SEMNovember 3, 2026

Google Ads AI Max: what changes in your Search campaigns and how to stay in control

Google is moving Search campaigns to AI Max, in some cases automatically. Here is what each feature does, which dates Google has given and what to check before letting AI expand your ads.

AI Max is a set of Google Ads features you turn on inside a Search campaign, not a new campaign type. It widens the searches your ad can show for, writes text based on your website and can send users to a different page on your domain. All of it can be limited with settings and exclusions.

Quick summary

▸Three features you can switch on separately: search term matching, text customization and final URL expansion.
▸According to Google, new Search campaigns have it turned on by default.
▸Automatic migration: Google is upgrading campaigns with automatically created assets and campaign-level broad match from September 2026, and campaigns with Dynamic Search Ads from February 2027.
▸Search term matching does not work with manual CPC: Google recommends conversion-based bidding.
▸Our rule: never turn it on without verified conversion tracking, because the AI learns from those conversions.

What is AI Max in Google Ads?

Google describes it as an optimization layer for Search campaigns that bundles targeting and creative enhancements. It has three features:

1.Search term matching. Expands your keywords with broad match and keywordless technology, which uses your ads, keywords and website to find new searches. It can be switched off per ad group.
2.Text customization (formerly “automatically created assets”). Generates headlines and descriptions from your ads, landing pages and assets.
3.Final URL expansion. Sends users to the page on your domain that best matches their search, within the ad group theme. It requires text customization: if you switch that off, final URL expansion goes off too.

AI Max also adds controls Search campaigns did not have before: brand exclusions and inclusions, URL exclusions and inclusions, locations of interest per ad group, and guidelines for generated text.

How is it different from broad match and DSA?

	Campaign-level broad match	DSA	AI Max
What it is	A setting that treats every keyword in the campaign as broad	An ad type that targets searches based on your website content	A layer of features inside a Search campaign
How searches are chosen	From your keywords	From your website pages	Keywords, broad match and keywordless matching
Ad text	Written by you	Headlines generated from your website	Your responsive ads plus text customization
Landing page	Set by you	Chosen by Google on your site	Yours, or the one chosen by final URL expansion
Main controls	Negative keywords	Page targets and exclusions	Negatives, brand and URL exclusions, inclusions, locations of interest and text guidelines
What happens next	Upgraded to AI Max from September 2026	Upgraded to AI Max from February 2027	Where the other two end up

An easily missed detail if you used the campaign-level broad match setting: with it, Google prioritizes each keyword as if it were both exact and broad. Once the campaign moves to AI Max, that stops. To keep that priority, Google suggests adding exact match copies of those keywords. If you are building your keyword list from scratch, see our guide to the Google Ads Keyword Planner.

Automatic migration: what will Google do and when?

On 15 April 2026 Google announced that DSA, automatically created assets and campaign-level broad match would move to AI Max from September 2026. On 11 June it updated that announcement: DSA is pushed back to February 2027, while the rest keeps September 2026. That is why you will find articles with different dates. This is the schedule currently shown in Google's help centre and blog:

What you have	Upgrade to AI Max, per Google	What it becomes
Automatically created assets (now text customization)	September 2026	AI Max with search term matching and text customization on
Campaign-level broad match	September 2026	AI Max with search term matching on
Dynamic Search Ads (DSA)	February 2027 (previously announced for September 2026)	Dynamic ad groups → standard ad groups; DSA → responsive search ads; all three features on and your existing URL controls kept

You can move first: Google offers an upgrade tool for DSA and an in-account banner for the rest. When a DSA campaign is upgraded, the old dynamic ads keep running during a transition period and are paused once the new responsive ads are eligible. Dates may change again: check the notices in your account and the Google Ads help centre before planning.

7 checks before turning on AI Max

They apply whether you switch it on yourself or Google migrates your campaign:

1.Verified conversion tracking. Every form, call or purchase is recorded once, with its value and no duplicates. Test it yourself before switching anything on. Without reliable data, the AI optimizes towards the wrong things.
2.Conversion-based bidding, outside the learning period. Search term matching does not work with manual CPC. And our rule: while a Smart Bidding strategy is learning (because it is new or you just changed it), leave it alone and do not turn on AI Max until learning ends.
3.A budget that is not limited. Google warns that AI Max will not be effective if the campaign is limited by budget. If you already run out of budget every day, wider matching just spreads the same money across more searches.
4.Search terms reviewed before adding negatives. Google recommends waiting at least two weeks after turning on AI Max before making changes such as adding negatives. Then review the search terms report and exclude what is unrelated to your business, not just what you had not thought of.
5.Brand exclusions. Set at campaign level (inclusions also per ad group). Decide whether you want to show for competitor searches and for brands you do not sell.
6.Final URL expansion and URL exclusions. Exclude pages you do not want paid traffic on: careers, blog, legal notices or services you no longer offer. Also check that your tracking templates work with the URLs Google picks.
7.Generated text under control. Review the assets Google AI has created in the asset report. With text guidelines (beta) you can block up to 25 terms and set up to 40 messaging restrictions per campaign: prices, timeframes or promises you cannot keep.

To measure the effect before deciding, Google lets you run an AI Max experiment that splits the campaign's own traffic and budget between a share with AI Max and one without it, without duplicating the campaign. If you do not apply the result, the campaign goes back to its previous settings.

How do you read the AI Max reports?

There are four places to see what the AI has done:

▸Search terms. Filter the match type “AI Max” to see the searches it added. The search terms and ad combinations view also shows the headline and landing page used.
▸Keywords. At the bottom of the table there are two total rows: AI Max expanded matches and AI Max landing page matches.
▸Assets. At campaign level, a tab lists the expanded final URLs. In the ad-level report, generated text is marked as added by Google AI.
▸Landing pages. Shows performance per URL, including final URL expansion, and a column tells you whether AI Max selected it.

And what usually comes next, depending on what you see:

What you see	What to do
Searches unrelated to your business	Add negatives, after reviewing the report
Ads on competitor searches you do not want	Brand exclusion in the campaign
Traffic to pages that do not convert	URL exclusion or switch off final URL expansion
Text with promises you cannot keep	Remove the asset and add a text guideline
Cost per conversion rises after the test	Compare with an experiment and switch off the feature causing it

Is AI Max worth it for a small business?

Google states that non-retail advertisers who activate AI Max typically see 14% more conversions or conversion value at a similar CPA or ROAS (Google internal data, 2025). It is Google's own average across many advertisers, not a forecast for your account. What decides whether it suits you is your starting point:

Criterion	Worth testing	Better to wait
Conversions	Tracked, reliable and with enough volume	Not tracked, or forms that are not recorded
Bidding	Conversion-based and stable	Manual CPC or a strategy you just changed
Budget	Not used up every day	Limited by budget daily
Website	Clear service pages, one per service	Thin content or pages mixing services
Time	Someone reviews search terms and text every week	Nobody reviews the account

If you are still deciding between ads and organic search, we compare them in when to choose SEO or Google Ads. And if you are worried about what the agency takes, see what Google Ads with no commission on budget means.

Would you rather have someone review AI Max for you?

In our Google Ads management we verify conversion tracking, set up exclusions and add negatives based on real search terms. Fixed monthly fee, no commission on your ad spend.

See Google Ads management

Frequently asked questions

Is AI Max a new campaign type?

No. According to the Google Ads help centre, it is an optimization layer you turn on inside a Search campaign. Your keywords, ads, negatives and budget stay in place; AI Max adds search term matching, text customization and final URL expansion.

Can I turn AI Max off?

Yes. Google says turning it off disables all its features and that turning it back on restores your previous settings. You can also switch off only search term matching in a specific ad group.

Does AI Max work with manual CPC?

Only partly. Google explains that search term matching does not work with manual CPC bidding and recommends a conversion or conversion value-based bidding strategy.

Are my negative keywords respected?

Yes. The Google Ads help centre says negative keywords are respected with AI Max turned on. Even so, review the search terms report before adding new negatives, so you do not cut off searches that do convert.

What happens if I do nothing with my Dynamic Search Ads?

According to the Google Ads help centre, from February 2027 campaigns using Dynamic Search Ads will be upgraded to AI Max automatically: dynamic ad groups become standard ad groups and dynamic ads become responsive search ads. It is better to review URL exclusions and text beforehand, or upgrade yourself with an experiment.

Sources

Checked on 28 October 2026.

Google Ads Help: About AI Max for Search campaigns. https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/15910366
Google Ads Help: How AI Max for Search campaigns works (brand, URL and location controls). https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/15910187
Google Ads Help: Set up AI Max for Search campaigns (DSA upgrade, text customization, final URL expansion). https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/15909989
Google Ads Help: Frequently asked questions about AI Max. https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/15913066
Google Ads Help: About reporting in AI Max for Search campaigns. https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/16470459
Google Ads Help: Text guidelines (beta). https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/16489313
Google Ads Help: About AI Max experiments. https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/16450159
Google Ads Help: About the broad match keywords campaign setting (upgrade to AI Max from September 2026). https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/13389795
Google Ads Help: About Dynamic Search Ads (upgrade to AI Max from February 2027). https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/2471185
Google blog: Dynamic Search Ads are upgrading to AI Max (15/04/2026, updated 11/06/2026). https://blog.google/products/ads-commerce/dsa-upgrade-to-ai-max-2026/
Google Ads Developer Blog: DSA Automigration Delayed to February 2027 (11/06/2026). https://ads-developers.googleblog.com/2026/06/dynamic-search-ads-dsa-automigration.html

Related services: Google Ads management · Free digital audit