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llms.txt GeneratorDoes AI turn vague prompts into lists and best-of queries?
Yes. AI added list framing in 20.13% of rewrites (2,319 instances) and best-of framing in 20.21% of rewrites (2,328 instances), making the retrieval query more comparative than the original prompt.
The key numbers.
- List-format conversion
- 2,319 rewrites added list framing.
- 20.13%
- Best-of conversion
- 2,328 rewrites added best-of framing.
- 20.21%
Answer-first list pages, comparisons, and ranked summaries align closely with the structured queries AI models generate during retrieval, increasing their likelihood of being crawled and cited.
The evidence.
| Measure | Result |
|---|---|
| List-format conversion 2,319 rewrites added list framing. | 20.13% |
| Best-of conversion 2,328 rewrites added best-of framing. | 20.21% |
Population and method
Built from 11,521 captured prompt-to-query pairs observed in OpenAI web search calls, with 100% search-query coverage in the sampled dataset.
Where the evidence stops
This study reflects captured search-query transformations rather than every hidden retrieval step a model may perform.
Some inserted entities reflect category heuristics or market leaders rather than final recommendation outcomes.
The underlying dataset is concentrated in commercial and research prompts rather than all possible conversational traffic.
What to do with this
- Write for the query the model is likely to search rather than just the wording a human might type first.
- Add current-year, format, and category framing where it genuinely helps the page answer the query.
- Ensure competitor and category language is present when the model is likely to inject it during retrieval.
Operators must structure content to match the comparative and list-based queries models actually execute, rather than relying solely on the vague phrasing users initially type.
Questions about this answer.
Cite this answer.
Source study: Query Translation“Yes. AI added list framing in 20.13% of rewrites (2,319 instances) and best-of framing in 20.21% of rewrites (2,328 instances), making the retrieval query more comparative than the original prompt.”
Mack Grenfell · Does AI turn vague prompts into lists and best-of queries?
How AI Translates Your Questions · Trakkr Research · Updated 22 January 2026