As generative search reshapes how users discover information, Microsoft is giving publishers new transparency into how their content appears inside AI powered experiences.
Bing Webmaster Tools has introduced AI Performance in public preview, a new reporting feature that shows how website content is cited across Microsoft Copilot, AI generated summaries in Bing, and select partner integrations. The update marks the first time publishers can see how often their URLs are referenced in generative answers and track citation trends over time.
Historically, Bing Webmaster Tools has focused on indexing, crawl diagnostics, and traditional search performance metrics. The new AI Performance capability extends those insights beyond blue links, reflecting the growing role of AI generated answers in information discovery. As conversational interfaces become more prominent, visibility increasingly depends on whether content is cited within AI responses rather than simply ranked on a search results page.
The AI Performance dashboard provides a consolidated view of citation activity across supported AI surfaces. Metrics include total citations within a selected timeframe, the average number of unique pages cited per day, and page level citation counts. The tool also introduces grounding queries, which highlight key phrases used by AI systems when retrieving referenced content. Citation data is aggregated and does not indicate ranking, placement, or authority within a specific answer.
A timeline view enables publishers to monitor visibility trends and understand how citation activity shifts over time. Microsoft noted that it continues to respect content owner preferences expressed through robots.txt and other supported control mechanisms.
By reviewing cited pages and grounding queries, publishers can better assess how their content participates in AI generated answers. The data may help validate which pages are already being referenced, identify high performing topics, and uncover opportunities to improve clarity or completeness on less cited pages.
Microsoft also emphasized best practices for improving inclusion in AI driven results. Strengthening subject depth, improving structural clarity with headings and tables, supporting claims with data, and keeping content updated are all cited as important factors. The company pointed to IndexNow, an open protocol that notifies participating search engines of content updates, as a way to ensure AI systems reference the most current information.
For local businesses, maintaining accurate listings through Bing Places for Business remains critical, particularly as AI experiences increasingly respond to location based queries with structured business information.
The introduction of AI Performance represents an early step toward what Microsoft describes as Generative Engine Optimization tooling within Bing Webmaster Tools. By surfacing citation level insights, the platform aims to foster greater transparency between AI systems and publishers while helping content creators adapt to evolving search behaviors.
With AI generated answers becoming a central discovery channel, Bing Webmaster Tools AI Performance positions Microsoft to support publishers seeking clearer visibility, attribution, and optimization strategies in an increasingly AI driven search ecosystem.
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