Microsoft today launched AI Functionality in Bing Webmaster Tools in beta. The AI functionality lets you see where, and how often, your content has been cited in AI-generated responses across Microsoft Copilot, Bing’s AI summaries, and select partner integrations, the company said.
- The AI functionality in Bing Webmaster Tools shows which URLs are being cited, which queries are driving those citations, and how citation activity is changing over time.
- Search Engine Land first reported on Jan. 27 that Microsoft is testing the AI Performance report.
What’s new. AI Performance is a new, dedicated dashboard within Bing Webmaster Tools. Tracks citation visibility across all supported AI environments. Instead of measuring clicks or rankings, it shows that your content is being used to support responses generated by AI.
- Microsoft designed the launch as an early step toward Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) tools, designed to help publishers understand how their content is performing in AI-driven discovery.
How it looks. Microsoft shared this screenshot of the AI functionality in Bing Webmaster Tools:
What the dashboard shows. The AI Performance Dashboard presents metrics focused on AI quotes:
- Full quotes: How often a site is cited as a source in AI-generated responses during the selected period.
- Average pages cited: Daily average of the number of unique URLs from the site indexed by all AI senses.
- Basic questions: Sample query phrases AI systems are used to retrieve and cite publisher content.
- Page level citation function: Citation lists by URL, highlighting which pages are referenced most often.
- Trends seen over time: A timeline view showing how quote activity is increasing or decreasing across AI senses.
These metrics show citation frequency only. They do not indicate rank, prominence, or how a page contributed to a particular AI response.
Why do we care. It’s great to know where and how your content is being cited, but Bing Webmaster Tools still won’t reveal how those citations translate into clicks, traffic, or any real business results. Without click data, publishers still can’t tell if AI visibility is delivering value.
How to use. Microsoft said publishers can use the data to:
- Verify which pages are already indexed in AI responses.
- Find topics that appear consistently across all AI-generated responses.
- Improve the clarity, structure, and completeness of pages with low citations.
The guidance reflects common best practices: clear topics, evidence-based claims, current information, and consistent representation of the business in all formats.
What’s next. Microsoft said it plans to “improve inclusion, description, and visibility across search results and AI experiences,” and continue to “evolve these capabilities.”
Microsoft announcement. Introducing AI Functionality in Bing Webmaster Tools Public Preview
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