- Does this Bing update really affect my company too?
- What exactly is Topics Portfolio and how does it work?
- Why does optimizing for Bing also apply to ChatGPT?
- How much does being cited by AI really matter? The data explains it
- Three concrete scenarios: what changes for an e-commerce, a professional firm, and a manufacturing company?
- What technical actions increase the chances of being cited in topics?
- Why are people talking about it now: is the AI visibility market growing fast?
- How do you open Topics Portfolio and where do you start?
- What are the most common mistakes made with this type of tool?
- How do I know if my actions are improving AI visibility?
- So, is it worth opening Topics Portfolio for your company?
- How we see it at SHM
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Bing has launched Topics Portfolio in beta: it groups AI queries by theme and shows where other sites are cited instead of yours.
- Optimizing visibility on Bing is worth double: 87% of ChatGPT Search citations correspond to top organic Bing results.
- The fastest technical action to increase AI citations is adding the 'sameAs' schema markup: a study on 50,000+ citations shows an increase of up to 52% on Bing.
- Treat Topics Portfolio numbers as directional signals, not exact data: Microsoft itself recommends it.
Does your site appear in Bing's AI answers? Now you can find out topic by topic — and see exactly where your competitors are outperforming you without you even noticing.
Does this Bing update really affect my company too?
Yes, even if you are not a digital publisher. Every company with a site indexed on Bing can now see which topics AI cites competitors for instead of them — and this applies to e-commerce, professional firms, and manufacturing companies.
Microsoft announced a beta feature on October 13, 2026, called Topics Portfolio , inside the report AI Performance of Bing Webmaster Tools. Simply put: a free tool that tells you in which topics Bing's AI answers cite other sites, but not yours.
Bing Webmaster Tools is Microsoft's free console for site owners, similar to Google Search Console. The AI Performance report — available in public preview since February 2026 — measures how many times your content is cited in Copilot responses and Bing AI summaries.
Topics Portfolio adds an extra layer: not only do you see where you are cited, but you discover where you could be it and you are not yet.
| Your situation | Should you use it? | why |
|---|---|---|
| Do you have a site with informational or product content | Yes | You can find topics where competitors are outperforming you in AI answers |
| You sell or communicate in the B2B sector | Yes | Bing is strong on desktop, where business searches are concentrated |
| You've already optimized for Google but are ignoring Bing | Yes | ChatGPT Search uses the Bing index: optimizing for Bing counts for two channels |
| Your site is very small or new | No, for now | Topics Portfolio requires a minimum volume of data to be displayed |
What exactly is Topics Portfolio and how does it work?
Topics Portfolio groups AI queries by topic, shows your citations in each theme and — most importantly — lists the queries where other sites appear and yours doesn't.
The starting point is understanding what the grounding query : these are the search terms Bing uses internally to find content to cite in its AI answers. You don't see them in the URL, but they determine who gets cited and who doesn't.
Topics Portfolio groups them into macro-topics. For each topic, you'll find three numbers: how many total citations exist on that theme ( Topic Size ), how many different sites are cited ( Sites Cited ) and how many distinct queries make up the topic ( Queries ).
Below the topics table appears the list Top Opportunity Queries : the queries where other sites are cited and yours is not. This is where the practical value of the tool is hidden.
- 1 · Bing AI Receives a question from the user Copilot or Bing's AI summary receives a natural language query.
- 2 · Bing AI Launch internal grounding queries The system generates search terms to find relevant content in the index.
- 3 · Bing AI Cite the sites found in the answer The most relevant content is cited in the response shown to the user.
- 4 · Topics Portfolio Group grounding queries by theme The tool aggregates queries into topics and shows where you are cited and where you aren't.
- 5 · You You identify the gaps and plan the content You use the Opportunity Queries list to decide which content to create or improve.
An important warning: the numbers are estimates, and the opportunity query volumes are provided as intervals , not as precise figures. Microsoft itself writes: "Treat the numbers as directional signals for planning, not as a precise record." Keep this in mind when comparing different topics.
Another thing to know: topics are generated by AI, so a query might end up in a topic you would classify differently. And searches for a competitor's brand can appear as opportunities — but they aren't always relevant to you.
Why does optimizing for Bing also apply to ChatGPT?
ChatGPT Search uses the Bing index as its primary web source. Improving your presence on Bing means increasing the chances of being cited in ChatGPT responses as well.
Many marketing managers treat Bing as a secondary channel. It's an understandable choice looking at the Italian market shares: in July 2026, Bing is worth 9.66% of the desktop market in Italy , compared to 80.29% for Google. Across all devices, the share drops to 5,1%.
But there is one piece of data that changes the perspective. A Seer Interactive study of over 500 citations found that 87% of ChatGPT Search citations correspond to top organic Bing results — compared to 56% for Google. This is reported by Search Engine Land .
In June 2026, Microsoft confirmed that ChatGPT's web answers run on Web IQ , its grounding API built on the Bing index. Sites not indexed by Bing cannot appear in ChatGPT Search answers, as documented by SEO Handbook .
The practical reasoning is simple: if you want to appear in ChatGPT's answers, you need to be well-positioned on Bing. Topics Portfolio tells you exactly which topics are missing this presence. It's the starting point for a strategy of SEO and visibility for AI that truly covers all relevant channels.
How much does being cited by AI really matter? The data explains it
AI visibility is highly concentrated: a few pieces of content gather most of the citations. Identifying the right topics makes the difference between being ignored and dominating a subject.
A 91-day analysis on Copilot data — conducted by Search Influence out of 86 pages — it detected 19,717 total citations. The surprising fact: a single page generated 69% of all citations. AI visibility isn't distributed evenly: it focuses on content that covers a topic best.
This makes the Topics Portfolio Opportunity Queries list strategic. It's not about optimizing the whole site in a generic way: it's about identifying the 3-5 topics where the gap is largest and intervening with targeted content.
To learn more about how to structure this process, our article on content validation workflow for AI Search offers a practical method you can apply right away.
Three concrete scenarios: what changes for an e-commerce, a professional firm, and a manufacturing company?
The value of Topics Portfolio changes based on the industry, but the mechanism is the same: find the topics where competitors are cited instead of you and bridge the gap with targeted content.
Illustrative examples: numbers are meant to show the reasoning, they are not real customer data.
| Company type | Example topic | Typical opportunity | Recommended action |
|---|---|---|---|
| E-commerce (e.g., technical paints) | Exterior paints: which one to choose | Product pages without informative content | Add application guides for every category |
| Professional firm (e.g. accountant) | Flat-rate tax scheme 2026: limits and benefits | No structured FAQ page on the topic | Create a Q&A page optimized for grounding queries |
| Manufacturing company (e.g., components) | Centrifugal pumps for industrial systems | Technical data sheets without application context | Adding use cases and technical specifications in natural language |
The common point is that opportunity queries signal a content gap , not a technical problem. The site exists, it's indexed, but it doesn't have a page that answers that specific question exhaustively. Topics Portfolio makes this gap visible systematically, without having to make guesses.
Those working in B2B have an additional advantage: Bing is stronger on desktop, where most professional searches take place. A manufacturing company that covers the right topics on Bing can appear in the AI answers seen by buyers during the supplier research phase.
What technical actions increase the chances of being cited in topics?
The fastest and most documented action is to add the schema 'sameAs' markup to your site. A study on over 50,000 AI citations shows an increase of up to 52% on Bing with this change alone.
The schema markup is a code you add to your site's pages to explain to AIs who you are and what you talk about. The field sameAs link your entity (company, product, service) to authoritative sources like Wikipedia or Wikidata, helping the AI identify you with certainty.
A GEO study on 50,431 AI citations across 6 engines — reported by Series X Marketing — notes that adding sameAs markup produces a 34% increase in overall citation share, and 52% specifically on Bing and Gemini.
Beyond schema markup, there are other concrete actions to consider. Content structure matters: AI answers prefer pages that answer a specific question directly, with clear headings and short paragraphs. Structured FAQ pages, step-by-step guides, and technical specification sheets tend to be cited more often than generic pages.
To understand how visibility on Bing intertwines with that on other AI engines, the article on SEO without Google index offers a useful overview of what changes when AIs become the main access point to information.
| Technical action | Difficulty | Estimated impact on Bing AI | Priority |
|---|---|---|---|
| Add sameAs markup (schema) | Low | +52% citation share (study on 50k+ citations) | High |
| Structure pages with question + direct answer | Low | Increases grounding probability | High |
| Check indexing on Bing Webmaster Tools | Low | Prerequisite to appear | Immediate |
| Create dedicated pages for each opportunity query | Media | Fill the identified content gap | Media |
| Update existing content with natural language | Media | Improves relevance for conversational queries | Media |
Why are people talking about it now: is the AI visibility market growing fast?
Yes. The race for visibility in AI answers started in 2025 and in 2026 it became a concrete priority for companies that depend on organic search.
Bing's AI Performance report has entered public preview at February 2026 . In June, Topics, Intents, Citation Share, and Compare arrived. Now, in October, Topics Portfolio arrives with the list of opportunity queries. The speed of development signals that Microsoft considers this report strategic.
The broader context is that of AI search — search managed by artificial intelligence instead of classic link lists. Tools like Copilot, ChatGPT Search, and Google's AI Overviews are changing how people find information. Those who don't monitor these channels risk becoming invisible, even if their site is well-ranked in classic results.
The interest of companies in this topic is also confirmed by the growth of tools dedicated to monitoring AI citations, as we discuss in the article on Peec and AI visibility monitoring .
How do you open Topics Portfolio and where do you start?
It only takes a few minutes to access the tool. The real work starts afterwards: reading the list of opportunity queries and deciding which topics to address first.
- 1 · You Access Bing Webmaster Tools Go to bing.com/webmasters and sign in with your Microsoft account. If you haven't verified your site yet, do that first.
- 2 · You Open the AI Performance report In the side menu, you'll find the AI Performance section. Select the site you want to analyze.
- 3 · You Go to the Topics Portfolio tab It is the tab to the right of ‘Citations & Pages’. It will only appear if Bing has enough data about your site.
- 4 · You Read the topics where you have a presence The first screen shows the topics where Bing already considers you present. Take note of Topic Size and Sites Cited to understand the market size.
- 5 · You Analyze Top Opportunity Queries This list is the heart of the tool: queries where other sites are cited and yours isn't. Filter those relevant to your business.
- 6 · Content team Plan content for priority gaps Choose the 3-5 opportunity queries with the highest volume and create or update the corresponding pages.
What are the most common mistakes made with this type of tool?
The most common mistake is treating numbers as precise data and building detailed reports instead of using them as a compass for editorial decisions.
Topics Portfolio is a beta tool, with estimates and volume ranges. Anyone expecting the precision of Google Analytics will be disappointed — and will risk making wrong decisions based on minimal differences between topics.
A second common mistake is chasing every opportunity query without filtering. Some relate to competitor brands: they appear as opportunities because they technically fall under the topic, but they aren't relevant to your site. Microsoft explicitly points this out with the example of a shoe site seeing a competitor's brand under the topic Running Shoes.
| Common mistake | Why it is a problem | How to avoid it |
|---|---|---|
| Treat volumes as exact data | These are estimates: small differences are not significant | Compare only topics with clear gaps, not marginal ones |
| Chasing opportunity queries on competitor brands | You can't be cited for someone else's brand | Filter branded queries before planning content |
| Ignoring Topics Portfolio because ‘Bing is small’ | ChatGPT Search uses the Bing index: the channel is worth double | Consider Bing as a proxy for visibility on ChatGPT |
| Creating new content without updating existing ones | Existing pages might already partially cover the topic | Audit existing pages first, then create new ones if they are missing |
| Do not check indexing on Bing | If Bing doesn't index the page, it can't cite it | Check coverage in Bing Webmaster Tools first of all |
A third mistake is waiting for the tool to leave beta before using it. The directional data it offers today is already enough to guide editorial decisions. Those who start now have an advantage over those waiting for the final version.
To understand how to integrate this type of analysis into a structured process, the article on local visibility in AI Search shows how Italian SMEs are already addressing the topic systematically.
How do I know if my actions are improving AI visibility?
Check back on Topics Portfolio every month and compare citations by topic. The indicators to monitor are few but clear: citation share, number of remaining opportunity queries, and Topic Size.
| Indicator | Where to find it | Positive signal | Control frequency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Citation Share by topic | AI Performance > Topics Portfolio | Increases over time for the covered topics | Monthly |
| Number of opportunity queries | Top Opportunity Queries | Decreases as you create content on the gaps | Monthly |
| Topic Size | Topic detail card | Stable or growing: confirms the relevance of the topic | Quarterly |
| Sites Cited | Topic detail card | If it decreases, the topic is consolidating among a few players | Quarterly |
| Total citations | AI Performance > Citations & Pages | Steady growth after optimizations | Monthly |
The time window available in Topics Portfolio is one, two, or three months. Use the three-month window for a stable overview, and compare month-over-month to see the effect of your optimizations. Remember that new content takes a few weeks to be indexed and cited: don't expect immediate results.
For those who want a broader monitoring system — one that also includes ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google AI Overviews — the article on AI Overviews and brand visibility offers a useful framework to use alongside Bing data.
So, is it worth opening Topics Portfolio for your company?
It is worth it if Your site already has informative or product content, you operate in the B2B sector, or you have an e-commerce site with a structured catalog. Topics Portfolio gives you a map of content gaps that no other free tool offers today with this level of thematic detail.
A middle ground Your site is relatively new or has little content: you might not see Topics Portfolio due to a lack of data. Start by verifying indexing on Bing and building a content base before checking back.
Not yet if Your site is very small, local, or just launched. The tool requires a minimum volume of data to work. Focus first on basic indexing and creating foundational content.
How we see it at SHM
For us, Topics Portfolio is one of those rare tools that turns an abstract problem — 'where am I invisible in AI answers?' — into a list of concrete actions. And it does it for free, inside a console that many companies already have but don't use.
We believe AI should be integrated to free companies from routine tasks and give time back for strategic decisions. Topics Portfolio does exactly that: instead of spending hours guessing which content is missing, you get a list of queries where competitors are outranking you. The creative work—deciding how to respond better than them—remains human.
In our experience with B2B sites in technical sectors, the most common gap isn't a lack of content, but a lack of content that answers specific questions in natural language. Technical data sheets are there, but there's no page explaining 'when to choose this product instead of that one.' That's exactly the type of gap that Topics Portfolio makes visible.
If you want to map your AI visibility on Bing and build a content strategy based on real data, we can help you with our service of SEO for AI and with the Strategic AI integration in marketing processes. For those who want to understand the topic in more depth before starting, we also organize AI training sessions for companies .
Frequently Asked Questions
No. The tool requires a minimum volume of data: small sites or those with little AI activity might not see the feature. Bing shows Topics Portfolio only when it has sufficient data on the site and the ecosystem of topics in which it operates.
These are directional estimates, not precise data. Microsoft itself recommends treating them as signals for planning, not as an exact record. Opportunity query volumes are provided as ranges, not as point figures.
Yes, for two reasons. First, 9.66% on desktop corresponds to about one in ten business users — a relevant channel in the B2B sector. Second, ChatGPT Search uses the Bing index as its primary source: being well-ranked on Bing increases the chances of being cited in ChatGPT's answers as well.
It depends on Bing's indexing speed and how often it updates its AI citations. In general, wait at least 4-6 weeks before comparing data. Use the three-month window in Topics Portfolio to get a stable picture.
No, in most cases. Microsoft itself warns that branded searches for competitors can appear as opportunities because they fall under the same topic, but they aren't relevant to your site. Filter these queries before planning your content.
Add 'sameAs' schema markup to the main pages of your site. A study of over 50,000 AI citations shows a 52% increase in citation share on Bing with this change alone. It is a relatively simple technical task with a documented impact.
AI visibility isn't built by optimizing everything: it's built by finding the three topics where you matter most and owning them better than anyone else.
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