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Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Topics in Bing Webmaster Tools are thematic groupings of the grounding queries associated with your site’s citations in Microsoft Copilot, Bing’s AI-generated summaries and selected partner experiences. They help you see the broader subjects for which Bing’s systems cite your pages. Topics are not rankings, authority scores or traffic reports; they are an analysis layer for observed AI citation activity.
What the Topics view is
Microsoft’s AI Performance report, introduced in public preview on February 10, 2026, shows how site content is used in AI-generated answers. The report identifies cited pages, visibility trends and the grounding queries associated with citations. On June 16, 2026, Microsoft announced Topics, Intents, Citation Share and Compare as global preview capabilities.
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A Topic sits above an individual grounding query. It groups related queries into a broader subject so you can assess a theme instead of reading every phrase separately. For example, “solar panels,” “solar energy efficiency” and “residential solar installation” can be grouped under “Solar Energy.”
Topics are assigned by Microsoft’s AI and machine-learning classifiers. The classification system is continuously updated, and Bing cautions that a query can occasionally be placed in an imperfect topic, particularly in niche or highly specialized fields.
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Topics versus grounding queries
| Dimension | Topics | Grounding queries |
|---|---|---|
| Grouping level | Broad thematic category | Grouped phrase associated with citation activity |
| Typical use | Find the subject areas connected to AI citations | See the specific language and intent behind those citations |
| Page relationship | One topic can produce citations to several pages | A query can be mapped to one or more cited pages |
| Interpretation | Strategic content theme | More granular evidence of an AI-answer context |
Use the Topic view to find patterns, then open the underlying grounding queries and pages before deciding what to change. A topic is a classification, not a promise that every related query or answer has been captured.
What the report measures
AI Performance provides several views that work together:
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- Total citations: visible references to your site’s content in the covered AI experiences.
- Cited pages: pages that received citation activity.
- Average cited pages: the reported average number of cited pages for the selected view.
- Grounding queries: grouped query phrases associated with citations.
- Page-level citation activity: which URLs were cited and how activity changed.
- Timeline: citation trends over the selected date range.
The available time ranges are 7 days, 30 days, 3 months and a custom range within the history available to your property. Data is refreshed daily, with a short processing delay.
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How to investigate a Topic
- Open Bing Webmaster Tools and select the AI Performance report. Choose the verified site property you want to study.
- Start in Topics. Look for themes with meaningful citation activity or a noticeable change over time.
- Expand a topic. Review the grounding queries grouped beneath it. Check whether the classifier’s grouping matches your site’s actual subject matter.
- Inspect cited pages. Identify which URLs are cited for the topic and whether one page, a cluster of pages or unrelated content is being used.
- Change the date range. Compare 7-day, 30-day, 3-month and custom views to separate a short-lived spike from a sustained trend.
- Compare topics or pages. The Compare preview helps assess relative changes rather than relying on a single snapshot.
- Export the data when needed. Download grounding-query data with citation counts, page-level citation data and time-series metrics in CSV or Excel format for analysis in a spreadsheet or dashboard.
Turning citation patterns into content decisions
When a topic has citations but thin coverage
Review whether the cited page fully answers the questions represented by its grounding queries. Useful checks include depth of explanation, evidence and sourcing, descriptive headings, comparison tables, relevant FAQs, freshness and consistency between formats such as HTML, structured data and downloadable documents. These are quality checks, not guarantees that Bing will cite the page more often.
When several pages cover one topic
Map each cited URL to the queries beneath the topic. If multiple pages serve overlapping purposes, clarify their distinct intents, strengthen internal linking and make each page’s scope explicit. Do not merge pages solely because they appear under the same Topic; the query and page evidence should support that decision.
When a topic appears wrong
Check the underlying grounding queries first. Classifier errors are possible, especially for specialized terminology. Treat a questionable assignment as a reporting limitation rather than rewriting accurate content to match an automated label.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How to interpret citation counts and Citation Share
A citation count records visible references in the covered experiences. It does not establish that a page is authoritative, important or likely to receive a particular amount of traffic. Citation Share, available in preview, is a relative comparison measure; it should not be read as a ranking position or as a share of all AI answers on the internet.
Topics and Citation Share answer different questions. Topics show what themes are associated with your citations. Citation Share helps compare your observed visibility within the report’s measured set. Use both with page-level and timeline views instead of treating either as a standalone performance score.
Accuracy, coverage and important limits
- The report is aggregated and sampled; not every citation event appears.
- Very low or infrequent activity may not surface.
- Totals can differ between page, grounding-query and time-series views.
- The data is intended for trend analysis, not precise accounting of every AI answer or prompt.
- Topics do not measure conventional search rankings, site authority, overall performance or traffic.
- Preview features and classifier behavior can change as Microsoft updates the product.
For these reasons, use Topics as directional evidence. Validate important conclusions against your own analytics, publishing history and the pages actually cited.
What Topics mean for publishers
The practical value is portfolio-level visibility. Instead of asking only whether one URL was cited, you can see the broader subjects connected to your site, the query language within each subject and the pages that supply the cited material. That supports editorial audits, topic-cluster planning, reporting and consulting workflows, provided the numbers are presented as sampled citation observations rather than guaranteed reach.
The feature is still a global preview announced in June 2026. Expect the available history, classifications and comparisons to evolve, and record the date and selected range whenever you export results so later analyses remain comparable.
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