TL;DR
Microsoft Copilot is both a web-answering experience (Copilot Search in Bing) and an AI assistant embedded in Edge and Microsoft 365. For everyday users, it means fast, sourced summaries with links; for businesses, it means your facts must be consistent and machine-readable so Copilot can cite you. Copilot Search emphasises linked citations, Edge Copilot summarises pages/PDFs in-place, and Microsoft 365 Copilot pulls from your documents and, when allowed, the public web—grounded by Bing’s index. Microsoft, Microsoft Support, Microsoft Learn.
What is Microsoft Copilot—plain and simple?
“Copilot” is Microsoft’s umbrella assistant that shows up in a few places relevant to search:
- Copilot Search in Bing: a search interface that produces summarized answers with cited sources and a list of links used to generate the response. You can click through to verify each claim. Microsoft, Bing Blog.
- Copilot in Microsoft Edge: a sidebar assistant that can summarise the page you’re on (including articles, PDFs and videos), compare options, and answer follow-ups—without leaving the tab. Microsoft Support.
- Microsoft 365 Copilot: for work accounts, it draws on your files and emails (subject to admin policies) and can also ground some answers in web results via Bing when enabled. Microsoft notes that these “Copilot Answers may include references and information from external sources,” with grounding consistent with your tenant’s settings. Microsoft Learn.
The common denominator is grounding with Bing’s web index for current, verifiable information—especially in consumer search and when enterprise admins allow it. Microsoft Learn.
How Copilot Search works (and why citations matter)
Microsoft emphasises source transparency in Copilot Search. The curated answer highlights prominent citations and offers the full link set used to compile the response, so users can check context quickly. For brands, this is a double-edged sword: Copilot will quote and link the sources it can trust. If your page is slow, unclear, or inconsistent with other sources, you may lose the citation to a competitor or a third-party explainer. Bing Blog, Microsoft.
Microsoft’s public documentation also stresses responsible use and the intent of Copilot to connect users with relevant results and summarise the web, not to replace it—again pointing to the importance of verifiable, link-friendly content. Microsoft Support.
Everyday use cases
1) Quick research with links
Ask “best CRM for small nonprofits” and Copilot surfaces a summary with inline citations. Click a source to audit claims. This is ideal for orientation: getting the landscape, then diving deeper via links. Microsoft.
2) Summarise what’s on your screen
Reading a long whitepaper or product comparison? Edge Copilot can summarise the current page or PDF, extract bullets, or compare attributes you specify. It’s contextual and doesn’t force a new tab. Microsoft Support.
3) Work answers that mix internal + web (admin-controlled)
In Microsoft 365, Copilot can pull from documents and emails to answer questions like “Summarise last quarter’s customer feedback and compare to analyst commentary,” and—when permitted—ground parts of the answer with the public web via Bing. Microsoft Learn.
AEO: How to be cited by Copilot
For Answer Engine Optimisation (AEO), your goal is to be a trusted, citable source in Copilot’s summaries:
- Publish clear, verifiable facts with dates (pricing, specs, policies) and keep them consistent across your site. Copilot’s emphasis on citations rewards clarity. Microsoft.
- Use structured data (e.g., Product, Organization, FAQ). While Microsoft doesn’t publish a Copilot-specific schema spec, structured pages tend to be easier to parse and cross-verify.
- Create answer-ready pages (plain-English Q&A sections) for common intents: “pricing,” “integrations,” “who it’s for,” “limitations.”
- Load fast and be indexable by Bing. Copilot relies on Bing’s index for web grounding; if Bing can’t crawl you, you likely won’t be cited. Zenity analysis discusses Bing indexing’s role for Copilot web grounding.
- Show your sources: if you make claims about benchmarks or compliance, link the primary evidence so Copilot (and readers) can verify.
Privacy and control
- Consumer Edge Copilot: you can limit personalisation and data use in settings; Microsoft notes options to use chats and activity for better results (opt-in). Microsoft Edge Copilot page.
- Microsoft 365: admins control what data Copilot can access and whether web grounding is allowed. When enabled, answers may cite external sources. Microsoft Learn.
What’s new in 2025
- Copilot Search (Bing) refresh with stronger emphasis on prominent citations and full link lists in the answer view. Bing Blog.
- Edge Copilot improvements continue with summarisation and in-page help. Microsoft also announced a Copilot Mode for organising multi-tab research and voice-driven queries (rollout reported mid-2025). Reuters.
Practical tips for beginners
- Start queries with context: “Summarise this page for a CFO deciding on a CRM” in Edge; you’ll get better-targeted output.
- Use follow-ups to refine: “Compare HubSpot vs Pipedrive for 10-person teams and link your sources.”
- When you see a good Copilot citation of your brand, click through to confirm it points to your canonical, updated page. If not, update content and internal links to steer assistants to your best source.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Copilot Search replace Google?
No. Copilot Search is Microsoft’s AI-forward experience on Bing that summarises and links sources. Many users still use Google in parallel; the key change is that answers (with citations) are increasingly the default. Microsoft.
How does Copilot choose which links to cite?
Microsoft hasn’t published a full ranking formula, but explains that Copilot’s summaries are grounded in Bing results and show the links used to generate the answer. In practice, clarity, authority, consistency, and crawlability correlate with being cited. Bing Blog.
Will Copilot read my paywalled content?
Edge Copilot can summarise what’s on your screen if you have access. For public web answers, Copilot relies on Bing’s index; content behind hard paywalls typically isn’t surfaced unless publishers expose summaries or public pages. Zenity analysis.
Is Copilot safe for enterprise data?
In Microsoft 365, Copilot respects your tenant’s permissions and policies. Admins decide whether to allow web grounding. External source use is documented and citation-based. Microsoft Learn.
How do I get my business “AEO-ready” for Copilot?
Publish a concise /answers/ hub, keep pricing/spec pages tight and dated, add FAQ/Product/Organization schema, and ensure Bing can crawl you. Track which pages Copilot cites and fix inconsistencies.
The bottom line
Copilot’s promise is helpful answers you can verify. If your brand’s facts are clean, public, and structured, Copilot is more likely to cite you in the answer itself, not just list you among ten blue links. Treat every high-intent page as if an assistant will quote it—because Copilot very likely will.
References (Harvard style)
- Microsoft (2025a) Copilot Search in Bing. Available at: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/bing/copilot-search
- Microsoft Bing Blog (2025) Introducing Copilot Search in Bing. Available at: https://blogs.bing.com/search/April-2025/Introducing-Copilot-Search-in-Bing
- Microsoft Support (n.d.) Getting started with Copilot in Microsoft Edge. Available at: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/topic/getting-started-with-copilot-in-microsoft-edge-ab0153dc-ad31-4de6-899a-802223821a9d
- Microsoft Learn (2025a) Microsoft 365 Copilot Search. Available at: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/copilot/microsoft-365/microsoft-365-copilot-search
- Microsoft Learn (2025b) Knowledge sources and Web Search grounding. Available at: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoft-copilot-studio/knowledge-copilot-studio
- Reuters (2025) Microsoft launches AI-based Copilot Mode in Edge. Available at: https://www.reuters.com/business/microsoft-launches-ai-based-copilot-mode-edge-browser-2025-07-28/
- Microsoft Support (n.d.) Copilot in Bing: Our approach to Responsible AI. Available at: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/topic/copilot-in-bing-our-approach-to-responsible-ai-45b5eae8-7466-43e1-ae98-b48f8ff8fd44