Optimisation methodsTrend33.5%of ChatGPT prompts needed a second fan-out iteration after version 5.6, up from 5% beforeThe share of ChatGPT fan-out queries needing a second iteration rose from about 5% to 33.5% when 5.6 became default.
Optimisation methodsTrend16.39%of ChatGPT retrieved pages are product pages, now more than listiclesProduct pages now make up 16.39% of retrieved pages in ChatGPT fan-out queries, overtaking listicles.
Citation & visibility trackingIdeaAI assistants choose citations differently from Google or Bing, often picking pages from related queries rather than the exact same promptAI assistants choose citations differently from Google or Bing, often picking pages from related queries rather than the exact same prompt
Optimisation methodsIdeaOptimizing for multiple long-tail query variations helps increase chances of being cited by AI assistantsOptimizing for multiple long-tail query variations helps increase chances of being cited by AI assistants
Optimisation methodsTrend23%of ChatGPT fan-out queries now include the site: operator, up from 0.3% before version 5.6ChatGPT now uses the site: operator in about 23% of fan-out searches, up from just 0.3% before.
Citation & visibility trackingTrendFor facts, ChatGPT fan-out queries go to official brand sites, while for opinions and product reviews, they favor Reddit and review platforms.For facts, ChatGPT fan-out queries go to official brand sites, while for opinions and product reviews, they favor Reddit and review platforms.
Citation & visibility trackingTrend33xgreater chance a brand named in ChatGPT's first fan-out query is cited versus a page only fetchedChatGPT decides which brands to consider before it even looks at web search results: Brands named in the initial fan-out query were cited in ChatGPT answers 33 times more often.
Citation & visibility trackingTrend86.4%drop in Reddit's citation share in ChatGPT Search between July 18–August 7 and August 14–17, 2026Reddit's share of citations in ChatGPT Search dropped from a steady 3.83% to 0.52% between August 7 and August 17, an 86.4% fall in ten days
Optimisation methodsTrend7.5average fan-out queries per prompt for ChatGPT 5.6 Sol, up from 2.17 in the 2025 baselineThe average number of fan-out queries per prompt jumped to 7.5 in ChatGPT 5.6 Sol, up from 2.17 in the 2025 baseline.
Optimisation methodsTrendChatGPT sometimes guesses the wrong brand domain, directing site: queries at parked or unowned domains – especially for lesser-known brands.ChatGPT sometimes guesses the wrong brand domain, directing site: queries at parked or unowned domains – especially for lesser-known brands.
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