Is Microsoft Copilot free?

Microsoft Copilot offers a free tier with basic AI chat and search capabilities. Copilot Pro costs $20 per month and includes priority access to the latest models, faster performance, and integration with Microsoft 365 apps. Copilot for Microsoft 365 is an enterprise product at $30 per user per month that integrates AI across Teams, Outlook, Word, and Excel.

What search engine does Microsoft Copilot use?

Microsoft Copilot uses Bing's search index for web retrieval. This is the same search index that powers ChatGPT's web search feature. When Copilot generates answers about current topics, it searches Bing, retrieves relevant pages, and synthesizes the information with source citations. Bing indexes over 10 billion web pages.

How does Copilot affect SEO strategy?

Copilot draws from Bing's search index, so Bing SEO fundamentals matter - ensure your site is indexed in Bing Webmaster Tools, use structured data, and optimize for the queries your audience asks. Content that performs well in Bing is more likely to be cited by Copilot. The same GEO optimization principles that work for ChatGPT also apply to Copilot.

What Is Microsoft Copilot Search?

Microsoft Copilot Search is Microsoft's AI-powered search and assistant experience that integrates conversational AI into Bing, the Windows operating system, Microsoft Edge browser, and the Microsoft 365 productivity suite. Built on OpenAI's GPT-4 model family with access to Bing's web search index, Copilot generates conversational answers to user queries with source citations, summarizes web pages, creates content, and assists with productivity tasks. Microsoft has invested over $13 billion in OpenAI and positioned Copilot as the AI layer across its entire product ecosystem - from search to Office apps to Windows itself.

How Does Microsoft Copilot Search Work?

Copilot's search pipeline combines OpenAI's language models with Microsoft's Bing infrastructure:

Query processing. When a user asks Copilot a question, the system analyzes the query intent and determines whether web search is needed. For current events, product queries, and factual questions, Copilot triggers a Bing search to retrieve fresh information.

Web retrieval via Bing. Copilot searches Bing's index - which covers over 10 billion web pages - and retrieves candidate pages that match the query. This is the same search infrastructure that powers ChatGPT's web search feature through Microsoft's partnership with OpenAI.

Content synthesis. Using GPT-4, Copilot reads the retrieved pages, evaluates their relevance and quality, and generates a conversational answer that synthesizes information from multiple sources. Responses include numbered source citations linking to the original pages.

Conversational follow-up. Like other AI search tools, Copilot supports multi-turn conversations. Users can ask follow-up questions that build on previous context without re-explaining their research topic.

Where Does Copilot Appear?

Copilot is integrated across Microsoft's ecosystem:

Bing. Copilot appears as a chat interface within Bing search results, offering an AI alternative to traditional search result listings.

Microsoft Edge. The Edge browser includes a Copilot sidebar that can summarize web pages, answer questions about page content, and perform web searches without leaving the current tab.

Windows. Copilot is integrated into Windows 11 as a system-level assistant, accessible through the taskbar. It can answer questions, control system settings, and help with tasks.

Microsoft 365. Copilot for Microsoft 365 integrates into Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and Teams. It can draft documents, analyze spreadsheets, create presentations, summarize emails, and participate in meetings.

Why Does Copilot Matter for AI Search Optimization?

Enterprise Reach

Microsoft 365 has over 400 million paid seats. When Copilot is embedded in the tools that hundreds of millions of knowledge workers use daily, it becomes a significant surface for content discovery. A marketing manager researching "best content management systems" might encounter Copilot's recommendations while working in Word or Outlook - not just in a dedicated search session.

Bing Index Importance

Because Copilot uses Bing for web retrieval, ensuring your site is indexed and performing well in Bing matters. Bing holds approximately 3-4% of global search market share but handles a much higher percentage of AI-mediated queries because both ChatGPT and Copilot rely on it.

Shared Infrastructure With ChatGPT

Optimizing for Copilot and optimizing for ChatGPT's web search are closely related - both use Bing for retrieval and GPT-4 for answer generation. Content that performs well in one tends to perform well in the other.

How Do You Optimize Content for Microsoft Copilot?

Submit to Bing Webmaster Tools. Ensure your site is indexed in Bing by submitting your sitemap through Bing Webmaster Tools. Bing indexing is separate from Google indexing and requires explicit submission.
Use structured data. Bing places heavy emphasis on schema.org structured data for understanding page content. JSON-LD structured data - especially Article, FAQ, and Product schema - helps Copilot understand and extract your content accurately.
Follow GEO principles. Definition-first paragraphs, question-based headings, statistics with sources, and clear content structure work for Copilot just as they work for other AI search engines. The Princeton GEO research demonstrated these techniques increase AI visibility by up to 40%.
Allow BingBot crawling. Ensure your robots.txt does not block BingBot. Since Copilot retrieves content through Bing's index, blocking BingBot means your content will not appear in Copilot answers.
Optimize for Bing ranking factors. Bing's ranking algorithm differs from Google's in several ways - it places more weight on exact-match keywords, social signals, and multimedia content. Bing's Webmaster Guidelines outline specific best practices.

Microsoft Copilot represents the convergence of AI search with workplace productivity. As Copilot becomes the default interface for hundreds of millions of Microsoft 365 users, ensuring your content is discoverable through Bing and optimized for AI extraction is increasingly important for B2B visibility.