Bing Webmaster Tools AI Performance: How to Read the Data
Bing AI Performance provides direct citation evidence across supported Microsoft AI experiences, with important limits on interpretation.
Bing Webmaster Tools AI Performance is a public-preview report for reviewing total citations, average cited pages, sampled grounding queries, page-level citation activity, and trends across supported Microsoft AI experiences. A citation count shows that a URL was presented as a source; it does not show citation position, authority, ranking, endorsement, or whether a user clicked.
Use Bing AI Performance to identify cited URLs and retrieval phrases, then inspect those pages for accuracy, completeness, and clear structure. Compare fixed date ranges and annotate meaningful updates. Keep citations separate from referral sessions and conversions, and remember that grounding query data is described as a sample rather than a complete demand dataset.
What each Bing AI Performance metric can support
| Metric | Useful decision | Important limit |
|---|---|---|
| Total citations | Track source appearances over time | Does not show placement or clicks |
| Average cited pages | See whether visibility spreads across URLs | Does not measure page authority |
| Grounding queries | Understand sampled retrieval context | Not complete keyword demand |
| Page activity | Find URLs to maintain or improve | Citation frequency is not business value |
| Trend | Investigate changes between periods | Does not identify causation |
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Start free scanMain Explanation
Microsoft introduced AI Performance in Bing Webmaster Tools as a public preview in February 2026. The report covers supported experiences including Microsoft Copilot, AI-generated summaries in Bing, and selected partner integrations. Preview status is part of the methodology: coverage, fields, and availability may change. Save the export date and avoid presenting the current interface as a permanent specification.
Total citations counts appearances of site content as displayed sources during the selected period. Average cited pages describes the average number of unique pages from the site displayed as sources per day. Microsoft explicitly cautions that this aggregate does not identify ranking, authority, placement, or the role a page played in an individual answer. Report the official labels before adding any derived rate.
Grounding queries are especially useful for editorial analysis because they show key phrases used when retrieving cited content. Microsoft describes the data as a sample of overall citation activity. Treat the phrases as evidence of retrieval context, not as a complete keyword list or a search-volume database. Group them into genuine user tasks, then check whether the cited page answers the full task accurately.
Page-level citation activity reveals which URLs contribute. Review whether citations concentrate on definitions, documentation, comparisons, statistics, or commercial pages. A heavily cited article may deserve freshness checks and stronger pathways to the relevant product. An indexed page with relevant grounding phrases but weak citation activity may need clearer scope, supporting evidence, or consolidation with an overlapping URL.
Use the trend line as an investigation tool. Compare equivalent windows, annotate content changes and indexing fixes, and check whether a jump comes from one page or a broader group. Citation volatility can result from changing answers, supported surfaces, query mixes, or retrieval systems. The chart shows what happened within the report coverage; it does not isolate why it happened.
Connect the report to the rest of the funnel carefully. Citation activity belongs in the visibility layer. Analytics can show identifiable referral sessions from supported sources, and conversion systems can show completed actions. A cited page with no measurable referral can still distribute information, but it should not be reported as traffic or revenue. Keeping these layers separate makes the next action clearer.
Why this matters
Bing provides rare first-party visibility into cited URLs and retrieval context. Used with clear definitions, the report can guide content maintenance and source-gap analysis without relying only on prompt screenshots.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Calling citations rankings
- Treating sampled grounding queries as total demand
- Ignoring public-preview status
- Comparing unequal date windows
- Assuming a cited page received a visit
- Updating pages without recording the change date
Practical Steps
- Verify the site in Bing Webmaster Tools and open AI Performance if available.
- Record the selected surfaces, filters, and date range.
- Export citations, cited pages, and grounding queries.
- Group cited pages by topic and user intent.
- Inspect accuracy, evidence, structure, and freshness on priority URLs.
- Compare citation trends after meaningful changes without claiming causation.
- Review referral and conversion data in separate analytics reports.
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Open free toolsFAQ
Does Bing AI Performance show Copilot citations?
Microsoft says the report covers supported Microsoft Copilot experiences, AI-generated summaries in Bing, and selected partner integrations. Coverage may evolve during public preview.
Are grounding queries the same as search keywords?
No. Microsoft describes grounding queries as sampled phrases used when retrieving cited content. They are useful context but not a complete keyword or volume dataset.
Does a citation mean the page received traffic?
No. A citation means the page was displayed as a source within the report coverage. Check analytics separately for identifiable referral sessions and conversions.
Sources and methodology
This guide follows Microsoft's published metric definitions and preview limitations. It does not infer position, authority, traffic, or revenue from citation counts and treats grounding phrases as sampled retrieval evidence.
These references support the changeable facts and study findings discussed above. Results depend on each source's sample, date, market, query set, and measurement method.