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Quick summary
Google has taken AI Max for Search out of beta. Some older search campaigns were moved into it in September 2026 without the advertiser doing anything. This post explains what Google Ads AI Max does, how it is different from Performance Max, the AI Max settings to check in your account, and how to decide if you want it on.
What is AI Max for Search?
AI Max for Search is not a new campaign type. It is a set of features you turn on inside a normal search campaign. Your budget, location and language settings stay the same, and the campaign keeps its ID.
Three parts do most of the work. Search term matching finds searches your keyword list missed, using your ads and landing pages as a guide. Text customisation writes extra headlines and descriptions from your existing ads and website. Final URL expansion can send a visitor to a different page on your site if Google thinks it fits the search better. You also get brand controls and locations of interest.
Ads run on Google Search and search partners only. They do not go to YouTube, Display or Gmail.
What changed in 2026?
Here are the dates that matter:
- April 2026: Google moved AI Max out of beta.
- 3 August 2026: You can no longer create new campaigns with the campaign-level broad match setting or the old automatically created assets setting.
- 1 to 30 September 2026: Campaigns still using those two settings were moved into AI Max. Broadmatch campaigns came over with search term matching on. Automatically created assets campaigns got search term matching and text customisation.
- October 2026: Google added a preview of up to 10 sample headlines and descriptions before you turn on text customisation. New report columns also started showing which campaigns use settings like brand inclusions, locations of interest and optimised targeting.
- 1 to 28 February 2027: Dynamic Search Ads are due to move over. Google first planned this for September, then pushed it back after advertisers asked for more time.
So if you had campaign-level broad match or automatically created assets switched on, you may already be running Google Ads AI Max today. A lot of people only notice when the search term report starts looking different.
At 360 Digital Idea, the first thing we do after a Google change like this is simple. We list which campaigns were upgraded, then compare the last few weeks against the weeks before the move. It is a small job, and it tells you quickly whether anything shifted.
AI Max vs Performance Max: what is the real difference?
People mix these two up because both use Google’s AI to find customers. The main difference is where they run and how much you get to see.
| Basis: | AI Max (inside Search): | Performance Max: |
| Campaign type | A setting inside a search campaign | A separate campaign type |
| Where ads show? | Google Search and Search Partners | Search, YouTube, Display, Discover, Gmail and Maps |
| Keywords | You still use keywords and negatives. | Works mostly without keywords |
| Search term data | Visible in the search terms report | Limited |
| Creative | Text built from your ads and site | Text, images and video from asset groups |
Google has described AI Max as bringing the kind of AI that Performance Max uses into search campaigns, only limited to search. In the AI Max vs Performance Max choice, I lean towards AI Max when you care about seeing search terms and keeping your keyword structure. Performance Max makes more sense when you want one campaign across every Google channel, and you already have the images and video for it. Plenty of accounts run both, and then you need to watch for the two competing for the same searches.
What did Google promise, and what did others find?
Google’s launch figures from its early tests were an average of 14% more conversions or conversion value at a similar CPA or ROAS. For campaigns that mostly used exact and phrase matches, the figure was up to 27%. Those were Google’s own numbers from 2025.
Independent reviews since then are mixed. Some found that the extra conversions cost more than the ones your keywords were already bringing in. We read that as AI Max being a way to get more volume, not a way to cut costs. That is fine if volume is what you want, but it is better to know it going in.
AI Max settings to check in your account:
Go to Campaigns, then Settings, and open the AI Max section. Then work through these seven.
- Is it switched on? Look at each search campaign and note which ones have AI Max enabled. The new columns from October make this faster.
- Search term matching. It is on by default when AI Max is on, and you can turn it off at the ad group level. Tightly themed ad groups, like brand terms, often do better with it off.
- Text customisation. Read the preview of up to 10 sample headlines first. Add text guidelines for words or topics to avoid, then check the asset report after launch.
- Final URL expansion and URL exclusions. Exclude pages you do not want ads sent to, like careers, login pages or old offers. Google’s guidance says text Customisation and final URL expansion are linked, so after you switch one off, look at the other.
- Brand settings. Add brand inclusions or exclusions. New search campaigns now need AI Max switched on to use brand controls at all.
- Locations of interest. Your campaign location targeting still sets the outer limit. If it is set to presence only, ads show only to people who are physically in the area, whatever you set here.
- Search terms report and negatives. Negative keywords still work. Open the search terms report, filter for AI Max matches, and add negatives every week for the first month.
When we audit a Google Ads account at 360 Digital Idea, we go through a list like this one and write up what we find in plain language for the client. We would rather the client understand each setting than just trust us.
Should I turn on AI Max? A simple way to decide:
It is usually a good fit when:
- Your campaigns lean on exact and phrase matches, and you suspect you are missing searches.
- Your conversion tracking counts real leads or sales, not junk form fills.
- Your landing pages are current and say clearly what you sell.
- You can look at search terms at least once a week.
We would wait when:
Your ads need strict wording, such as legal, medical or finance claims.
Your tracking is messy. AI Max will go looking for more of whatever you are counting.
Your landing pages are old, since text customisation draws on them and can repeat out-of-date details.
Here is a hypothetical example. A coaching institute in Dwarka bids on “IELTS coaching in Dwarka” as an exact match. With search term matching on, the ad may start showing for “best IELTS classes near Sector 12”, which the keyword list never had. It may also show for “free IELTS practice test”, which rarely brings an admission. That is why the negative step matters.
My own rule is to test one campaign for four to six weeks and compare it with the period before. Google also has a one-click experiment option in the campaign flow, which makes a clean split easier.
If you want a second opinion before switching anything on, our PPC team at 360 Digital Idea can look at the account with you. We also run ecommerce PPC and lead generation campaigns, so we can check how AI Max fits your actual goal, whether that is orders or enquiries.
Conclusion
AI Max for Search is neither good nor bad on its own. It adds reach, it gives Google more of the decisions, and it works best when someone is watching it. If you are asking, should I turn on AI Max, start with one campaign, go through the AI Max settings to check above, and give it a month? Look at the search terms, the cost per lead or sale, and the ads Google writes for you. Then decide.
FAQs
Q1. What is AI Max for Search in Google Ads?
It is a setting inside a search campaign that adds search term matching, text customisation, and final URL expansion, plus brand controls and locations of interest. It is not a new campaign type.
Q2. Is Google Ads AI Max the same as Performance Max?
No. On AI Max vs Performance Max, the short version is that AI Max stays inside Search and keeps your keywords and search terms report. Performance Max runs across Google’s channels and shows you less.
Q3. Is AI Max mandatory?
Not for everyone. Google moved campaigns using campaign-level broad match or automatically created assets in September 2026, and plans to move Dynamic Search Ads in February 2027. If you use none of those, AI Max stays off until you switch it on.
Q4. Can I turn AI Max off?
Yes, you can switch off single features or the whole thing in campaign settings. Some features, like text customisation and brand lists, sit inside AI Max, so turning it off removes them too.
Q5. Does AI Max replace my keywords?
No. Your keywords and negative keywords still work. AI Max expands around them.
Q6. Should I turn on AI Max if my budget is small?
Maybe, but test it on one campaign only. With few conversions each month, Google has less to learn from, and every odd click takes a bigger share of a small budget.
Q7. Will AI Max change my ad copy without asking?
If text customisation is on, yes, it can add headlines and descriptions. You can preview sample copy first, set text guidelines, and review the asset report once it is running.
