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Microsoft Copilot.How it picks local businesses.

What Microsoft documents about where Microsoft Copilot gets its answers, how to check what it says about you, and what to fix first.

The short answer

Updated

Microsoft Copilot answers web questions from Bing search results, and Microsoft says Bing and Copilot share the same crawling, indexing and ranking foundation. A site Bing can't crawl won't reach Copilot. Bing Places is where you manage your listing for Bing search and Maps, but Microsoft doesn't document Copilot using Bing Places data today; it has called deeper Copilot integration a plan.

Where it looks.As the maker documents it.

Each row links to the maker's or partner's own words, with the date we last checked it.

Bing index
Microsoft says Bing and Copilot search experiences rely on the same crawling, indexing and ranking foundation.Source · checked Oct 31, 2026
Bing web search
Microsoft says Copilot looks at search results across the web to give a summarised answer.Source · checked Oct 31, 2026
Bing Places
Bing says Bing Places listings appear in Bing search and Bing Maps, and named deeper Copilot integration as a plan in October 2025.Source · checked Oct 31, 2026
Yelp and Tripadvisor reviews
Bing says listings with more positive reviews on sites like Yelp and Tripadvisor are treated as more popular.Source · checked Oct 31, 2026

Its crawlers.Let them in.

If your robots.txt blocks these user agents, the engine may not read your site.

bingbot
Bing's standard crawler. Copilot draws on the Bing index, and Microsoft's guidelines say not to block it. Docs

Check it yourself.One prompt, two minutes.

Swap in your trade and town. Ask it a few times: answers change between runs.

Ask Microsoft Copilot

Find me a [trade] in [city] for [job]. Compare two or three options and link to their websites.

What to fix first.In this order.

  1. 01Don't block bingbotMicrosoft's guidelines list blocking Bingbot in robots.txt as something to avoid. If Bing can't crawl you, Copilot can't use you.
  2. 02Claim Bing PlacesYou can import your Google profile. It keeps your Bing search and Maps listing correct, which is what Copilot's web results draw on.Bing Places for Business guide
  3. 03Submit changes with IndexNowMicrosoft recommends IndexNow and sitemaps so new or updated pages are found quickly.
  4. 04Watch the AI Performance reportBing Webmaster Tools shows how your content appears in Copilot and Bing's AI summaries.

Questions people ask.Short answers.

Does Copilot use Bing Places?

Microsoft hasn't documented that Copilot answers use Bing Places data today. It described deeper integration with Bing Maps and Copilot as a plan when Bing Places relaunched in October 2025.

What does NOARCHIVE do in Copilot?

Microsoft says NOARCHIVE stops content being used in Copilot responses and grounding results, and NOCACHE limits Copilot to the URL, title and snippet.

Can I see when Copilot cites my site?

Yes. Bing Webmaster Tools added an AI Performance report in February 2026 that shows how publisher content appears in Copilot and Bing's AI summaries.

Sources

  1. Bing Webmaster Guidelines · checked Oct 31, 2026
  2. Bing: Which crawlers does Bing use? · checked Oct 31, 2026
  3. Bing Webmaster Blog: Introducing AI Performance · checked Oct 31, 2026

By Shakhawat Ullah Badhon, Founder, Damex Digital. Published Oct 31, 2026, updated Oct 31, 2026.