Open guides

Understand the retrieval layer.

Concise explanations for using AI-query evidence without overstating what the data can prove.

01
Query fan-out

What are fan-out queries?

A practical explanation of the hidden sub-queries answer engines use to retrieve evidence before responding.

02
AEO / GEO

Why AEO and GEO need query data

Traditional keyword tools describe human search demand, not the retrieval steps AI answer engines perform for users.

03
Evidence method

Observed vs. estimated AI search queries

How Open Queries labels direct UI evidence and probabilistic reconstructions without mixing the two.

04
Technical methodology

Estimating fan-out queries with log probabilities

A mathematical account of provider-native inverse perplexity, token alignment, repeated native sampling and the limits of closed-model reconstruction.