Google Moved Some Search Campaigns to AI Max. Here Is What to Check This Month.

Starting in September 2026, Google began automatically upgrading some Search campaigns to a feature set called AI Max. If your campaigns used the campaign-level broad match setting or Automatically Created Assets, yours may now run differently even though you did not touch them. This guide explains what AI Max is and what to check in the account this month, whether you run your ads yourself or use a Google Ads management service.

What AI Max is

AI Max is a bundle of three features that sit inside a normal Search campaign. Google's announcement names them as the full feature suite: search term matching, text customization and final URL expansion. Google's own blog describes AI Max as the next generation of Dynamic Search Ads.

Search term matching expands your keywords. Text customization uses your existing ads, landing page copy and assets, plus generative AI, to write ad copy aimed at specific searches. Final URL expansion sends visitors to other pages on your site when Google expects a better result. Google's AI Max documentation describes all three.

Google also publishes a performance figure: campaigns using the full feature suite see an average of 7% more conversions or conversion value at a similar CPA or ROAS, compared with using search term matching alone. The footnote says this is Google internal data from 2026 for non-Retail advertisers. It is Google's claim about its own product, not a forecast for your account.

Which campaigns Google upgraded, and when

Google began auto-upgrading Search campaigns that used the campaign-level broad match setting or Automatically Created Assets in September 2026, and said it expected those upgrades to finish by the end of September. Dynamic Search Ads campaigns come later: Google extended that timeline, and its announcement says the sunset and auto-upgrade for Dynamic Search Ads begin in February 2027.

Google says AI Max is enabled with settings configured to mirror your legacy setup. For Dynamic Search Ads campaigns, dynamic ad groups move to standard ad groups with settings and data carried over. The same post recommends upgrading yourself to stay in control of the setup.

If your campaigns used the campaign-level broad match setting or Automatically Created Assets, check what the upgrade did. If you still run Dynamic Search Ads, you have until February 2027 to choose your own settings instead of inheriting them.

What changes for the owner

AI Max can change three things: which searches trigger your ads, who writes some of the ad text, and which page the visitor lands on. An automatic upgrade does not switch on all three. Google says campaigns upgraded from campaign-level broad match get search term matching, campaigns upgraded from Automatically Created Assets get search term matching and text customization, and only Dynamic Search Ads upgrades also get final URL expansion. Each feature has its own control.

Search term matching

Your ads can appear for searches your keyword list does not spell out. Google describes this as expanding your existing keywords using broad match and keywordless technology to find more relevant queries. Google's reporting help says you can filter the search terms report by the AI Max match type.

Generated assets

Google can add headlines and descriptions to the ones you wrote. Google's help page says text customization generates extra assets for use alongside your responsive search ad assets, using generative AI. In reporting, Google-customized text assets are marked Google AI in the Added by column. Google also offers text guidelines to exclude terms and restrict messaging, though its help pages call them a test, so they may not be in your account.

Landing page choice

Google may send a click to a page you did not pick. Its documentation says final URL expansion only sends traffic to URLs relevant to the query and themed to your ad group. You can add URL inclusions and exclusions, and Google says you can switch off text customization and final URL expansion in campaign settings, but final URL expansion only works while text customization is on.

One detail matters for advertisers who pin headlines. Google's FAQ says pinned responsive search ad assets are not respected when text customization and final URL expansion are both on, or when URL inclusions are used. If pinning matters to you, leave both of those off.

What to check in the account this month

Start with what changed, then read the searches, the text and the pages Google chose. Write down what you find before you change anything.

1. Confirm the setup. Open each Search campaign's settings and note whether AI Max is on and which features are enabled. Campaigns created recently count too, because Google turns AI Max on by default for new Search campaigns. In the keywords report, Google adds total rows for AI Max expanded matches and AI Max landing page matches.
2. Read the search terms report. Filter by the AI Max match type, sort by spend, and mark every search unrelated to what you sell. Add those as negative keywords, and compare cost per lead for AI Max searches against the rest. Google says negative keywords still apply with AI Max, and suggests waiting two weeks after AI Max is switched on before adding them.
3. Check brand controls. Google's AI Max controls include brand inclusions and brand exclusions. Make sure your brand name is not served by a campaign that should be generic, and not blocked from the one that should show it.
4. Review the generated assets. In the asset report, look for assets marked Google AI in the Added by column and read every headline and description as a customer would. Remove anything that states a price, offer, service area or claim you cannot stand behind.
5. Review the landing pages report. It includes Final URL Expansion pages. Exclude any page that should not receive paid clicks, such as a careers page, a blog post or a thin page with no way to contact you.
6. Check conversion tracking. Google's documentation says these features require conversion-based Smart Bidding to function effectively. If the campaign still uses Manual CPC, Google says search term matching will not work at all. Confirm that counted conversions are real leads (calls, forms, bookings), that nothing is counted twice, and that the numbers match your inbox or CRM.
7. Check the budget. Google says AI Max will not be effective if a campaign is limited by budget, so note any that run out of daily budget early.

Compare results to the same stretch before the change, using cost per lead rather than clicks. If AI Max searches bring leads at a fair cost, leave them alone. If they bring irrelevant clicks, tighten the controls first.

Fix the things AI Max cannot fix

AI Max does not make a page convert or an offer sharper. If clicks land on pages that do not turn visitors into leads, conversion rate optimization is the right fix. If the numbers in your account do not match your real leads, start with analytics and reporting.

If results soften, check whether your ads have gone stale before blaming the setting. We cover the signs in the psychology of ad fatigue. The paid advertising page explains when to start with Google Ads and when with Meta Ads.

What to do this week

1. Log in and list every Search campaign that now has AI Max switched on, and every campaign still running Dynamic Search Ads.
2. Export the search terms report for the last 30 days and read the top 50 searches by spend.
3. Read the Google AI assets and the landing pages report, and write down anything wrong.
4. Check that your conversion actions match the leads you actually received.
5. If you still run Dynamic Search Ads, put a date on your calendar well before February 2027 to decide your own AI Max settings.