlarge it. Click AI Mode Look beside the search box. This is the starting point for the main exercise. Enter your question Use the same buying question each time, so your saved answers can be compared. Source: [Original page](https://www.google.com/) ## Step 3: read the linked pages Open each useful supporting link. In your worksheet, save its address and write down the buying question it helps answer. Check the page itself before accepting what the AI says about it. For our practice question, look for material about price, time zones, integrations and setup. These are suggested topics for the exercise, not search queries we observed. Use plain notes such as “Does it work with the tools we already use?” A short question is more useful here than a copied paragraph. ## Step 4: group the questions and choose a page to improve Put similar questions together. Dan Hinckley recommends mapping groups of queries to existing pages to find missing or overlapping coverage. For this exercise, try groups called Cost, Working together, Setup and Support. Beside each group, name the page on your site that should answer it. Choose one gap to fix first. For example, if buyers need to know about integrations, add a clear compatibility section to the relevant product page. This is a suggested action, not a measured result. Keep the answer available as text and link to it from relevant pages. Google recommends both readable text and useful internal links. Practice worksheet: turn a question into a page change Swipe across to read all columns. | Basis | Buyer question | Topic | Page change | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------- | ---------------- | ------------------------------------------------- | | [Illustrative example](https://avouchedfor.com/insights/find-google-query-fan-out) | Does it connect to our existing tools? | Integrations | Add a supported-tools list and setup instructions | | [Illustrative example](https://avouchedfor.com/insights/find-google-query-fan-out) | How do colleagues in different time zones work together? | Working together | Explain handovers and shared updates | | [Illustrative example](https://avouchedfor.com/insights/find-google-query-fan-out) | What will setup involve? | Setup | Add a clear setup checklist | ## Step 5: repeat the question and keep the changes Run the same question again in a fresh conversation. Save each answer as a separate row. Set a time limit before you start. Dan Hinckley describes gathering changing queries over repeated runs and grouping them by topic. One run is only a sample. Compare the topics and sources that return. After improving your page, repeat the exercise under the same conditions. Record mentions, recommendations and citations separately. Do not treat a larger query list as a business result. ## Optional: record search queries with Gemini To see returned query text, use Gemini with Google Search grounding. “Grounding” means connecting its answer to web information. Keep this test labelled “Gemini with Google Search”, separate from your AI Mode results. In Google Cloud, open Agent Studio. In the side panel, open Model settings, find Grounding and turn on Google Search. Enter your question and select Submit. These are the steps in Google’s Cloud guide. For a saved search record, ask your developer to keep the full response from the Google Cloud API, the connection software uses to request an answer. Find webSearchQueries in that response: it holds the returned search queries. Copy those queries into a separate worksheet column. Keep groundingChunks, the supporting references, alongside them. groundingSupports connects those references to the answer. If no query text is returned, record that gap. Do not replace it with an AI-generated guess. Keep any suggested related questions in a separate planning column. This shows the queries returned by your Gemini test. The documentation does not establish that they are the exact searches behind an AI Mode answer. Find webSearchQueries in the saved response Google Cloud reference, captured 8 October 2026. Genuine screenshot, licensed CC BY 4.0. This is documentation, not a test result. [![Google Cloud field reference showing webSearchQueries for returned searches and groundingChunks for supporting references.](https://avouchedfor.com/img/insights/google-grounding-fields-2026.png) Open full-size screenshot in a new tab](https://avouchedfor.com/img/insights/google-grounding-fields-2026.png) Select the screenshot to enlarge it. Copy the queries Look for webSearchQueries. Copy the returned text into your worksheet. Save the sources separately groundingChunks holds supporting references. It is a different list from the queries. Source: [Google Cloud field reference](https://docs.cloud.google.com/gemini-enterprise-agent-platform/reference/rest/v1/GroundingMetadata) ## Before running a technical test Check the provider’s current usage and billing terms and set a spending limit. Keep Gemini test results separate from AI Mode results. ## Related guide ChatGPT query fan-out: a step-by-step guide [Read the guide ](https://avouchedfor.com/insights/find-chatgpt-query-fan-out) ## Related guide AI visibility: share of voice, sentiment and position explained [Read the guide ](https://avouchedfor.com/insights/ai-visibility-metrics-explained) ## Common questions ### Can I do the main exercise without coding? Yes. Work through the answer, its links and your worksheet. The optional Gemini section is for readers who want returned search queries. ### Should I make a page for every question? Start by grouping related questions and matching them to existing pages. Look for missing answers and overlapping coverage before adding pages. ### Can a chatbot suggest related questions? Yes. Use those ideas for planning, but label them as suggestions. Do not report them as searches you observed. ## Sources 1. [developers.google.com, AI Features and Your Website, Google Search Central, Documentation, Google for Developers (opens in a new tab)](https://developers.google.com/search/docs/appearance/ai-features), checked 8 October 2026 2. [docs.cloud.google.com, GroundingMetadata, Gemini Enterprise Agent Platform, Google Cloud Documentation (opens in a new tab)](https://docs.cloud.google.com/gemini-enterprise-agent-platform/reference/rest/v1/GroundingMetadata), checked 8 October 2026 3. [linkedin.com, SEO Tip: Fan-Out Saturation for LLM Topical Coverage, Dan Hinckley posted on the topic, LinkedIn (opens in a new tab)](https://www.linkedin.com/posts/danielhinckley%5Fseo-ai-tip-a-single-query-fan-out-misses-share-7460680642444443649-zTfK), checked 8 October 2026 4. [docs.cloud.google.com, Grounding with Google Search, Gemini Enterprise Agent Platform, Google Cloud Documentation (opens in a new tab)](https://docs.cloud.google.com/gemini-enterprise-agent-platform/models/grounding/grounding-with-google-search), checked 8 October 2026 AI can't recommend what it doesn't know. [Check if AI recommends you](https://avouchedfor.com/assessment) Start free. No commitment.