Bing AI Performance Reporting in Bing Webmaster Tools

• 10 Feb 2026|
• SEO|
• Posted by Martyn East

Bing AI Performance reporting is now available in public preview inside Bing Webmaster Tools. Launched on 10 February 2026, it provides visibility into how often publisher content is cited in AI-generated answers across Microsoft Copilot, Bing AI summaries and select partner integrations. This is the first time a major search engine has released first-party reporting on AI citation visibility.

It does not measure rankings.
It does not measure traffic.
It measures citation frequency.

That distinction defines what this update is and what it is not.

What Is Bing AI Performance Reporting?

Bing AI Performance reporting is a new dashboard within Bing Webmaster Tools that tracks when your website is referenced as a source in AI-generated answers.

When Bing AI generates a response, it may retrieve and cite external content. This retrieval process is referred to as grounding. The new reporting layer shows how frequently your domain is cited during that process.

Microsoft describes this release as an early step toward the Generative Engine Optimisation tooling within Bing Webmaster Tools.

This is an additional visibility metric, not a replacement for traditional SEO reporting.

What the AI Performance Dashboard Measures

The dashboard includes five core data points.

Microsoft states clearly that these metrics reflect citation frequency only. They do not indicate ranking position, answer prominence or business impact.

That clarity is important. This is not a traffic reporting tool.

How This Differs From Traditional Search Reporting

Traditional SEO reporting focuses on performance signals tied to user behaviour. AI citation reporting focuses on inclusion within generated answers.

The difference is structural.

This represents an additional visibility layer. It does not replace ranking data. It supplements it.

What Bing AI Performance Reporting Does Not Show

The tool does not provide:

• Click-through data
• Referral traffic
• Conversion tracking
• Revenue attribution
• Relative weighting of cited sources within an answer

Publishers cannot currently measure commercial return from citation visibility alone.

That limitation is explicit in Microsoft’s documentation.

How Microsoft Recommends Using the Data

Microsoft advises publishers to use AI Performance reporting to confirm which pages are cited, identify recurring topic themes and refine content that is indexed but cited less often.

The guidance focuses on structure, clarity and accuracy. Clear headings, evidence-backed claims and consistent terminology improve retrieval precision.

Microsoft also highlights IndexNow as a mechanism for notifying participating search engines when content is updated. Faster update signals may help ensure AI systems reference the most current version of a page. IndexNow is available at https://www.indexnow.org.

For local businesses, maintaining accurate data in Bing Webmaster Tools and Bing Places for Business supports inclusion in location-based AI responses.

How Purplex Uses Bing AI Performance Reporting

For Purplex clients in construction, fenestration and building products, AI citation reporting adds a measurable visibility layer.

We use the data in three practical ways.

First, we identify authoritative assets. If technical guides, compliance resources or sector articles are cited repeatedly, that indicates subject recognition within AI systems. We then expand related topic coverage and strengthen internal structure around that theme.

Second, we review under-cited pages. Where content is indexed but rarely referenced, we assess structural clarity, depth of coverage, terminology consistency and freshness. AI retrieval systems favour precise, well-structured information.

Third, we monitor citation visibility alongside rankings and traffic. This provides a broader view of search performance as AI-generated summaries become more common within search experiences.

We do not treat citation frequency as a commercial metric. We treat it as an authority signal.

Why This Release Matters

Bing AI Performance reporting introduces measurable AI citation tracking at the search engine level.

It signals three clear shifts:

• AI-generated answers are now part of search reporting
• Citation visibility is measurable
• Generative Engine Optimisation tooling has begun

Google does not currently provide equivalent first-party AI citation reporting. This makes Bing the first major platform to expose this data. The feature remains in public preview. Microsoft has stated it intends to continue expanding transparency and improving inclusion, attribution and visibility across AI and search experiences.

The Shift in Search Visibility Has Started

Bing AI Performance reporting provides visibility into how often your content is cited in AI-generated answers.

It shows:

• Citation frequency
• Referenced URLs
• Sample grounding queries
• Trend data over time

It does not show traffic or revenue impact. For publishers and specialist agencies, it introduces a new reporting layer that did not exist before February 2026. Search visibility is no longer limited to rankings alone. Citation visibility is now measurable.

About the Author – Martyn East

I’m Martyn East, SEO Executive at Purplex. I help construction, building products, and fenestration brands turn search visibility into enquiries. This article focuses on Bing AI Performance reporting because it gives you clearer evidence of where your content is being cited in AI answers, and where we can improve structure, relevance, and authority to win more of those citations.

Connect with me on LinkedIn or read more of my articles: Martyn East. If you want support, start with our SEO services.

 

 

This entry was posted in SEO