Bing Webmaster Tools updates AI reporting with Intents, Topics, Citation Share and Compare

Microsoft officially released a preview of its updated AI performance report within Bing Webmaster Tools this week, incorporating new features including Intents, Topics, Citation Share, and Compare. These enhancements build upon the initial AI performance report that rolled out in February, offering publishers deeper insights into how their content is surfaced by AI. The new Intents feature categorizes grounding queries into broader types such as Informational, Commercial, Navigational, Learn and Solve, Research, Creation, and Local, enabling publishers to understand the user's intent behind AI-generated responses. For instance, an e-commerce publisher might identify strong visibility in shopping-focused AI experiences, while an educational publisher could see their content frequently appearing in research or learning contexts. The Topics feature groups related grounding queries into thematic clusters, reflecting how AI systems process information based on concepts and themes rather than just keywords. This allows publishers to better align their content strategy with the AI's understanding of subject areas. Microsoft stated these updates aim to help publishers understand why their content is being surfaced, the subject areas where they are gaining visibility, how their presence compares to other cited sources, and how citation patterns change over time. Krishna Madhavan from Microsoft explained that these capabilities help publishers move beyond simply identifying queries that trigger citations to understanding the broader query context associated with those appearances.