Definition
What is a grounding query?
A grounding query is the search an answer engine runs itself, behind the scenes, to find the pages it will use to build its answer. It differs from what the person actually typed: the system rephrases the question, breaks it up and runs several searches. Microsoft is so far the only one to publish these queries to site owners.
Where the term comes from
An assistant answering a question on a current topic does not rely only on what its model learned. It runs a web search and grounds its answer in the pages it finds: that is grounding. The grounding query is that search, written by the system from the question asked.
The term is the one used in Microsoft's report.
Where to see your grounding queries
The AI performance report in Bing Webmaster Tools, launched on February 10, 2026, shows the grounding queries used to retrieve your pages in Copilot's answers. Since June 2026, it also shows intents, themes and your citation share on a given query. The account is free.
Google publishes no equivalent: its report on generative features gives impressions, without clicks or queries. No other player publishes these queries so far.
What they are useful for
A grounding query shows the real vocabulary that triggers a citation, rather than the one you assumed. It can reveal a phrasing your pages never use, a sub-question no section covers, or a topic where you are cited without having targeted it. Those findings then help you write for every surface, Google included, even though the measurement comes from Bing.
Fictional example: a renovation company finds in Bing Webmaster Tools that Copilot cites its services page for the grounding query "bathroom renovation timeline condo". The page is cited, but it gives no timeline. The company adds a section that answers that question with its real timelines. The query told it what to write without relying on a guess.
For Falia, the grounding query is the most directly usable data in the field, because it comes from the engine itself rather than from a reconstruction. We recommend opening a Bing Webmaster Tools account before paying for a tracking dashboard, even when almost all your traffic comes from Google.
We read these queries with their limit in mind: they only cover Copilot and Bing's summaries. They show the vocabulary that triggers a citation, not your presence in ChatGPT or Claude, which is tracked separately against a fixed list of questions.
Not to be confused with
- Query fan-out
- Query fan-out is the process that breaks one question into several searches. Grounding queries are those searches, as the engine actually runs them.
- Keyword
- A keyword is what you choose to target, often from a volume tool. A grounding query is what the engine actually searched for in order to answer.
- Search Console query
- Search Console queries are the words typed by people. Grounding queries are written by the engine from those words.
Related concepts
- Query fan-out
- AI visibility measurement
- Optimizing for generated answers
- Retrieval crawler
- Third-party search provider
- Answer surface
Further reading
- GEO: what can you measure on Google, Bing and Perplexity?
- Search intent: why the grid of four intents is no longer enough
- Measuring AI visibility: which free and paid tools should you use?
- What search engine does ChatGPT use?
- Claude and Brave Search: how to make your website accessible to AI
Related services
Frequently asked questions
Do I have to pay to see my grounding queries?
No. They are in the AI performance report in Bing Webmaster Tools, with a free account and a verified site.
Does Google show its grounding queries?
No. Its report on generative features gives impressions by page, country, device and date, without clicks or queries.
