When someone asks ChatGPT “who is the best cleaning company in Marbella?” — the AI does not just generate an answer from memory. It searches the web first. But the searches it runs are not the same as what the human typed. These background searches are called shadow queries.
How Shadow Queries Work
The human asks: “best cleaning company in Marbella.” ChatGPT might search for: “cleaning services Marbella reviews,” “professional house cleaning Costa del Sol,” “Marbella cleaning company ratings,” and “deep cleaning service Marbella prices.” These are the shadow queries — hidden searches the AI runs to gather information before answering.
Why They Matter for Your Business
If your website has pages targeting those shadow queries, the AI finds you. If it does not, the AI finds your competitors instead. Traditional SEO targets what humans type. GEO targets what AI searches for. Shadow queries are the bridge between the two.
How I Extract Shadow Queries
I research the specific queries that AI models fire for your niche and location. This involves testing multiple prompts, analysing the background searches, and mapping the full landscape of terms your website needs to cover. These shadow queries then become the foundation for your website content — each query gets its own dedicated, optimised page.
This Is My Unique Advantage
No other SEO service on the Costa del Sol does this. Agencies in London and New York are just starting to talk about shadow queries. I have been building websites around them since the beginning of the AI search revolution. It is baked into every site I build.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Is this the same as keyword research?
Related but different. Traditional keyword research targets what humans type into Google. Shadow query research targets what AI models search for in the background. There is overlap, but shadow queries often reveal search terms that traditional keyword tools miss entirely.
Can I extract shadow queries myself?
You can run basic tests by asking ChatGPT questions with web search enabled and observing what it searches for. But systematic extraction across multiple prompts and analysis of the patterns is where the real value is — and that is what I do for every client.
Why should I care about shadow queries?
Because they reveal what AI systems are actually searching for when deciding who to recommend. If your content matches these hidden search terms, you are far more likely to be cited and recommended by AI.
How many shadow queries does a typical prompt generate?
A single question to ChatGPT can trigger 5 to 15 background searches. Each one is a potential keyword or content angle. Across all the ways customers might ask about your business, there can be hundreds of valuable shadow queries to target.
Do shadow queries change over time?
Yes. As AI systems evolve and web content changes, the background searches they run also shift. This is why ongoing monitoring and content updates are important — what works today may need adjusting in 6 months.