{"id":26073,"date":"2026-06-16T21:34:33","date_gmt":"2026-06-16T20:34:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/inboundcph.dk\/?p=26073"},"modified":"2026-09-10T13:28:28","modified_gmt":"2026-09-10T12:28:28","slug":"bing-ai-visibility-insights-citation-share","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/inboundcph.dk\/en\/bing-ai-visibility-insights-citation-share\/","title":{"rendered":"Microsoft Copilot and Bing: The Overlooked B2B Search Interface"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Copilot is based on Bing's index: what this means for source selection<\/h2>\n

Microsoft Copilot retrieves its web results from Bing's index. If a page isn't indexed in Bing, Copilot can't use it as a source, no matter how well the page ranks in Google.<\/p>\n

Microsoft itself describes the mechanics. Step two in Copilot Chat\u2019s architecture is called \u201cweb grounding\u201d via the Bing search service. Copilot rewrites the user\u2019s prompt into a short search query consisting of just a few words and sends it to Bing. The query is not the user\u2019s full prompt, and it contains neither the user ID nor the tenant ID. The content returned by Bing is what the language model uses to generate its response. The source is Microsoft\u2019s documentation on Copilot Chat, last updated on August 18, 2026.<\/p>\n

Bing refers to these queries as grounding queries<\/strong>. At the same time, Microsoft has been explicit that the index now serves two distinct purposes. In May 2026, the Bing team put it this way: \u201cSearch indexing was built to help humans decide what to read. Grounding indexing is being built to help AI systems decide what to say.\u201d The same index, two purposes. Classic search is meant to help a person choose a link. Grounding is meant to provide a model with material it can vouch for.<\/p>\n

This specifically changes the choice of sources. Bing explains that the focus is shifting from documents to what they call \u201cgroundable information\u201d: well-defined facts with a clear provenance. A page that makes a claim without specifying who, when, and how many is difficult to ground. A page with named sources, dates, and numbers is easy to ground. This is the same discipline we apply when we build Visibility in AI Search<\/a> for customers.<\/p>\n

We organize the work around four gates. InboundCPH's Four Ports for Copilot<\/strong> is the sequence a page must go through before it can be used as a source in a Copilot response. If a port is skipped, the chain stops there.<\/p>\n

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PORT 01 \u2014 INDEXED<\/div>\n

The page is included in Bing's index<\/h3>\n

Bing must be able to crawl and index the URL. If it is blocked in robots.txt, set to \"noindex,\" or has never been discovered, it will not appear in Copilot. Check the status in Bing Webmaster Tools under URL Inspection.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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PORT 02 \u2014 VERIFIED<\/div>\n

The domain has been verified with Microsoft<\/h3>\n

Without a verified domain in Bing Webmaster Tools, you won't have any data on what Copilot is fetching. Verification is free and typically takes less than ten minutes when importing from Google Search Console.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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PORT 03 \u2014 GROUNDBAR<\/div>\n

The content can be used as evidence<\/h3>\n

The text must contain specific facts with a source, date, and unit so that a model can use them without having to guess. Vague statements without a source are difficult to ground.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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PORT 04 \u2014 MEASURED<\/div>\n

The citations are followed<\/h3>\n

The AI Performance report in Bing Webmaster Tools shows which pages are cited and which grounding queries trigger the citation. Without measurement, optimization is just guesswork.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Copilot in Microsoft 365: How B2B Buyers Search During Work Hours<\/h2>\n

Danish B2B buyers most often encounter Microsoft Copilot within their work tools, not on bing.com. Copilot is integrated into Teams, Outlook, Word, and Edge, and that is where a large portion of professional research takes place during work hours.<\/p>\n

The figure has been confirmed by Microsoft itself. Microsoft 365 Copilot has surpassed 30 million paid seats. This figure comes from the financial results for the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2026, which ended June 30, 2026, and was published on July 29, 2026. Microsoft has also renamed the product: Microsoft 365 Copilot is now called Microsoft Copilot, and Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat is now called Microsoft Copilot Chat.<\/p>\n

This changes how market share figures should be interpreted. In August 2026, StatCounter reported that Bing accounted for 9.29 % of searches in Denmark, compared to Google\u2019s 84.65 %. This type of measurement covers browser-based search traffic. A grounding query that Copilot sends to Bing from within Outlook does not appear as a Bing search in browser data. Bing\u2019s actual impact on Danish B2B purchasing processes is therefore greater than 9.29 %, but exactly how much greater cannot be precisely documented at this time. Treat this figure as a minimum estimate, not as a definitive figure.<\/p>\n

These three platforms have different requirements for your content.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Flat<\/th>\nWhere the buyer is<\/th>\nWhat Determines Whether You Become a Source<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Copilot Chat in Teams, Outlook, and Word<\/strong><\/td>\nIn the middle of the workday, often during the research phase before compiling a list of suppliers<\/td>\nThe page must be in Bing's index and match the short grounding query that Copilot formulates itself<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Copilot in Edge on a blank page<\/strong><\/td>\nOn your own website or a competitor's website<\/td>\nNo grounding query is sent. The model reads the page directly, so the page's own text and structure determine the answer<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
AI responses on bing.com<\/strong><\/td>\nIn a standard search<\/td>\nClassic Bing visibility plus the ability to provide a concise, well-documented answer<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

There are two caveats to keep in mind before anyone builds a business plan based on this data. An IT department can disable web grounding for the entire organization in the Microsoft 365 Admin Center, in which case no external sources are included in the responses. And Copilot Chat displays the actual search queries in the citations section below the response, but only for 24 hours. The scope is real, but it is neither guaranteed nor fully measurable.<\/p>\n

Bing Webmaster Tools: How to Track Citations in Copilot<\/h2>\n

The AI Performance report in Bing Webmaster Tools shows how often your pages are cited in AI-generated responses. Microsoft launched the report in public preview on February 10, 2026, and it covers Microsoft Copilot, AI-generated summaries in Bing, and select partner integrations.<\/p>\n

The report includes five key metrics: total number of citations, average number of cited pages per day, the grounding queries the AI used to retrieve the content, citations per URL, and trends over time. Microsoft itself is clear about the limitations. Data on grounding queries represents a sample of overall citation activity, not a complete count. The figures per page reflect frequency, not ranking, authority, or the page\u2019s role in the individual response. Therefore, treat the report as a guide rather than a definitive list of answers.<\/p>\n

On June 16, 2026, Microsoft expanded the report globally in preview with four features that shift the focus from individual keywords to context and market share.<\/p>\n

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01 \u2014 INTENTS<\/div>\n

The intention behind the quotation<\/h3>\n

Intents categorizes the grounding queries that trigger citations into types such as Informational, Commercial, Navigational, Research, and Local. This indicates whether the content reaches the user during the research phase or closer to a decision.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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02 \u2014 TOPICS<\/div>\n

Thematic visibility over keywords<\/h3>\n

Topics group related grounding queries into thematic clusters. Topics show the subject areas in which a site is building authority in Bing and where content is lacking.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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03 \u2014 CITATION SHARE<\/div>\n

Your share of the citations<\/h3>\n

Citation Share is the percentage of all citations for the same grounding query that your site accounts for. It is a percentage, not an absolute number, and is therefore useful as a measure of Share of Voice relative to competitors.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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04 \u2014 COMPARE<\/div>\n

Trends Over Time<\/h3>\n

Compare superimposes a previous time period over the current one in Bing Webmaster Tools, making fluctuations in citation activity visible. Compare is the feature that links a content initiative to a subsequent change in citations.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Microsoft itself refers to these features as \u201cearly preview innovations,\u201d where quality and coverage are expected to improve as the models mature. The honest takeaway for management is therefore: use the numbers to prioritize content, not to report on market share.<\/p>\n

Get Started with Bing Webmaster Tools in Five Steps<\/h3>\n
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1<\/div>\n
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Create an account<\/h4>\n

Go to bing.com\/webmasters<\/a> and sign in with a Microsoft, Google, or Facebook account. If you already have a Microsoft account for Outlook, Teams, or Microsoft 365, you can use it right away.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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2<\/div>\n
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Add your website<\/h4>\n

The fastest way is to import from Google Search Console. Bing automatically fetches sites, verifies ownership, and retrieves existing sitemaps, so your site will be ready in just a few minutes. Alternatively, you can add the site manually using the full URL.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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3<\/div>\n
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Verify ownership<\/h4>\n

When adding a site manually, ownership must be verified using an XML file in the root directory, a meta tag on the homepage, or a CNAME DNS record. The DNS method is often preferable because it remains valid even when the site's files are changed.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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4<\/div>\n
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Submit your sitemap<\/h4>\n

And correct sitemap<\/a> helps Bing find and index pages faster. Most sites already have it at ditdom\u00e6ne.dk\/sitemap.xml. Submit it under \"Sitemaps\" and enable \"IndexNow\" at the same time.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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5<\/div>\n
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Review the reports<\/h4>\n

Once Bing starts collecting data, you'll have access to Search Performance, Site Explorer, URL Inspection, backlinks, and the AI Performance report. Expect it to take a few days before meaningful data becomes available.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Glossary: Terms Used in the Report<\/h3>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Concept<\/th>\nWhat this means in practice<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Grounding query<\/strong><\/td>\nThe short search query that Copilot generates based on the user's prompt and sends to Bing. It is rarely identical to what the user typed.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Grounding<\/strong><\/td>\nWhen an AI model uses your content as documented evidence in its response. The goal of the Copilot project is to become a reliable source of grounding.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Citation<\/strong><\/td>\nA reference to your content in an AI-generated response in Copilot or Bing. Similar to a blue link, but within the response itself.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Citation Share<\/strong><\/td>\nYour percentage share of all citations for the same grounding query. Essentially, a \"Share of Voice\" metric for AI responses.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

IndexNow: From Publication to Copilot Responses<\/h2>\n

IndexNow is a protocol that immediately notifies participating search engines when a URL is new or has been updated. It reduces the time from publication to the point when Bing can include the page in its index, thereby making it available for Copilot\u2019s grounding.<\/p>\n

According to IndexNow.org, Bing, Yandex, Seznam.cz, Naver, Yep, and Amazon participate in the protocol. A submission to a single endpoint is shared with all participating search engines. Google is not on the list of participants, and IndexNow is therefore a Bing and Copilot tool, not a Google tool. Technically, up to 10,000 URLs can be sent per POST request, and the key must be 8 to 128 characters long, consisting of uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, and hyphens.<\/p>\n

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1<\/div>\n
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Generate and place the key<\/h4>\n

Create an IndexNow key consisting of 8 to 128 characters, including letters, numbers, and hyphens. Place it as a text file in the site\u2019s root folder, for example, ditdom\u00e6ne.dk\/n\u00f8gle.txt, with the key as its sole content. This file serves as Bing\u2019s proof that you own the domain.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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2<\/div>\n
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Connect a CMS or CDN<\/h4>\n

WordPress can automatically send IndexNow pings via a plugin, and Cloudflare offers built-in integration at the CDN level. Choose one source to send from to avoid duplicate submissions.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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3<\/div>\n
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Submit only when there are actual changes<\/h4>\n

Submit when adding new pages or updating content, not every time you clear the cache. IndexNow does not publicly disclose its rate limits, and an HTTP 429 error indicates that the limit has been reached.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Managing expectations is important. IndexNow itself states that a submission does not guarantee immediate indexing, but it does increase the likelihood that important changes will be detected and crawled more quickly. Notification is not the same as indexing, and indexing is not the same as citation. The benefit is time, and time matters most for content that is current.<\/p>\n

How to Optimize for Bing Without Harming Google<\/h2>\n

There is no documented Bing optimization that harms Google. Only two strategies are truly Bing-specific: verification in Bing Webmaster Tools and IndexNow. The rest of the work is the same as what also improves organic visibility on Google.<\/p>\n

Google itself is clear on this point. Search Central\u2019s documentation on AI features states that there are no additional requirements for appearing in AI Overviews or AI Mode. You do not need new machine-readable files, AI text files, or special schema.org markup. Bing, on the other hand, requires well-defined facts with clear provenance. These two requirements point in the same direction: named sources, dates, and numbers in the visible text.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Effort<\/th>\nPerformance in Bing and Copilot<\/th>\nImpact on Google<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Verification in Bing Webmaster Tools<\/td>\nAccess to AI Performance Data and URL Inspection<\/td>\nNone. Pure data gain with no risk<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
IndexNow<\/td>\nFaster detection of new and updated content<\/td>\nNone. Google does not participate in the protocol.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Facts with the source, date, and unit included in the text<\/td>\nMake the content available to Copilot<\/td>\nSupports E-E-A-T and citability in AI Overviews<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Technical accessibility: robots.txt, sitemap, canonicals<\/td>\nDetermine whether the page will be included in Bing's index at all<\/td>\nSame requirement for Google's index<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Internal link structure between pillars and clusters<\/td>\nTopics help bring you together around a subject<\/td>\nClassic Subject Authority<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

The order is often reversed. Verify in Bing Webmaster Tools first, and then enable IndexNow. Without verification, you won't have any data to assess whether IndexNow made a difference.<\/p>\n

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Data is just the first step<\/h2>\n

Bing Webmaster Tools provides the insights, but it\u2019s the interpretation and execution that drive results. Turning citation data into business value requires an understanding of both the fundamentals, technical SEO, and the actual buyer\u2019s journey. That\u2019s where the interplay between data, software, and Experienced AI SEO experts<\/a> makes all the difference. That\u2019s also the approach we take when we work with AI-SEO<\/a> across channels.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Frequently Asked Questions About Microsoft Copilot and Bing<\/h2>\n
\n
\nDoes Microsoft Copilot use Bing's index?<\/summary>\n
\n

Yes. In its documentation on Copilot Chat, Microsoft explains that grounding is done through the Bing search service. Copilot sends a short, automatically generated search query to Bing and bases its response on the results it receives. If a page isn\u2019t in Bing\u2019s index, it cannot be included in the response.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/details>\n

\nWhat is a grounding query?<\/summary>\n
\n

A grounding query is the short search query consisting of just a few words that Microsoft Copilot formulates itself based on the user\u2019s prompt and sends to Bing. It is not identical to the user\u2019s prompt, and it contains neither the user ID nor the tenant ID. Bing Webmaster Tools displays a sample of the grounding queries that have triggered citations of your pages.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/details>\n

\nHow big is Bing in Denmark?<\/summary>\n
\n

StatCounter reported that Bing accounted for 9.29 % of searches in Denmark in August 2026, compared to Google\u2019s 84.65 %. That figure covers browser-based search traffic. Grounding queries from Microsoft Copilot within Microsoft 365 are not included, so Bing\u2019s importance for B2B research is greater than its market share alone suggests.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/details>\n

\nDoes IndexNow work with Google?<\/summary>\n
\n

No. IndexNow.org lists Bing, Yandex, Seznam.cz, Naver, Yep, and Amazon as participating search engines. Google is not among them. IndexNow is therefore a tool for faster discovery in Bing\u2014and thus in Microsoft Copilot\u2014while Google continues to discover content through crawling and sitemaps.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/details>\n

\nWhy is Citation Share important?<\/summary>\n
\n

Citation Share shows your percentage share of all citations for the same grounding query. This allows you to assess your relative strength compared to competitors, rather than just looking at absolute numbers. Microsoft itself describes the feature as an early preview innovation, so use the number to prioritize content and not as an exact market share.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/details>\n

\nIs it possible to optimize for Bing without hurting Google?<\/summary>\n
\n

Yes. Only two actions are specific to Bing: verification in Bing Webmaster Tools and IndexNow, and neither of them affects Google. Google\u2019s Search Central also states that no special files or schema.org markup are required to appear in AI Overviews and AI Mode. Facts that include a source and date in the visible text help both platforms.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/details>\n

\nDoes Bing Webmaster Tools cost anything?<\/summary>\n
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No. Bing Webmaster Tools is free, including the AI Performance report and the Intents, Topics, Citation Share, and Compare features. The fastest way to set it up is to import from Google Search Console, where Bing automatically retrieves sites, ownership verification, and existing sitemaps.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/details>\n<\/div>\n

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Get an overview of your visibility in Copilot and Bing<\/h2>\n

An AI visibility analysis shows how often your content is cited in Microsoft Copilot, Bing, and Google, and which topics you haven\u2019t covered yet. We map out your visibility across these three platforms, identify the gaps, and create a prioritized plan.<\/p>\n

Book an AI Visibility Analysis<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Sources<\/h3>\n