Copilot
Microsoft's AI assistant integrated into Bing, Edge, and Microsoft 365. Uses GPT models for conversational search.
What is Copilot?
Copilot is Microsoft's brand for its AI assistants. The consumer version, originally launched as Bing Chat in 2023, is available at copilot.microsoft.com, inside the Edge browser, in Windows and as a mobile app. Microsoft 365 Copilot is the workplace version embedded in Word, Excel, Outlook, Teams and other Office applications, where it can also draw on an organisation's own documents and data. There are further Copilots for developers, security teams and other specialised uses.
For web search, Copilot combines OpenAI models with Microsoft's own retrieval over the Bing index. When a user asks a question, Copilot runs Bing searches, reads the results and composes an answer with citations that link to the source pages. Because the retrieval is Bing's, appearing in Copilot answers depends on being indexed by Bingbot and on the same fundamentals that govern Bing search: crawlable, well-structured, clearly authored pages. Bing Webmaster Tools is the place to confirm indexing and diagnose problems.
Copilot's reach is largest in enterprise settings, where Microsoft 365 Copilot can answer a question about the market using web results alongside internal files. That makes it a meaningful channel for B2B brands whose buyers work inside Microsoft tools, and it means Bing visibility, often neglected in favour of Google, has a new audience.
Why it matters for AI search
Copilot is embedded in the tools many business buyers use all day, and its answers are grounded in Bing search results. Brands that have ignored Bing indexing may be invisible to it. Ensuring pages are indexed by Bing, verifying in Bing Webmaster Tools, and applying the same answer-first structure as for other engines opens a channel that reaches buyers inside their working environment. Copilot should be tracked separately because its Bing-based retrieval cites different sources from Google-based engines.
Related terms
ChatGPT Search
OpenAI's feature allowing ChatGPT to search the web in real-time for current information, combining conversational AI with live search results.
RAG (Retrieval-Augmented Generation)
A technique that allows LLMs to pull in real-time information from external sources (like a website) before generating an answer.
AI Citation
When an AI platform references or links to your content as a source in its response. Citations drive traffic and establish authority.
SERP
Search Engine Results Page. Traditional SEO focuses on SERPs; AEO focuses on AI-generated responses.
Frequently asked questions
Which crawler do I need to allow for Copilot?+
Copilot retrieves from the Bing index, so the relevant crawler is Bingbot. Make sure Bingbot is allowed in robots.txt and use Bing Webmaster Tools to confirm your pages are indexed and to submit sitemaps.
Does Copilot show citations?+
Yes. When Copilot uses web search it shows linked sources for the claims in its answer, similar to ChatGPT search and Perplexity. Clicks on those links arrive as referral traffic from copilot.microsoft.com or bing.com.