Google Is Moving Your Search Campaigns to AI Max. Here Is What to Check First
Google is upgrading Search campaigns to AI Max through September 2026. Here is what changes, what the data says, and the checklist to run before and after the upgrade.
Short answer: between 1 and 30 September 2026, Google is automatically upgrading Search campaigns that use campaign-level broad match or legacy automatically created assets to AI Max. You cannot opt out of the upgrade, but you do control how far it reaches. Set your guardrails before it lands, then judge it on AI Max match data, not on account totals.
Your campaign names, IDs and structure stay the same. What changes is which searches your ads can show on, what those ads say, and which page a click lands on. That is not a disaster, and it is not free performance either. Below is what is actually changing, what the evidence says, and the checklist we run so the upgrade can be measured rather than guessed at.
What is happening, and when
| Date | What changes |
|---|---|
| 3 August 2026 | Creation of campaign-level broad match and legacy automatically created assets (ACA) stopped in the Google Ads UI, Ads Editor and API |
| 1–30 September 2026 | Existing broad match and ACA campaigns are upgraded automatically, using equivalent AI Max settings |
| 1–28 February 2027 | Dynamic Search Ads migrate to AI Max, and new DSA ad groups can no longer be created |
The DSA date was originally September. Google pushed it back after advertisers asked for more room around Q4 planning. So for most accounts, this month is about broad match and automated assets. DSA comes next.
What AI Max actually changes
Google describes AI Max as an optimisation layer inside your existing Search campaigns, not a new campaign type. It has three parts:
- Search term matching. Broad match plus “keywordless” matching, which uses your landing pages, ads and existing keywords to find queries you never bid on.
- Text customisation. Headlines and descriptions generated from your landing pages and existing ads.
- Final URL expansion. Google chooses the page on your domain it thinks best fits the query, instead of the one you set.
The third one catches teams out. When final URL expansion is on, Google’s own help documentation says pinned RSA assets are not respected. If you pinned a headline for legal, compliance or pricing reasons, that pin stops doing its job.
What the data says
Google’s number: at launch in May 2025, Google said advertisers who activate AI Max “typically see 14% more conversions or conversion value at a similar CPA/ROAS”, rising to 27% for campaigns still mostly on exact and phrase match. That figure comes from Google’s internal data and excludes retail advertisers.
An independent number: Smarter Ecommerce analysed more than 250 retail campaigns. Median revenue rose 13%, but median CPA rose 16%, and ROAS ranged from +42% to −35%. Their summary: turning on AI Max is “essentially a coin toss” on efficiency.
Both can be true. AI Max reliably finds more volume. Whether that volume is profitable depends on your margins, your conversion tracking, and how well you fence it in. If you do not have a margin-based target yet, set one first — our guide to what a good ROAS is walks through the formula.
The checklist: before the upgrade reaches your account
1. Export a baseline now. Save 60–90 days of search terms, keyword performance, CPA, ROAS and conversion rate per campaign. After the upgrade, the only comparison that matters is before and after, and the “before” gets harder to reconstruct.
2. Tidy your negative keywords. Negatives still apply under AI Max, and they are now your main filter. Add the themes you have already paid to exclude: jobs, free, DIY, competitor names you do not want, and locations you do not serve.
3. Set brand exclusions and inclusions. AI Max supports campaign-level brand exclusions and campaign or ad-group-level brand inclusions. For non-brand campaigns, exclude your own brand. Otherwise AI Max will happily pick up brand searches you would have won cheaply anyway, and your non-brand results will look better than they are.
4. Add URL exclusions. Final URL expansion can send paid clicks to any page on your domain — blog posts, careers, terms, expired offers. Exclude everything that is not built to convert. This matters even more if you keep campaign landing pages separate from organic pages; we explained why in why your ad landing pages should be invisible to Google.
5. Decide on text customisation and final URL expansion deliberately. Each can be switched off individually in campaign settings. For healthcare, finance, education or any category with claims restrictions, start with text customisation off and turn it on only after you have reviewed what it writes.
6. Use locations of interest where geography matters. For clinics, showrooms and service-area businesses, set locations of interest at ad-group level. Keywordless matching does not know you only serve Thane.
7. Check that budget and tracking can carry it. AI Max needs room to explore, and Google flags campaigns that are limited by budget. It also optimises towards whatever you call a conversion. If that includes page views or low-quality form fills, it will find you more of those.
The first 30 days after the upgrade
The new reporting is genuinely useful, if you look at it:
- Search terms report: a new “AI Max” match type and a Source column showing whether a match came from broad match expansion or keywordless matching.
- Keywords report: aggregate rows for “Total: AI Max expanded matches” and “Total: AI Max landing page matches”.
- Landing pages report: a “Selected by” column showing whether you or Google chose the page.
- Asset report: a new tab for expanded final URL assets.
The one comparison that matters is CPA or ROAS for AI Max matches against your own keywords, campaign by campaign. If the AI Max rows sit within target, let them run. If they cost 30–50% more per conversion, tighten negatives and URL exclusions before you consider switching features off.
Do not judge it on a week of data. Low-volume campaigns need several weeks before the difference means anything — the same arithmetic as in how much traffic you need before an A/B test means anything.
What about Dynamic Search Ads?
You have until February 2027, but do not wait for the forced move. Run AI Max alongside your DSA campaigns now, while you can still compare the two, and migrate on your own schedule. A forced migration in February means learning on the new setup straight after the festive season, with no clean baseline to measure against.
The short version
AI Max is not optional; its configuration is. The accounts that do well treat the upgrade as a setup job: baseline, negatives, brand and URL fences, deliberate choices on text and landing pages, then a disciplined 30-day review. The accounts that struggle are the ones that let it arrive unexamined.
Search is not the only ad auction changing shape this year. ChatGPT Ads opened to Indian advertisers on 31 August 2026, matching on conversational intent rather than keywords — here is what is live in India, what it costs and who should test it.
Frequently asked questions
Can I opt out of the AI Max migration?
No. Campaigns using campaign-level broad match or legacy automatically created assets are upgraded automatically. You can still switch off text customisation and final URL expansion individually, and control reach with negative keywords, brand settings and URL exclusions.
Will AI Max change my campaign structure?
No. Campaign IDs, names and structure stay the same. AI Max works as a layer inside your existing Search campaigns.
Does AI Max improve results?
Google reports 14% more conversions or conversion value at a similar CPA/ROAS, and 27% for campaigns mostly on exact and phrase match. An independent study of more than 250 retail campaigns found 13% more revenue but a 16% higher CPA. Results vary widely by account.
When do Dynamic Search Ads move to AI Max?
Between 1 and 28 February 2027. New DSA ad groups cannot be created after that.
Does AI Max respect pinned headlines?
Not when final URL expansion is on. Google’s help documentation states that pinned RSA assets are not respected in that case.
Sources and method
Search Engine Land: Google sets AI Max migration timeline for Search campaigns and Google delays Dynamic Search Ads migration to AI Max. Google: AI Max for Search campaigns (Google Ads Help) and launch announcement. Reporting changes: Improvado. Retail study: Smarter Ecommerce, summarised by ALM Corp.
Written 24 September 2026, during the September upgrade window. We will update this page as Google publishes more on the February 2027 DSA migration.
If you would rather have someone audit your account before or after the upgrade, that is the kind of work we do — and here are the questions we would expect you to ask us first.
