The AI Max timeline
| When | What |
|---|---|
| May 2025 | AI Max for Search launches as a campaign setting, in beta |
| June 2026 | Google moves the automatic DSA upgrade from September 2026 to February 2027 and lets advertisers create DSA campaigns again |
| September 2026 | Search campaigns using automatically created assets or campaign-level broad match are upgraded to AI Max |
| January 2027 | Creating new DSA campaigns ends, according to trade reports |
| February 2027 | Remaining DSA campaigns are upgraded automatically |
Sources: Search Engine Land, Google, PPC Land. Checked 25 October 2026. Check Google Ads notifications in your account for the date that applies to you.
What the upgrade changes
- Ad groups. Dynamic ad groups become standard ad groups. Headlines no longer come from your page titles; ads become responsive search ads, which text customisation can rewrite per search.
- Three features on by default. Search term matching (keywordless matching from your site and assets), text customisation (generated headlines and descriptions) and final URL expansion (Google picks the landing page). Campaigns upgraded from campaign-level broad match get search term matching only.
- URL targeting. Reports say page feeds and URL rules carry over, while page title rules become read-only: you can delete them, not edit them.
- Pinned assets. With final URL expansion on, pinned headlines and descriptions are not respected. That matters wherever copy has to be approved, such as regulated claims.
- Negative keywords. Guides disagree on how completely they carry over. Check every campaign-level negative and shared list after the upgrade.
What the data shows
Google says advertisers who switch on 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 (Campaign Asia). Independent numbers are less even:
- Smarter Ecommerce looked at about 250 retail Search campaigns: a median 13% more revenue at a median 16% higher CPA, with ROAS ranging from about +42% to −35% between accounts (Search Engine Land).
- Where a campaign already runs broad match, part of what AI Max reports as new traffic can be searches your keywords already reached. Check the overlap before counting it as growth.
Two things follow. An average says little about your account, so test it. And more volume at a higher CPA can be worth it, as a decision you made with the numbers in front of you.
A checklist before you migrate
- Save a baseline. Export the last 90 days of DSA search terms, landing pages, conversions and CPA or ROAS per campaign. After the upgrade, this is what you compare against.
- Exclude pages. Add URL exclusions for pages that should never be landing pages: blog, careers, login, thank-you, support, old offers. Google's API documentation lists the same examples.
- Set brand controls. Brand exclusions work at campaign level, brand inclusions at campaign or ad group level (Google Ads Help). Keep brand traffic in your brand campaign so non-brand results aren't flattered by it.
- Copy every negative. Campaign-level negatives and shared lists, then check them again after the upgrade.
- Choose the features. A common order: search term matching first; text customisation once you've written text guidelines; final URL expansion only with exclusions in place and a site where every indexable page converts.
- Write text guidelines. Term exclusions and messaging restrictions for words generated copy must not use. Write the responsive search ads yourself too, since page titles no longer supply headlines.
- Run the experiment. Google's one-click AI Max experiment splits a Search campaign 50/50, with AI Max off in one half and on in the other, and supports brand and location controls (Search Engine Journal). Run it long enough to reach a result on your main conversion.
- Pick the date. Avoid starting a test or a migration in the Black Friday and December peak. A January test, then migrating before the February deadline, means you choose the settings before Google applies its defaults.
What to check every week after the switch
- Where the searches came from. In the search terms report, add the Source column and filter Match type for AI Max (Google Ads Help). Google warns that this filter can show lower totals because it leaves out “Other search terms”.
- Search term, headline and page together. The “Search terms and ad combinations” view shows which generated copy and which page each search got.
- Landing pages Google chose. The landing page report's “Selected by” column separates your URLs from AI Max's.
- Competitor and brand terms. Practitioners report AI Max leaning on competitor and location terms. Search your own brand and your main competitors and look at what shows.
- Cost per result against the baseline. Per campaign and per market, not account-wide, where a winning campaign hides a losing one.
When AI Max isn't working
| What you see | Likely cause | First fix |
|---|---|---|
| Clicks up, conversions flat | Search term matching reaching loosely related searches | Negatives from the AI Max search terms; tighten locations of interest |
| Traffic to blog, careers or support pages | Final URL expansion | URL exclusions, or switch final URL expansion off |
| Ad copy you didn't approve | Text customisation | Text guidelines; switch text customisation off for regulated ad groups |
| Non-brand CPA suddenly better | Brand searches matched into non-brand campaigns | Brand exclusions in non-brand campaigns |
| Search campaign volume falls while AI Max grows | AI Max taking searches your keywords already covered | Compare search term overlap before counting it as new volume |
For the bidding side of the same campaigns, see what you can still steer in Smart Bidding and Performance Max.
Nupact watches the searches AI Max adds.
Built for teams spending at least €500k a year on performance marketing. Nupact checks every Google Ads, Meta, TikTok and Amazon Ads account around the clock, on every dimension, against a per-market baseline. When cost per result drifts after a setting change, the alert reaches Slack, Teams or email with the cause diagnosed and the fix drafted.
Each change waits for approval, often one click in Slack, or runs inside guardrails you set per campaign and action type. Every action lands in the change log with its reasoning and can be reverted from there.
Questions about the move to AI Max
When will Google upgrade Dynamic Search Ads to AI Max?
Google moved the automatic upgrade of Dynamic Search Ads from September 2026 to February 2027, announced in June 2026. Trade reports say creating new DSA campaigns ends in January 2027. Campaigns using automatically created assets or campaign-level broad match were upgraded separately from September 2026.
What happens to my DSA campaigns when they move to AI Max?
Dynamic ad groups become standard ad groups with responsive search ads, and search term matching, text customisation and final URL expansion are switched on by default. Reports say page feeds and URL rules carry over, while page title rules become read-only.
Does AI Max improve results?
Google says advertisers typically see 14% more conversions or conversion value at a similar CPA or ROAS. Smarter Ecommerce's study of about 250 retail campaigns found a median 13% revenue lift with a median 16% higher CPA, and results ranged widely between accounts.
Can I turn off final URL expansion in AI Max?
Yes. Search term matching, text customisation and final URL expansion can be switched separately. With final URL expansion on, pinned assets in responsive search ads are not respected, so turn it off where a fixed landing page or approved copy matters.
How do I see which searches came from AI Max?
In the search terms report, add the Source column and filter Match type for AI Max. The Search terms and ad combinations view shows the search term, headline and landing page together. Google warns that the AI Max filter can show lower totals because it leaves out Other search terms.