Why should I optimise for Copilot if most people use ChatGPT or Google?

Two reasons: scale and competition. Copilot is embedded in every Windows 11 device and every Office 365 subscription — that's hundreds of millions of potential touchpoints. And because most companies ignore Bing optimisation entirely, the competition for Copilot visibility is significantly lower than for ChatGPT or Google AI Overviews. It's a high-reach, low-competition channel.

What is the Bing Webmaster Tools AI Performance dashboard?

Microsoft launched a free AI Performance dashboard in February 2026 that shows when your content is cited in Copilot-generated answers. It's currently the only AI platform offering direct, free citation transparency. You can see which pages are being cited, for which queries, and track changes over time. Set it up at bing.com/webmasters.

Does Copilot use the same index as Bing search?

Yes — Copilot pulls from Bing's search index and synthesises answers using GPT-4. This means traditional Bing SEO directly influences Copilot visibility. The crawler is Bingbot (the same one used for regular Bing search). Optimising for Bing search and optimising for Copilot are essentially the same activity.

How is Copilot different from ChatGPT for B2B software?

Copilot's audience is enterprise-heavy — it's used inside Microsoft 365 by professionals researching tools without leaving their workflow. ChatGPT's audience is broader but skews toward individual users and developers. For B2B software targeting business professionals and teams, Copilot can be a more qualified citation surface than ChatGPT.

Microsoft Copilot Embedded in every Windows 11 device and Office 365 subscription — hundreds of millions of potential users with significantly lower competition than Google. It uses Bingbot to crawl the web and pulls from bing's search index + gpt-4 for synthesis.

Platform Guide · Updated April 2026

How to Get Cited by Microsoft Copilot: Bing SEO

Embedded in every Windows 11 device and Office 365 subscription — hundreds of millions of potential users with significantly lower competition than Google.

How Microsoft Copilot picks sources

Bing's search index

Copilot pulls from Bing, which has different ranking signals than Google. Most companies optimise exclusively for Google and ignore Bing entirely. This is a mistake: Bing competition is significantly lower, and Copilot reaches hundreds of millions of enterprise users through Microsoft 365.

Bing Webmaster Tools AI Performance dashboard

Microsoft launched a free dashboard in February 2026 that shows exactly when your content is cited in Copilot-generated answers. This is an industry first — direct, measurable visibility into AI citations. Set this up immediately.

Enterprise context

Copilot is embedded in Word, Excel, Teams, and Outlook for Microsoft 365 subscribers. Enterprise buyers often research tools without leaving their workflow. B2B software with enterprise relevance has outsized Copilot opportunity.

Crawler: Bingbot

Microsoft Copilot crawls the web using Bingbot. If this bot is disallowed in your robots.txt, Microsoft Copilot cannot crawl your pages for real-time retrieval — making you invisible in browsing-enabled queries regardless of your content quality.

Index source: Bing's search index + GPT-4 for synthesis

5 tactics to get cited by Microsoft Copilot

Submit your sitemap to Bing Webmaster Tools if you haven't already. Most sites submit to Google Search Console but skip Bing

yet Copilot pulls exclusively from Bing's index. This is the single fastest way to improve Copilot coverage.

Set up Bing Webmaster Tools AI Performance report (free, launched February 2026). This dashboard shows exactly when your content is cited in Copilot answers

the only AI platform currently offering this level of direct citation transparency.

Optimise for Bing-specific ranking signals: Bing weights social signals (LinkedIn shares, X engagement) more heavily than Google. For a B2B product like XreplyAI, LinkedIn activity and professional mentions carry more weight in Bing than they do in Google.

Ensure Bingbot is allowed in your robots.txt with no crawl restrictions on public content. Copilot cannot cite pages Bingbot cannot crawl. Check Bing Webmaster Tools for any crawl errors specific to Bingbot.

Create content targeting enterprise and professional use cases. Copilot's audience skews toward enterprise Microsoft 365 users

content framed around business productivity, team efficiency, and professional workflows resonates in Copilot's context.

Frequently asked questions about Microsoft Copilot visibility

Why should I optimise for Copilot if most people use ChatGPT or Google?: Two reasons: scale and competition. Copilot is embedded in every Windows 11 device and every Office 365 subscription — that's hundreds of millions of potential touchpoints. And because most companies ignore Bing optimisation entirely, the competition for Copilot visibility is significantly lower than for ChatGPT or Google AI Overviews. It's a high-reach, low-competition channel.
What is the Bing Webmaster Tools AI Performance dashboard?: Microsoft launched a free AI Performance dashboard in February 2026 that shows when your content is cited in Copilot-generated answers. It's currently the only AI platform offering direct, free citation transparency. You can see which pages are being cited, for which queries, and track changes over time. Set it up at bing.com/webmasters.
Does Copilot use the same index as Bing search?: Yes — Copilot pulls from Bing's search index and synthesises answers using GPT-4. This means traditional Bing SEO directly influences Copilot visibility. The crawler is Bingbot (the same one used for regular Bing search). Optimising for Bing search and optimising for Copilot are essentially the same activity.
How is Copilot different from ChatGPT for B2B software?: Copilot's audience is enterprise-heavy — it's used inside Microsoft 365 by professionals researching tools without leaving their workflow. ChatGPT's audience is broader but skews toward individual users and developers. For B2B software targeting business professionals and teams, Copilot can be a more qualified citation surface than ChatGPT.

Also optimise for

How to get cited by ChatGPT

Crawler: GPTBot

How to get cited by Perplexity

Crawler: PerplexityBot

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