AI Max for Search campaigns is a feature suite you switch on inside an ordinary Google Ads Search campaign. It adds search term matching beyond your keywords, AI-written ad text (text customization) and final URL expansion to other pages on your site. It’s on by default in new Search campaigns and needs conversion-based Smart Bidding to work properly.
Google announced AI Max in May 2025 and took it out of beta in April 2026. In September 2026 it began upgrading campaigns that used automatically created assets or the campaign-level broad match setting, with Dynamic Search Ads following from February 2027. Many advertisers now have AI Max whether they chose it or not.
Below: what each feature does, how AI Max compares with broad match and Performance Max, the controls that protect a small budget, and how to test it. New to Google Ads? Start with our beginner’s guide to Google Ads for small businesses.
Key takeaways
- AI Max is not a new campaign type: it’s a setting inside Search campaigns that bundles search term matching, text customization and final URL expansion.
- Search term matching doesn’t work with Manual CPC. Use a conversion-based Smart Bidding strategy backed by accurate conversion tracking.
- Negative keywords, brand exclusions, URL exclusions, text guidelines and ad group locations of interest keep AI Max traffic relevant.
- Test it with Google’s built-in AI Max experiment, which splits traffic inside one campaign, instead of comparing different months.
- Google reports extra conversions from AI Max, but judge it on your own cost per qualified lead and the searches it adds.
What is AI Max for Search campaigns?
AI Max is an optimization layer for existing Search campaigns, not a new campaign type. You turn it on in each campaign’s settings under AI Max, and it absorbs three older settings: campaign-level broad match, brand settings and automatically created assets, now called text customization.
| Date | What changed |
|---|---|
| May 2025 | Announced on May 6; a global beta starts later that month |
| April 2026 | AI Max leaves beta, and Google announces automatic upgrades |
| September 2026 | Campaigns using automatically created assets or campaign-level broad match are upgraded automatically |
| February 2027 | Dynamic Search Ads campaigns start upgrading automatically |
Upgraded campaigns mirror their old setup, so a campaign that used the broad match setting gets search term matching only. Check each campaign’s AI Max settings to see what’s actually on.
What does AI Max change in a Search campaign?
It changes three things: which searches can trigger your ads, what the ads say and which page people land on. Each feature has its own switch.
| Feature | What it does | Level and default | Watch for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Search term matching | Extends your keywords with broad match and keywordless matching based on your pages and assets | Ad group; on by default | Doesn’t work with Manual CPC |
| Text customization | Writes extra headlines and descriptions from your ads, pages and assets with generative AI | Campaign; on by default | Fully automated: you can remove assets but not edit them |
| Final URL expansion | Sends clicks to the page on your domain that best fits the search and the ad group’s theme | Campaign; on by default; needs text customization | Pinned assets are ignored when another URL is chosen |
Google recommends using all three and says the full suite averages 7% more conversions or conversion value at a similar CPA or ROAS than search term matching alone (internal 2026 data, non-retail advertisers). A cautious first test can start with search term matching and add the asset features later.
If you use a tracking template, check first that it uses the {lpurl} tag in a standard way. Google warns that static tracking URLs or unusual placements can send expanded landing pages to a 404 error.
AI Max vs broad match vs Performance Max: what’s the difference?
Broad match is a keyword match type. AI Max is a bundle of Search features that includes broad match, and Performance Max is a separate campaign type covering all Google ad inventory.
| Aspect | Broad match | AI Max for Search | Performance Max |
|---|---|---|---|
| What it is | A keyword match type | A feature suite inside a Search campaign | A separate, goal-based campaign type |
| Where ads show | Search network | Search network | Search, YouTube, Display, Discover, Gmail and Maps |
| How searches match | The meaning of your keywords | Broad match plus keywordless matching from your pages and assets | Search themes, assets, feeds and audience signals |
| Ad text | Your responsive search ads | Your ads plus AI-generated text | Assembled from your text, image and video assets |
| Landing page | Your final URL | Your final URL or an AI-selected page on your domain | Your final URL, or other pages with final URL expansion |
Exact match still comes first: a keyword identical to the search beats broad, phrase and AI Max matches and Performance Max. Beyond that, Google’s prioritization rules pick the most relevant ad group, and if AI Max and Performance Max are both eligible, the higher Ad Rank serves.
If you used the campaign-level broad match setting, note that AI Max doesn’t treat broad keywords like exact ones in prioritization. Add exact match copies of your most important keywords if you relied on that.
For more background, see our guides to keyword match types and Performance Max for small businesses.
Which AI Max controls should you set first?
Set negative keywords, brand lists and URL exclusions before you switch AI Max on, plus locations of interest and text guidelines where relevant. Once keywords aren’t the only thing deciding where ads appear, these are your main levers.
| Control | What it does | Level | Where to set it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Negative keywords | Block searches you never want; AI Max respects them | Campaign or ad group | Your usual negative keyword lists |
| Brand exclusions and inclusions | Keep ads off searches for listed brands, such as competitors, or limit matching to your own brand | Exclusions: campaign; inclusions: campaign or ad group | Lists in Tools → Shared library → Brand lists, applied in AI Max settings |
| URL exclusions | Keep final URL expansion away from pages such as careers or discontinued items | Campaign | Settings → AI Max → Final URL expansion → Add URL exclusions |
| URL inclusions | Point final URL expansion at pages it hasn’t picked up | Ad group | Ad groups → AI Max → Add URL inclusions |
| Locations of interest | Match only people interested in places you choose, even on keywordless matches | Ad group | Ad groups → Ad group settings for AI Max |
| Text guidelines (beta) | Term exclusions and messaging restrictions for AI-written text | Campaign | AI Max settings, with text customization on |
Example: a Lahore property developer could target the UAE and the UK at campaign level, with Lahore as an ad group’s location of interest. A search for plots in Lahore made in Dubai can match; a search for apartments in Dubai Marina can’t. Google’s location targeting documentation confirms people must meet both settings.
Google is also testing AI Brief, a way to guide AI Max in your own words, but it’s in closed beta. For now, text guidelines are the main way to block claims or words you never want in AI-written ads.
Watch out
Switching AI Max off turns off everything inside it, including brand and URL rules set there. To reduce automation, switch off individual features, such as final URL expansion, instead.
Should a small business turn on AI Max?
Test it if your conversion tracking counts real leads or sales, you use conversion-based bidding and the campaign isn’t limited by budget. If any of those is missing, fix it first.
| Test AI Max if | Wait or limit it if |
|---|---|
| Conversions are real leads or sales | Conversions include page views or button clicks |
| You use Maximize conversions, Target CPA, Maximize conversion value or Target ROAS | You use Manual CPC, where search term matching doesn’t work |
| The campaign could spend more than it does now | The campaign is limited by budget, which Google says makes AI Max ineffective |
| Every service or product has a clear, current page | Thin or outdated pages exist; exclude them or keep final URL expansion off |
| Your ad wording can vary | Your ads depend on pinned text, such as disclaimers; keep final URL expansion off |
On a small budget, test one campaign that already brings steady conversions, not the whole account. Unsure about tracking? Fix it first with our guide to Google Ads conversion tracking, or ask our Google Ads team to check it.
What do Google’s performance claims mean for you?
In its launch announcement, Google said advertisers activating AI Max typically see 14% more conversions or conversion value at a similar CPA or ROAS, and 27% for campaigns still mostly on exact and phrase match (internal 2025 data, non-retail advertisers). These are Google’s own averages, not independent tests. Your own experiment is the result that matters.
How do you run a fair AI Max test?
Use Google’s built-in AI Max experiment. It splits traffic inside the same campaign, with AI Max off for the control and on for the trial, so both halves run in the same weeks with the same budget and bids.
- Go to Campaigns → Experiments, select the plus button, then Campaign features and settings.
- Choose AI Max for Search campaigns and the campaign to test.
- Optionally deselect text customization or final URL expansion, and add brand inclusions or exclusions, which apply to both halves.
- Choose whether to apply the change automatically if results are favorable, then save.
The flow isn’t available if the campaign already uses text customization, a portfolio bid strategy, a shared budget or bidding exploration, targets the Display Network, or has another active experiment.
- Pick one success metric first, such as cost per qualified lead or return on ad spend.
- Don’t edit bids, budgets, ads or keywords during the test.
- Wait at least two weeks before adding negatives, as Google advises after enabling AI Max, then run until both halves have enough conversions to compare.
- Check which leads became customers, because extra volume only helps if it closes. If you don’t apply the experiment, AI Max settings revert to their pre-test state.
How do you read AI Max reports?
Four reports show what AI Max added: search terms, keywords, landing pages and assets. Review them weekly for the first month.
- Search terms: filter Match type to AI Max and add the Source column to see whether a match came from broad match expansion or keywordless matching. The Search terms and ad combinations view shows each search with its headline and landing page. The AI Max filter excludes “Other search terms”, so totals can look low.
- Keywords: the Total: AI Max expanded matches and Total: AI Max landing page matches rows show traffic added beyond your keywords.
- Landing pages: the Selected by column flags pages AI Max chose; exclude any that shouldn’t get ad traffic.
- Assets: AI-written text shows Google AI in the Added by column; remove anything off-brand.
You can add a poor search term as a negative keyword, or a page as a negative URL, straight from the search terms report. Google has also announced a unified report of search term, ad and landing page, with details due later in 2026.
How TechZone can help
TechZone manages Google Ads for businesses in Pakistan, the UK, the UAE, the USA, Canada and Australia. For AI Max, we check tracking and bidding first, set up brand lists, URL exclusions, locations of interest and negatives, then run an AI Max experiment and review search terms weekly, so you get a clear verdict on whether to keep it. See our digital marketing and Google Ads services, or book a free 30-minute call.
Frequently asked questions
Does AI Max cost extra in Google Ads?
AI Max doesn’t carry a separate fee in Google Ads: you still pay for clicks within the budget and bids you set. Because AI Max can match more searches, a campaign that wasn’t spending its full budget may spend more of it, so watch cost per conversion closely in the first weeks after switching AI Max on.
Can AI Max run without keywords?
AI Max can match searches without keywords by reading your landing pages and assets, and Google selects AI Max ad groups without keywords by Ad Rank. Most small businesses should still keep keywords in AI Max campaigns, because exact match keywords identical to a search get priority, and keywords tell AI Max which services and themes matter most.
Does AI Max replace broad match?
AI Max doesn’t remove broad match keywords. AI Max includes broad match expansion inside search term matching and replaces the old campaign-level broad match setting, which Google is upgrading into AI Max. Advertisers can still add broad, phrase and exact match keywords to ad groups in an AI Max campaign and use them to steer which searches matter.
What happens to Dynamic Search Ads campaigns?
Dynamic Search Ads campaigns will be upgraded to AI Max automatically from February 2027, after Google pushed back its original September 2026 date. Advertisers can upgrade earlier from the Dynamic Search Ads settings panel, which converts dynamic ad groups into standard ad groups and turns dynamic search ads into responsive search ads created with text customization.
Is there an AI Max for Shopping campaigns?
Google has announced AI Max for Shopping campaigns, which its help center lists as a beta. AI Max for Shopping uses Merchant Center product data to match long, conversational searches that standard Shopping campaigns can miss. AI Max for Search campaigns, the feature covered in this guide, has been out of beta since April 2026.
Sources and further reading
- How AI Max for Search campaigns works – Google Ads Help
- Set up AI Max for Search campaigns – Google Ads Help
- Frequently asked questions about AI Max for Search campaigns – Google Ads Help
- About AI Max experiments – Google Ads Help
- About reporting in AI Max for Search campaigns – Google Ads Help
- We're upgrading Dynamic Search Ads to AI Max – Google Ads & Commerce Blog
