Microsoft is testing a "Popular Links" label on sitelinks inside Bing search results, and the test appears in sponsored ads, according to a screenshot posted on X by SEO Khushal Bherwani. The label sits directly on the snippet's sitelink section, marking the first widely shared sighting of this exact wording on Bing.

Bherwani flagged the feature as new and drew the parallel himself: "Bing is testing 'Popular Links' within sponsored ads. We've previously seen a similar test with Google Ads showing 'Top Pages' links." The Google comparison matters here, because it's not the first time a search engine has tried to surface a site's best-performing pages inside an ad unit.

What exactly is being tested?

Sitelinks are the smaller links that appear under a main search result. They let users jump straight to specific pages on a site instead of the homepage. In this test, Bing groups some of those links under a "Popular Links" header within the sponsored ad format.

Think of it as the search engine editorializing. Bing isn't just showing links anymore — it's signaling which pages it believes draw the most traffic or engagement on that site. It's a small label. But labels shape clicks, and clicks shape revenue for both the advertiser and the engine.

To be clear on what's confirmed versus what's inferred: the screenshot and Bherwani's post are confirmed sightings of the test. Everything about why Bing is testing it — engagement signals, quality scoring, click-through improvement — is speculation until Microsoft comments. Microsoft has not issued a statement on the test, which is standard practice for features in limited experimentation.

How does this compare to Google's version?

Google ran a closely related experiment with "Top Pages" links in Google Ads. That test, covered by Search Engine Roundtable editor Barry Schwartz, showed Google attaching similar sub-links to ad units. Bherwani's post explicitly credits that earlier Google coverage as the reference point.

The two tests share a mechanic:

• Both surface a curated subset of a site's pages inside an ad
• Both use a label that implies popularity or performance
• Both were caught through user screenshots rather than official announcements
• Neither has been confirmed as a full rollout by its respective company

The takeaway: Microsoft appears to be running its own version of an idea Google already trialed, a pattern the two engines have repeated across interface features for years.

Who does this affect?

The immediate audience is advertisers. If "Popular Links" expands beyond testing, sponsored results could start directing users to pages the engine picks — pages an advertiser may or may not want to lead with. That changes how advertisers think about site architecture and which landing pages carry the most weight in paid placements.

Organic-focused publishers should watch too. If Bing applies the same labeling to organic sitelinks later, the pages Bing deems "popular" would gain a visible endorsement in results. Sites with weak internal linking or confusing page hierarchies would have less control over which pages earn that treatment.

What happens next?

This is a test, not a launch. Tests at both Bing and Google regularly appear for a subset of users and then disappear without a rollout. The practical move now is monitoring: advertisers should screenshot any sightings of "Popular Links" on their own campaigns and track whether click patterns shift on the labeled pages. If Bing confirms the feature or expands it beyond sponsored units, that's the moment to revisit ad structure — and possibly internal linking — to make sure the pages Bing highlights are the ones worth highlighting.