Microsoft Advertising has given Performance Max advertisers their first native experimentation tools, ending a gap that had limited structured testing to Search campaigns only. The platform's updated help documentation, surfaced on June 30, 2026, confirms two new experiment types are now available for eligible Performance Max accounts.
Two Experiment Types Now Available
The first type, the uplift experiment, lets advertisers measure the incremental impact of a Performance Max campaign by running it against a control group. Uplift experiments let advertisers measure the incremental impact of Performance Max campaigns against a control group. The design allows advertisers to determine whether Performance Max is generating conversions that would not have occurred through their existing campaign mix alone.
The second type, the upgrade experiment, addresses a different decision point. Upgrade experiments allow advertisers to compare an existing campaign with an upgraded Performance Max version before fully rolling out changes. This gives advertisers a way to validate a transition to Performance Max before committing budget to a full rollout.
Both experiment types are available under Campaigns > Experiments for eligible accounts.
Search Experiments Renamed to Reflect the Distinction
Alongside the Performance Max additions, Microsoft has reorganized its existing experiment offering. As experimentation expands, Microsoft has also renamed its existing experiment offering to Search optimization experiments, distinguishing it from the new Performance Max testing capabilities. The renaming clarifies which experiment type applies to which campaign format within the platform interface.
Experiments Previously Restricted to Search
Until now, Microsoft Ads experiments were limited to Search campaigns. The Microsoft Advertising API documentation confirms the expanded scope, noting that experiments are available for Audience, Search, Shopping, and Performance Max campaigns that do not have Dynamic Search Ads settings.
The addition of Performance Max to the experiments framework aligns with a broader transparency push Microsoft Advertising has maintained throughout 2026. In its May 7 blog post, the company stated that advertisers using Microsoft Advertising's PMax see an average 8% increase in incremental conversions, with even higher uplift as advertisers allocate more of their budgets to PMax to get the full benefits of cross-channel optimization. At its May 19 Activate 2026 partner event, Microsoft added new Customer Acquisition Goals focused on incrementality to Performance Max, updated controls including exclusions and targeting features, and introduced an experiments framework.
What This Means for Paid Media Advertisers
For paid media teams managing Performance Max campaigns, the new experiment types provide a structured method for validating campaign decisions before making them permanent. Uplift experiments allow teams to quantify what PMax is contributing beyond existing campaigns, rather than relying solely on aggregate conversion data. Upgrade experiments allow for a controlled comparison between a current campaign and a Performance Max version before budget is shifted, a practical safeguard when testing automated campaign transitions. Both tools work within the existing Campaigns > Experiments interface, meaning no separate setup workflow is required for eligible accounts.
The new experiment types were identified in Microsoft Advertising's updated help documentation as of June 30, 2026, first flagged by PPC News Feed founder Hana Kobzová.
