The Index Copilot Uses Is Not the One You've Been Optimizing For.
Microsoft Copilot draws from Bing's index. Most AEO guides optimize for Google and assume the work transfers. It doesn't. As you work through the steps below, you'll close the Bing citation gap that most brands have never measured — and most competitors haven't noticed yet.
How Copilot Selects Citations — and Why Google Ranking Is Irrelevant to the Process
Microsoft Copilot (formerly Bing Chat) is built on GPT-4 models fine-tuned on Microsoft data and grounded with real-time Bing search results. When Copilot answers a factual query, it retrieves current Bing search results and synthesizes an answer from those sources — then cites the pages it used.
COPILOT'S DATA LAYERS
- Bing web index (primary)
- Bing Entity Store
- Bing Places for Business (local)
- LinkedIn profiles (owned by Microsoft)
- Microsoft 365 integrations (enterprise)
KEY DIFFERENCE FROM OTHERS
Unlike ChatGPT (Bing + OpenAI crawl), Claude (Anthropic crawl), or Gemini (Google), Copilot is exclusively grounded in Bing. Pages not indexed by Bing, or that block Bingbot, are invisible to Copilot regardless of their Google ranking.
// Step 1: Bing Webmaster Tools
Bing Webmaster Tools (BWT) is the Bing equivalent of Google Search Console. Most site owners don't set it up because Google dominates their traffic — but for Copilot optimization it's mandatory. BWT gives you direct control over Bing crawl coverage, indexation status, and site health signals.
BWT Setup and Optimization Checklist
SETUP (DO FIRST)
- Verify site ownership (XML or meta tag)
- Submit your sitemap.xml
- Check crawl errors report
- Fix any blocked URLs
- Review "Index Coverage" report
ONGOING MONITORING
- URL submission tool for new pages
- Keyword research (Bing-specific)
- Backlink disavow if needed
- SEO analyser tool (BWT built-in)
- Monthly crawl stats review
Check Your robots.txt for Bingbot
Many sites accidentally block Bingbot with wildcard rules or old crawl-budget restrictions. Copilot's crawler is bingbot. Verify it's explicitly allowed:
// Step 2: Bing Entity Store
Bing's Entity Store is the structured knowledge base that Copilot draws from for entity-based queries — "Who is [person]?", "What is [company]?", "Where is [location]?". Getting your brand or person entity into the Bing Entity Store is a prerequisite for Copilot to confidently cite you as an authoritative source.
How to Build Bing Entity Store Presence
FOR ORGANIZATIONS
- Claim Bing Places for Business
- LinkedIn Company Page (complete)
- Organization JSON-LD with sameAs
- Crunchbase profile (Bing sources heavily)
- Wikipedia if notable
FOR INDIVIDUALS (PERSON ENTITY)
- LinkedIn profile (most critical)
- Person JSON-LD on author page
- Wikidata entry if applicable
- Bing search your name — claim the panel
- Microsoft MVP program if relevant
sameAs Links That Bing Trusts Most
Add these in your Organization and Person JSON-LD sameAs arrays. Bing weights Microsoft-ecosystem and high-authority sources heavily:
// Step 3: LinkedIn as a Copilot Citation Signal
Microsoft acquired LinkedIn in 2016 and has deeply integrated LinkedIn data into Copilot's knowledge base. For person and organization entities especially, LinkedIn is treated as a first-party authoritative source — Copilot will cite or draw from LinkedIn profiles in a way that no other AI engine does for a social platform.
PERSON / FOUNDER PROFILE
- Complete all profile sections (100% strength)
- Custom URL: linkedin.com/in/yourname
- Headline: specific title + niche (not just "Founder")
- About section: first 3 lines contain entity keywords
- Skills: 5+ endorsed skills in your area
- Publications section: link to your key articles
- Website URL: link to your author entity page
COMPANY PAGE
- Complete all company info fields
- Specialty tags: use your primary keywords
- Custom URL: linkedin.com/company/yourcompany
- About section: lead with what you do + for whom
- Post LinkedIn articles (crawled + indexed by Bing)
- Link company page to founder profile
- Website URL: match sameAs in your schema
LinkedIn Articles vs. Posts: LinkedIn Articles are indexed by Bing as standalone pages and can rank in Bing search results. Posts are not indexed. Publishing authoritative LinkedIn Articles on your core topics is a direct Bing indexation strategy — and therefore a Copilot citation strategy.
// Step 4: Schema Markup for Bing/Copilot
Good news: Bing parses Schema.org JSON-LD using the same spec as Google. All schema you've added for Google AEO works for Copilot too. However, there are Bing-specific enhancements worth adding:
SCHEMAS WITH BING ADVANTAGE
- Organization + sameAs to LinkedIn
- Person + sameAs to LinkedIn
- LocalBusiness + hasMap (Bing Maps URL)
- AggregateRating (Bing surfaces in SERPs)
- Event schema (Bing event calendar)
BING-SPECIFIC TIPS
- Bing reads Open Graph tags (og:description used)
- Bing trusts dateModified heavily for freshness
- Bing Entity Store prioritizes Wikipedia + Wikidata
- Bing rewards faster page speed than Google
// Copilot vs. Other Engines: What's Different
| Factor | Copilot | ChatGPT | Gemini | Perplexity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Search Index | Bing only | Bing + OpenAI crawl | Google only | Own crawl + Bing |
| Entity Source | Bing Entity Store + LinkedIn | Training data + Bing | Google Knowledge Graph | Own index |
| Top Signal | LinkedIn + Bing rank | FAQPage schema + Bing | Google rank + KG | Content freshness |
| Unique Advantage | Microsoft ecosystem integration | Largest user base | Multimodal + GBP | Real-time freshness |
The Bing Citation Gap Has a Specific Cause. The Audit Identifies It.
As you review your Source Map Report, you'll see exactly where your brand appears across Copilot, ChatGPT, Gemini, and Perplexity — what you're cited for, and which competitor is occupying the citation slot you should hold.