How to Rank in Microsoft Copilot and Bing AI Search

As the owner of SEO North Sydney, I have spent years watching businesses adapt to changes in Google, from algorithm updates to local search and now AI-generated results. While most of the conversation around AI search has focused on Google, I believe small business owners should also be paying attention to Bing and its AI-powered search experience.

Bing is particularly interesting because its search ecosystem has increasingly incorporated conversational AI and Copilot. Instead of simply presenting users with a list of webpages, Bing can use information from across the web to construct an answer and reference the sources behind it.

That changes what I consider to be search visibility.

The objective is no longer simply to rank a webpage for a particular keyword. Increasingly, businesses need to become credible sources that AI systems can understand, trust and potentially reference.

What Is Bing AI SEO?

Bing AI SEO is essentially the process of making your website more useful and understandable to Bing’s AI-powered search systems.

Traditional SEO aims to improve a website’s visibility within conventional search results. AI search adds another layer because the system can retrieve information from webpages and use that information to formulate a conversational answer.

This means a customer might not simply search for “SEO Sydney”. They might ask an AI system which SEO strategies are most effective for a small business in Sydney, what an SEO campaign should cost and how they should choose an agency.

That is a much more complicated search.

For small businesses, I see this as an opportunity rather than a threat. You can create content that answers those detailed questions and demonstrates why your business is qualified to answer them.

Traditional SEO Still Matters

I would strongly caution against treating Bing AI SEO as something completely separate from traditional SEO.

Your website still needs to be accessible to search engines. It still needs strong technical foundations. Your content still needs to satisfy search intent. Your website still needs authority.

Bing’s AI systems rely on information discovered through search, meaning that if your website has serious technical problems, weak content or little authority, there is no reason to expect an AI system to suddenly favour it.

This is why I continue to tell small businesses to get the fundamentals right first.

AI has changed how information is presented, but it has not removed the need for search engines to discover and assess that information.

Write for Questions, Not Just Keywords

One of the biggest changes I recommend is moving beyond traditional keyword thinking.

Keywords are still useful, but customers increasingly search in complete sentences and conversational questions.

Instead of targeting a single phrase such as “commercial plumber Sydney”, a plumbing company could build content around questions such as what causes low water pressure, how much emergency plumbing might cost, when a pipe needs replacing and how a business owner should choose a commercial plumber.

Each question represents an opportunity to demonstrate expertise.

This is particularly relevant to AI search because conversational systems are designed to understand the meaning behind a question rather than simply matching individual words.

Make Your Content Easy to Understand

If I want an AI system to understand a piece of content, I do not want to make it unnecessarily complicated.

Clear headings, logical sections and direct explanations make content easier for both humans and search engines to process.

I recommend answering a question clearly before expanding into the supporting detail. If somebody asks what local SEO is, tell them what it is immediately. Then explain why it matters, how it works and what a business should do about it.

This approach also creates a better experience for customers.

Good AI optimisation should therefore not involve writing awkward content designed for machines. It should involve making genuinely useful information easier to understand.

Build Topical Authority

Another area I consider extremely important is topical authority.

A small business should not necessarily have one article about its primary service and then expect Google or Bing to understand that it is an expert.

Instead, I prefer building a connected body of content.

A central service page can be supported by articles answering related questions, explaining common problems, comparing options and discussing different aspects of the service.

Internal links then connect these pages together.

Over time, this creates a much clearer picture of what the business knows and what it specialises in.

For AI search, that context is valuable because the system can retrieve information from different pages and establish relationships between subjects.

Demonstrate Real Experience

AI-generated content is now incredibly easy to produce. That means generic information is becoming less distinctive.

What is much harder to replicate is genuine experience.

This is why I place so much emphasis on EEAT, meaning Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness and Trustworthiness.

A small business should make it obvious that real people with genuine experience are behind its website.

Explain how you work. Discuss the problems you regularly encounter. Show examples of previous projects. Answer difficult questions honestly. Explain what customers should expect.

This gives your content something that generic AI-written articles often lack: first-hand knowledge.

Authority Beyond Your Website

I also believe small businesses should continue investing in link building and digital authority.

An AI system does not have to accept everything your website says at face value. External references can help establish whether your business is genuinely recognised within its industry.

Relevant backlinks, industry publications, local websites, reputable directories and genuine brand mentions all contribute to your wider digital footprint.

This is particularly important for local businesses.

If your website says you operate in Sydney, your Google Business Profile says the same thing and reputable local websites consistently associate your business with that location and service, the wider web is reinforcing your identity.

That consistency matters.

Local SEO and Bing AI

For small businesses, local SEO remains one of the most practical ways to leverage AI search.

Your website should clearly explain where you operate and which services you provide. Your business details should remain accurate across important platforms and directories. Your Google Business Profile should be maintained properly, and genuine customer reviews should be encouraged.

I would also make sure your location is naturally incorporated into relevant content rather than simply repeating a suburb name throughout every page.

AI systems need to understand the relationship between your business, its services and its geographical area.

Strong local SEO gives them that context.

Technical SEO Cannot Be Ignored

There is nothing particularly glamorous about technical SEO, but it remains essential.

Your website needs to be crawlable. Important pages need to be indexable. Pages should load efficiently, work properly on mobile devices and use a logical site structure.

I would also make sure the website is properly connected to Bing Webmaster Tools so that you can monitor how Bing is discovering and indexing your content.

Structured data can provide additional context about your organisation, services, articles and other entities.

I do not view schema as a shortcut to AI visibility. Rather, it is another way of making your existing information clearer to search engines.

Think Beyond Text

AI search is also increasingly multimodal, meaning that businesses should not assume written content is the only asset worth producing.

Original photographs, diagrams, videos and other useful visual material can reinforce the expertise demonstrated on your website.

For a tradesperson, that might mean showing examples of completed work. For a professional service provider, it might involve educational videos explaining complicated concepts.

The important thing is that the material should be genuinely useful.

I would never recommend creating images or videos simply to tick an AI SEO box.

How I Would Approach Bing AI SEO

If I were working with a small business that wanted to improve its visibility across Bing’s AI search ecosystem, I would start with its existing SEO foundations.

I would examine the technical health of the website, understand the business’s strongest areas of expertise and identify the questions its customers are actually asking.

From there, I would build authoritative content around those questions, connect it through internal linking and strengthen the company’s external authority through relevant citations and link building.

I would also look at how the business is represented across the wider web.

The objective would not be to chase a mysterious “Bing AI ranking factor”. It would be to make the business the most useful and credible source possible for its target audience.

My Final Perspective

I do not believe small businesses need to panic about AI search.

Bing AI and Copilot represent a change in how information is delivered, but many of the foundations remain familiar.

Technical SEO matters. Quality content matters. Search intent matters. Authority matters. Local SEO matters. Links and citations matter. Most importantly, genuine expertise matters.

The businesses that benefit from AI search will be those that give these systems something worthwhile to discover.

For a small business, that means turning your website into more than a digital brochure. It should become a comprehensive source of information about your services, your industry and the problems you solve.

That is good SEO today, and I believe it is also one of the best ways to prepare for where search is heading next.

If you want to strengthen your SEO and position your small business for Bing AI, Copilot and the wider AI search landscape, contact Central Coast SEO today and let us build a strategy around your long-term visibility.