Articles & Case Studies
Search Grounding APIs for GTM Research
Search grounding APIs let models retrieve web evidence before answering. Source citations help review, but each claim still needs to be checked against the cited material.
· updated October 6, 2026
Company research often asks questions a model’s training data cannot reliably answer: what changed recently, which product is available now, or whether a specific announcement concerns the right business.
Search grounding adds retrieval to the task. The model can search for evidence and use it to compose an answer.
What happens during a grounded request?
Depending on the provider, the system may generate search queries, retrieve results, and link parts of its response to sources. Google documents this workflow for Gemini search grounding.
Provider capabilities differ. Check the selected API’s documentation for available tools, citation fields, and usage charges rather than assuming every model supports the same behavior.
Give the research a clear scope
Supply the company domain, name, location, and description. Specify the question, relevant period, and acceptable evidence.
For example:
Find a company announcement about a new operating location within the past six months. Return the date, location, original source URL, and whether the site is open or only planned. Use “unknown” if the evidence is insufficient.
The prompt should make it difficult to substitute an old article, a similarly named business, or an unsupported inference.
Review citations at the claim level
A source link is useful only if the page supports the associated statement. Check the event date as well as the article date, and prefer the original announcement over repeated coverage where possible.
Keep “not found” separate from “did not happen.” Public search may not reveal an event even when it occurred.
Use grounding where fresh evidence matters
Homepage-only research is suitable for questions about the supplied page. Add search for recent events or information beyond that page, then preserve the source with the result.
DiscoGen combines company context with configurable research providers. Read DiscoGen: AI Company Research with Context to learn how to add bounded, reviewable research tasks to your account workflow.
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