Strategy and measurement
Turn Bing Topics Portfolio into a useful content brief
Use Bing's Topics Portfolio and Opportunity Queries to find relevant evidence gaps without treating citation estimates as search volume or buyer demand.
TL;DR
- Bing announced Topics Portfolio beta on October 13, 2026, within AI Performance in Webmaster Tools.
- Topic Size measures approximate citations across sites, not the number of buyers or searches.
- Opportunity Queries identify citation gaps within the reported topics; some can be irrelevant competitor-brand queries.
- Use each gap as a research lead, verify buyer relevance, and write a brief tied to missing evidence.
Topics Portfolio can help a content team decide where to investigate next. It cannot tell the team which article to publish without further judgment. Start with the gap the report shows. Check the buyer need and the facts, then choose a page change.
Read the report's measures literally
Microsoft's October 13, 2026 announcement describes a site-specific beta that groups grounding queries into topics. The view needs enough activity to appear. Its counts and ranges are rough guides. The AI can also place a query in the wrong topic. Microsoft's Topics Portfolio announcement.
| Field | Reported meaning | Avoid treating it as |
|---|---|---|
| Topic Size | Approximate citations across all sites in the topic and period | Unique people, purchases, or search volume |
| Sites Cited | Approximate number of sites cited within the topic | A keyword difficulty or quality score |
| Queries | Approximate distinct grounding queries | A complete set of customer questions |
| Opportunity Queries | Queries where other sites appear and yours does not | A guaranteed relevant content opportunity |
These are product fields, not results from a separate study. Keep the definitions with each export or brief. This helps the next reader avoid mistaking source use for buyer demand.
The underlying AI Performance report covers Microsoft Copilot, Bing summaries, and selected partner integrations. Its launch notes say the query data is a sample of citation activity. A short search phrase is not a buyer's full conversation. Microsoft's AI Performance scope.
Screen an opportunity before assigning content
Open a topic relevant to a service you actually provide. Save the reporting window, topic label, query, displayed range, and existing cited pages. Keep the platform's original wording. Add your interpretation in a separate field.
Next, ask whether the phrase fits a buyer you can serve. An opportunity containing a competitor's brand may concern that competitor's login or documentation. A page that chases that phrase may not help your buyers.
Then check your existing content. Is the missing answer absent, inaccurate, hard to find, or already clear? The report does not reveal which of those explains the gap. Check the page and supporting records before deciding. A useful brief names the evidence to obtain and the decision the reader must make.
Worked example: a gap becomes a comparison asset
Illustrative example. A packaging manufacturer sees an opportunity query related to “recyclable pouch barrier performance.” The company sells flexible packaging, but its current page uses broad environmental claims and says little about test conditions.
Sales notes show that buyers need to balance shelf-life requirements against material choices. The technical team has reports on how gas passes through the materials. Each test covers a set structure and conditions. The gap is a missing comparison and its limits. Adding a keyword will not fix it.
| Brief field | Decision |
|---|---|
| Reader task | Assess whether a pouch structure meets the product's barrier needs |
| Evidence required | Material structure, test method, temperature, humidity, and measured transmission rates |
| Content change | A comparison table explaining where results are and are not comparable |
| Owner | Technical lead approves data; content lead writes the explanation |
| Completion check | Every performance claim maps to an approved report and its conditions |
| Outcome check | Review later citation activity and buyer questions under a recorded period |
The page may help buyers before any citation changes. That is why we check the work and its outcome separately. Semanta's buyer-question mapping and evidence review help turn a platform hint into a brief the technical team can approve.
Keep opportunity discovery separate from performance proof
Microsoft also documents a per-query Citation Share metric and period comparisons. It describes them as observational measures, and states that Citation Share does not disclose competitor domains or measure traffic share. A changing citation pattern can reflect demand, model changes, or other content as well as your work. Microsoft's explanation of Citation Share and Compare.
Keep a stable buyer-question benchmark alongside the topic report. The report helps you discover gaps; the benchmark helps you inspect answers to defined tasks. You still need to track qualified leads and sales.
Common questions
What if my account has no Topics Portfolio tab?
The official beta requires enough site and ecosystem activity. Its absence does not prove that your site is blocked or has no AI visibility. Start with available citation data and your documented buyer questions.
Can we compare Topic Size across all AI platforms?
No. Use the scope and reporting period of the source. Another platform's impressions, referrals, or sampled answers have different denominators.
Bring a topic export and the pages it relates to when you discuss a citation-gap content plan with Semanta.