Microsoft has released a new beta feature called Topics Portfolio within the AI Performance report in Bing Webmaster Tools. This tool clusters the grounding queries that trigger AI citations for a website into broader thematic groups, such as "football" or "AI Chatbots," allowing site owners to visualize their visibility across specific topics rather than tracking individual search terms.
How Topics Portfolio Clusters AI Search Data
The feature categorizes a site’s presence into thematic clusters, providing a high-level view of where a domain is cited by Bing’s AI models, including Copilot and Bing’s AI summaries. Microsoft said the tool is only available to websites that meet a minimum threshold of data; sites with insufficient presence or limited ecosystem activity may not see the feature in their dashboard.
When a user selects a topic, the interface displays three primary metrics:
- Topic Size: The estimated total citation count across all websites for that topic during a selected timeframe, indicating the level of AI search demand.
- Sites Cited: The approximate number of domains appearing for queries within that topic, which serves as a gauge for market competitiveness.
- Queries: The total count of distinct grounding queries associated with the topic.
Identifying Content Growth Opportunities
Below the main portfolio table, Microsoft includes a list of "Top Opportunity Queries." This section identifies high-performing queries within a user’s relevant topics where competitors are currently being cited by Bing’s AI, but the user’s website is not.
This week, we've removed cache links from Bing search results. As the internet has evolved for better reliability, and many pages aren't optimized for cache viewing. Site owners can still access Bing-crawled content via Bing Webmaster Tools URL Inspection: https://t.co/LOIAk2786M
The citation volumes for these opportunities are presented as ranges rather than exact numbers. Microsoft advises that these figures should be treated as "directional signals for planning" rather than precise data. The company has also implemented feedback mechanisms, allowing users to provide a "thumbs up" or "thumbs down" on specific rows to help the team refine how queries are classified and selected for future updates.
Evolution of Bing AI Performance Reporting
While the June update focused on individual query performance, the new Topics Portfolio provides a broader ecosystem view. Krishna Madhavan, Saral Nigam, and Vivek Jain from the Microsoft Bing team stated that the goal is to help content teams see where their site is strong, how competitive their content is, and where they have room to grow.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Topics Portfolio feature available for all websites?
No, the feature only appears in Bing Webmaster Tools if your site has sufficient data. If a website has too little presence or limited ecosystem activity, the Topics Portfolio tab will not be displayed.
Can I see exactly how many citations my competitors have?
No, the tool does not reveal competitor domain names or specific citation counts for other sites. The data provided in the Top Opportunity Queries section is displayed in ranges to illustrate relative presence and search demand without exposing sensitive competitor metrics.
What should I do if a query is categorized under the wrong topic?
Because the topics are generated by AI, categorization errors can occur. Microsoft has provided "thumbs up" and "thumbs down" feedback controls on each topic row and opportunity query, which the development team uses to improve classification accuracy.