Microsoft Advertising October 2026 Updates: What’s New

The Microsoft Advertising October 2026 updates introduce AI-assisted campaign creation, more Performance Max targeting controls, search reporting improvements, messaging guidelines and a generally available Conversions API. Announced on October 28, these changes give advertisers new ways to steer automated campaigns and understand their results. Our earlier Microsoft Advertising bulk-editing update covers a related way to handle disapproved assets.

Not everything is available to every advertiser yet. Some controls are generally available, some are in open pilot and others are rolling out later. Here is what changed, what is coming next and what B2B marketers should check before adjusting their campaigns.

Microsoft Advertising October 2026 updates: availability at a glance

According to Microsoft’s October 28 announcement, the updates cover campaign setup, targeting, search visibility, creative guidance and conversion measurement.

Feature	Status as of October 28, 2026	Why it matters
AI-assisted Performance Max creation	Announced; account availability not fully specified	Produces an editable campaign starting point from a website and supplied materials.
Age and gender targeting	Generally available	Lets advertisers include or exclude demographic groups in Performance Max.
Device targeting	Rolling out in the coming weeks	Adds device-level inclusion and exclusion controls.
Audience exclusions	Open pilot	Helps exclude selected audiences from Performance Max campaigns.
Refined brand exclusions	Pilot being refined	Allows branded text ads to be excluded while product ads can remain eligible for those searches.
Search term and auction insights reporting	Available	Shows more about queries and competitive dynamics.
Search term landing-page reporting	Rollout begins mid-November 2026	Connects queries with the landing pages receiving traffic.
Messaging guidelines	Open pilot	Lets advertisers set up to 40 guidelines for AI-generated copy.
Conversions API	Generally available	Enables server-to-server reporting of conversion events.

The distinction matters: a pilot feature is not a standard setting available in every account. Confirm eligibility before planning a campaign change around it.

AI-assisted Performance Max setup speeds up campaign creation

Microsoft’s new onboarding experience lets advertisers supply their website and materials such as product images, marketing plans and brand guidelines. The system generates an editable business snapshot and campaign recommendations, including creative assets, budgets and bidding settings. Microsoft describes a faster route to launching a first Performance Max campaign, but it has not specified universal account-by-account access or demonstrated that AI-created setups outperform carefully planned campaigns.

For a B2B SaaS company, an automatically generated campaign may miss distinctions between enterprise buyers and smaller accounts. Teams should still check product positioning, targeting assumptions, conversion goals and landing-page fit. The wider trade-offs are covered in OneMetrik’s Google vs Microsoft AI Max comparison.

Performance Max targeting controls add more precision

Age and gender targeting is generally available, while device targeting is being rolled out. Audience exclusions are in open pilot. Microsoft is also refining a brand-exclusion pilot so advertisers can exclude branded text-ad traffic without necessarily excluding product ads from those searches. That last distinction is important for retailers that want different rules for text and shopping placements.

Advertisers should not apply every new exclusion automatically. A device or demographic segment with low form volume may still generate high-value opportunities. Review downstream lead quality before removing it from a campaign.

Search term landing-page reporting arrives in November

Search term and auction insights reporting is available, while search term landing-page reporting is scheduled to begin rolling out in mid-November 2026. The upcoming report is intended to show which landing pages receive traffic from particular queries.

Consider a search for enterprise project management software that sends visitors to a general homepage instead of an enterprise solutions page. The search may be relevant, but the destination may not address the buyer’s requirements. Query-to-page visibility should make that mismatch easier to investigate, although the report alone cannot prove why a lead did not convert.

Pair these findings with campaign testing. OneMetrik’s coverage of Microsoft Performance Max experiments explains the role of controlled tests when assessing incremental performance.

Messaging guidelines offer more control over AI-generated ads

Microsoft Advertising messaging guidelines are in open pilot for Performance Max and Search campaigns with AI Max enabled. Advertisers can set up to 40 guidelines covering language, preferred terms, prohibited claims and brand voice.

For example, a B2B software business might instruct the system not to claim certifications it does not hold or promote unreleased capabilities. These guardrails are useful, but they are not an approval system. Advertisers remain responsible for reviewing factual and regulated claims, as discussed in OneMetrik’s Microsoft AI-generated ads policy coverage.

Microsoft Advertising Conversions API is generally available

The Microsoft Advertising Conversions API enables server-to-server conversion reporting from websites, apps and business systems, including CRMs. Microsoft recommends using it alongside Universal Event Tracking (UET), not simply replacing browser measurement.

For B2B teams, the opportunity is to send meaningful downstream events, such as a sales-qualified lead or opportunity, rather than optimize only for form submissions. A CRM integration must still be designed carefully around event definitions, identifiers, attribution and deduplication. OneMetrik’s guide to connecting ad spend to pipeline covers this measurement challenge in more detail.

What advertisers should do next

• Audit demand: Review available search term reports for irrelevant intent and excessive branded traffic.
• Check destinations: Compare high-intent queries with current landing pages, then revisit them when the new report rolls out.
• Review creative: Verify AI-generated claims and consider messaging guidelines if the account has pilot access.
• Improve conversion signals: Validate CRM stages and event quality before using CAPI outcomes for bidding decisions.

The goal is not to turn on every new setting. It is to improve control where campaign data supports a change. Teams that need help with targeting, measurement and automated campaigns can explore OneMetrik’s paid media management services.

OneMetrik Takeaway

Microsoft’s October releases combine faster AI-assisted setup with more opportunities to supervise campaign behavior. The strongest update for B2B advertisers may be Conversions API, because better-qualified conversion signals can matter more than faster campaign creation. Reporting and exclusions can help, but only when the data is strong enough to justify them.

Frequently asked questions