On 13 October 2026, Microsoft announced the Topics Portfolio beta in Bing Webmaster Tools’ AI Performance report. It groups into topics the queries for which your site appears as a source for AI answers. Bing calls these grounding queries. The tab appears only with sufficient data; smaller sites may not see it.
How to read the measures
Topic Size estimates citations across all sites in a topic over the selected period. Sites Cited and Queries give approximate counts of sites and distinct queries. Opportunity Queries lists queries where other sites appear and yours does not, with citation volumes shown as ranges.
Topic classification can be wrong, and suggestions can include queries about other brands. That limits the value of automatically turning the list into a content plan.
What a small business should check
Our editorial suggestion is to start with a brief check:
- Open AI Performance for your site and look for Topics Portfolio. An absent tab alone does not establish that your site is never cited.
- If you have access, choose one topic connected to a service or product you actually offer. For one suggested query, write down the customer question it addresses.
- Compare the query with an existing page. Add content only when you can give an accurate, useful answer; appearing in the list is not sufficient reason to create a new page. Discard irrelevant queries about other brands.
This is an editorial recommendation, not a result we have tested with the feature. We have not tested account access. Citations do not establish visits, leads or revenue, and the report should not be treated as comprehensive coverage of every AI search engine.
Prepared by the NADALI editorial team using AI
Source checked on 14 October 2026. Announcement dated 13 October 2026.
