AI Max for Search: What It Does, When to Switch It On and How to Stay in Control

Short answer: AI Max for Search is not a new campaign type; it's a set of AI features inside a Search campaign, and Google turns it on by default for new Search campaigns. It does three things: search term matching (showing ads for relevant searches beyond your keywords), text customisation (AI-written headlines and descriptions) and final URL expansion (sending people to the most relevant page on your site). You steer it with brand controls, URL exclusions, text guidelines, locations and negatives, and it needs conversion-based Smart Bidding. Google is also upgrading Dynamic Search Ads to AI Max. Test it with an experiment and good tracking before switching fully.

This guide is part of our Google Ads cost series. For account management, see our Google Ads service.

What AI Max includes

Google's help centre notes that these features need conversion-based Smart Bidding to work effectively.

The DSA and broad match upgrade

Google has announced that campaigns using Dynamic Search Ads, automatically created assets and campaign-level broad match will be upgraded to AI Max. Google says the upgrades for automatically created assets and campaign-level broad match start in September 2026, while the Dynamic Search Ads upgrade was extended to February 2027, and that upgraded campaigns will start with settings mirroring the legacy setup. If you run DSA, plan your move now rather than waiting for the automatic switch.

When AI Max makes sense

• You have accurate conversion tracking and enough conversion volume for Smart Bidding. See Google Ads conversion tracking.
• Your site has good, relevant pages for many services or products (URL expansion depends on them)
• You want to find new searches you aren't covering with keywords
• You use or planned to use Dynamic Search Ads or broad match

When to be cautious

• Small budgets where every irrelevant click hurts
• Regulated industries where ad text must be approved (use text guidelines, or turn text customisation off)
• Sites with outdated or thin pages that URL expansion might send traffic to
• Weak or broken conversion tracking

How to stay in control

1. Run an AI Max experiment to compare performance against your current setup.
2. Use brand controls so you don't pay for competitor or irrelevant brand searches, and keep your own brand traffic where you want it.
3. Add URL exclusions for pages that shouldn't receive ad traffic (careers, blog posts, old offers).
4. Set text guidelines for words to avoid and the tone to use.
5. Keep strong negative keywords. See negative keywords.
6. Check location settings so ads show where you serve.
7. Review AI Max reports for search terms, generated headlines and landing pages, and adjust.

AI Max vs Performance Max vs standard Search

See Performance Max vs Search campaigns and Google Ads match types.

A worked example

A home improvement company with good conversion tracking runs an AI Max experiment on its main Search campaign, excluding its blog and careers pages, adding brand exclusions for manufacturer names it doesn't want to pay for, and setting text guidelines to avoid "cheap". After several weeks, the experiment finds additional relevant searches (such as specific project types it hadn't targeted) at a similar cost per lead, so the company applies AI Max while continuing weekly search term reviews. (Illustrative.)

Common mistakes

• Leaving AI Max on by default without reviewing settings
• Using it with poor conversion tracking
• No URL exclusions, so ads land on blog posts or old pages
• Ignoring generated ad text in regulated sectors
• Not checking search terms after switching on

The bottom line

AI Max for Search brings AI matching, ad text and landing page selection into Search campaigns, and it's becoming the default as Google retires Dynamic Search Ads. Use it with accurate conversion data, clear controls and an experiment-led rollout, and keep reviewing what it does.

Want an AI Max review of your Google Ads account? Request a free growth audit.