AI Performance in Bing Webmaster Tools
The AI Performance Report in Bing Webmaster Tools shows how your site’s
content is used in AI‑generated answers across Microsoft Copilot and partner experiences by highlighting which pages
are cited, how visibility trends change over time, and the grounding queries associated with your content.
Which AI Experiences Are Included?
AI
Performance reflects grounding and citation activity across the following supported AI
surfaces:
- Microsoft Copilot
- AI-generated summaries in Bing
- Select partner AI integrations
What Does AI Performance Measure?
AI
Performance shows how your content is cited in AI‑generated answers
across supported AI experiences by summarizing and aggregating citation activity across three core areas of
visibility.
Pages Cited in AI Answers
Shows how often a
specific URL from your site is visibly cited in an AI‑generated answer.
Average Cited Pages
The average number of unique
pages from your site that were cited per day in AI‑generated answers across supported AI experiences during
the selected date range.
Grounding Queries Your Content Appears In
Shows
the key phrases the AI used when retrieving content that was cited in its answer.
Page-Level Citation Activity
Citation counts by
specific URL that show which pages from your site are cited most frequently across AI-generated answers
during the selected date range. This view reflects how often pages are cited, not their importance, ranking,
or role within a response.
How Does AI Visibility Change Over Time?
The timeline view shows how your site’s citation volume changes over time across
supported AI experiences. This view helps you observe overall trends in how often your content is cited in
AI‑generated answers during the selected date range.
Changes in citation volume may reflect shifts such as:
- Changes in the volume or type of user questions
- Updates to your content
- System or model updates across AI experiences
 NOTE |
|---|
| These trends reflect aggregated citation activity only and cannot be attributed to a specific cause or event. Changes in citation trends are observational and do not indicate the impact of any single update, model change, or content modification. |
Available time ranges:
- 7 days
- 30 days
- 3 months
- Custom range (within available historical data)
How
are AI Performance Metrics Calculated?
AI Performance measures visible citation activity to show how often your
content is referenced in AI-generated answers across supported AI experiences.
content is referenced in AI-generated answers across supported AI experiences.
Total Citations
The total number of times your content was visibly referenced or shown as a
source in AI‑generated answers during the selected date range.
source in AI‑generated answers during the selected date range.
Cited pages
The number of unique pages from your site that were cited on a given day.
Average cited pages
The average number of unique pages that were cited per day over the selected time range.
| NOTE |
|---|
| AI Performance does not measure rankings, authority, performance, or importance. It simply shows which content was cited. |
What Are Grounding Queries in the AI Performance Dashboard?
The grounding queries tab shows the key phrases the AI used when
retrieving content that was referenced in AI-generated answers.
How to read the Grounding Queries tab
Each row in the grounding queries tab in Bing Webmaster Tools displays a short
phrase. These phrases are grouped representations from your site that were retrieved and cited in
AI-generated answers. They are not full user questions or prompts.
What the data shows:
- The number shown for each grounding query reflects how often content from
your site was referenced in AI answers for that phrase during the selected time range. - Higher numbers mean your content was referenced more frequently in AI
answers associated with that grounding query. - A single grounding query can be associated with multiple pages from your
site. - A single page can appear under multiple grounding queries if it was
referenced in different AI answers.
How to use Grounding Query data
In AI Performance, grounding queries are shown as grouped phrases with
associated citation activity across AI-generated answers. Use grounding queries to:
- Understand which phrases are most often associated with your site
being cited in AI answers. - See patterns in how your content is referenced across AI
experiences. - Identify areas where your site already has strong AI visibility, and
where it may be limited.
Example: How a Grounding Query is shown in AI Performance
If content from your site is referenced in AI answers related to solar energy,
that activity may appear under grounding queries such as “solar energy” or “solar panels.” These grouped
phrases summarize related activity across multiple AI answers rather than showing individual
questions.
that activity may appear under grounding queries such as “solar energy” or “solar panels.” These grouped
phrases summarize related activity across multiple AI answers rather than showing individual
questions.
Important Notes:
- A single grounding query may be associated with multiple pages from
your site, and a single page may appear under multiple grounding queries. - Grounding queries group citation activity under common phrases to
surface recurring themes and areas of visibility across AI‑generated answers. - Grounding queries reflect aggregated activity across AI‑generated
answers, not individual user questions or specific answers. - Grounding queries may be determined differently across supported AI
experiences and partners, and the phrasing shown may vary. - Data is provided at a summary level and does not show individual AI
answers, exact prompts, or why a specific page was referenced.
Page–Level Citation Activity
The Pages view (list by pages) in AI Performance shows which pages
from your site are most cited in AI‑generated answers during the selected date range.
from your site are most cited in AI‑generated answers during the selected date range.
This view helps you:
- See which pages are cited most often across AI‑generated
answers. - Compare citation activity across pages on your site.
- Understand how citation activity is distributed at the page
level.
| NOTE |
|---|
| The Pages view reflects aggregated citation counts only. It does not indicate ranking, authority, importance, or a page’s role within an individual AI answer. |
Data Availability and Refresh Cadence
AI Performance shows citation activity across supported AI experiences
for the selected date range. Data is refreshed daily, with a short processing delay, and reflects
aggregated citation activity over time. Historical data is available only for the time ranges shown
in the dashboard.
for the selected date range. Data is refreshed daily, with a short processing delay, and reflects
aggregated citation activity over time. Historical data is available only for the time ranges shown
in the dashboard.
About the Data in AI Performance
AI Performance data is aggregated and summarized to provide a
representative view of citation activity across supported AI experiences. The data shown is not
a complete log of every instance where content may have been referenced.
representative view of citation activity across supported AI experiences. The data shown is not
a complete log of every instance where content may have been referenced.
As a result:
- Not all citation activity may appear in the
dashboard. - Very low or infrequent citation activity may not
surface. - Totals may differ across views (for example, between
pages, grounding queries, and time‑series charts). - The data shown represents a sample of overall citation
activity. Results may be refined as additional data is processed.
AI Performance is designed to support trend analysis and
comparative insights over time, rather than precise accounting of individual AI answers or
prompts. As with Bing search, AI Performance reflects only content that is eligible for
indexing. Bing respects all content owner preferences expressed through robots.txt and other
supported control mechanisms.
comparative insights over time, rather than precise accounting of individual AI answers or
prompts. As with Bing search, AI Performance reflects only content that is eligible for
indexing. Bing respects all content owner preferences expressed through robots.txt and other
supported control mechanisms.
Downloading AI Performance Data
You can export AI Performance data for deeper analysis,
including:
including:
- Grounding query data with citation counts
- Page‑level citation data
- Time‑series metrics across custom date ranges
Exports are available in CSV and Excel formats.
Using AI Performance to Improve Your Visibility
AI Performance can help highlight potential areas to review when
thinking about how your content appears in AI‑generated answers. The following are general
content best practices you may consider when using this data:
thinking about how your content appears in AI‑generated answers. The following are general
content best practices you may consider when using this data:
Align content with user intent
Review the grounding queries and
pages associated with your site to understand the types of information your content supports in
AI answers.
Review the grounding queries and
pages associated with your site to understand the types of information your content supports in
AI answers.
Strengthen depth and expertise
Pages cited across related grounding queries often reflect clear
subject focus. Expanding coverage in related areas can reinforce clarity and
usefulness.
Pages cited across related grounding queries often reflect clear
subject focus. Expanding coverage in related areas can reinforce clarity and
usefulness.
Improve clarity and structure
Use descriptive headings, concise
sections, tables, and FAQ-style content to make information easier to understand and reference
in AI answers.
Use descriptive headings, concise
sections, tables, and FAQ-style content to make information easier to understand and reference
in AI answers.
Support claims with evidence
Including examples, data, and cited
sources can improve clarity and trust when content is reused in AI‑generated
answers.
Including examples, data, and cited
sources can improve clarity and trust when content is reused in AI‑generated
answers.
Keep content fresh and accurate
Regular updates help ensure AI
systems reference current, relevant information.
Regular updates help ensure AI
systems reference current, relevant information.
Maintain consistency across formats
Ensure text, images, and
other media describe the same products, entities, and concepts.
Ensure text, images, and
other media describe the same products, entities, and concepts.
For deeper guidance on structuring content to improve inclusion in
AI‑generated answers, see Optimizing your content for inclusion in AI
search answers.
AI‑generated answers, see Optimizing your content for inclusion in AI
search answers.
FAQs
Why do my citation counts change over time?
Citation volume changes based on user demand, content freshness,
model updates, partner refresh cycles, and shifts in the topics users ask about.
model updates, partner refresh cycles, and shifts in the topics users ask about.
Do citations represent clicks or traffic?
No. A citation indicates that your content was visibly referenced
or shown in an AI-generated answer. It does not represent traffic, clicks, or user
engagement.
or shown in an AI-generated answer. It does not represent traffic, clicks, or user
engagement.
Why are some of my pages never cited in AI Answers?
There are multiple reasons why content may not surface in
AI‑generated answers. A page may not appear if it is less relevant to common user questions,
lacks clarity or depth, is outdated, or is outperformed by other sources.
AI‑generated answers. A page may not appear if it is less relevant to common user questions,
lacks clarity or depth, is outdated, or is outperformed by other sources.
Why do grounding queries look short or vague?
AI Performance shows grouped, generalized phrases used to summarize
citation activity across AI‑generated answers. It does not display individual user questions or
highly specific long‑tail queries. This helps provide a clearer, higher‑level view of how your
content appears across common subject areas in AI answers.
citation activity across AI‑generated answers. It does not display individual user questions or
highly specific long‑tail queries. This helps provide a clearer, higher‑level view of how your
content appears across common subject areas in AI answers.
Do AI Performance metrics match traditional search metrics?
No. Grounding and citations show how AI systems use your content to
generate answers. This differs from traditional search metrics, which measure rankings, clicks,
and traffic.
generate answers. This differs from traditional search metrics, which measure rankings, clicks,
and traffic.
Why do I not see any grounding queries for my site?
Grounding queries may not appear if there is limited aggregated
citation activity for your site during the selected date range. Because grounding queries
summarize citation activity across AI‑generated answers, very sparse or infrequent citations may
not surface in the dashboard. This is expected and does not indicate a penalty or
exclusion.
citation activity for your site during the selected date range. Because grounding queries
summarize citation activity across AI‑generated answers, very sparse or infrequent citations may
not surface in the dashboard. This is expected and does not indicate a penalty or
exclusion.
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