Performance Max campaigns paired with search ads deliver 3x return on ad spend and a 32 percent reduction in cost per acquisition compared to search ads alone. Those are Microsoft's own benchmarks, and they explain why the company is investing in structured education for the format.
Microsoft Advertising's Learning Lab now offers a dedicated Performance Max learning path. Three courses covering setup, optimisation, and troubleshooting, plus a certifiable badge through Credly.
What Performance Max Actually Does
Performance Max is an omnichannel campaign type that distributes ads across the entire Microsoft Advertising Network. It accepts images, headlines, descriptions, extensions, audience signals, and bid strategies. The system dynamically assembles these assets into search, audience, native, and display ads, testing combinations and placements to optimise conversions.
The value for advertisers already running search campaigns is incremental reach across formats they may not be using individually. For agencies managing multiple accounts, it reduces the operational overhead of building separate campaigns for each format. Performance Max also plays a central role in how AI is reshaping search advertising.
What the Learning Path Covers
The first course covers fundamentals. What Performance Max is, how it fits alongside existing campaign types, and what to expect from it.
The second course walks through setup. Defining conversion goals, building creative assets, configuring audience signals, and setting bidding and budgets. This is the most practically useful course for advertisers launching Performance Max for the first time.
The third course covers implementation and optimisation with scenario based learning. It is aimed at advertisers or agency teams who want to earn the Microsoft Advertising Performance Max badge. The badge is shareable on LinkedIn and verifiable through Credly.
Is It Worth the Time
For agencies and freelancers managing Microsoft Advertising accounts, the certification is a useful credential. For direct advertisers considering Performance Max, the second course provides enough practical guidance to launch confidently.
The format is self paced and free. For anyone running Microsoft Advertising campaigns who has not yet tested Performance Max, the learning path is a practical starting point. If you want hands on support launching or optimising Performance Max campaigns, our launch and scale services are built for exactly that. Make sure your conversion tracking is properly configured before you start.
This insight is based on content originally published on the Microsoft Advertising Blog, rewritten with added context and perspective by Scepter Digital.
