Google AI Max for Search: what it is, settings, timeline (2026)

By Piyush Sachdeva · Performance marketer. Founder of Performance Marketing News and Social Masla. · Drafted with AI assistance and checked against the linked official sources.

Published Oct 14, 2026Latest change Sep 23, 2026Last verified Oct 14, 2026

AI Max for Search is Google’s opt-in bundle of three automations for existing Search campaigns: search term matching, which lets a campaign serve on queries beyond its keywords; text customization, formerly automatically created assets, which generates headlines and descriptions from your ads, landing pages and assets; and final URL expansion, which sends traffic to the landing page Google predicts will convert best. It is not a campaign type. It became available to all advertisers globally in September 2025, gained built-in experiments and text guidelines, and from September 2026 Google is upgrading legacy features into it on a schedule that ends with the Dynamic Search Ads sunset in February 2027. This page is the reference; the dated briefs linked at the end cover each change as it happened.

Key facts
Platform	Google Ads
Feature	AI Max for Search campaigns
Latest change	Sep 23, 2026
Status	Available
Where available	Available to all advertisers globally in Google Ads, Google Ads Editor, Search Ads 360 and the Google Ads API since September 2025. Legacy text customization and campaign-level broad match campaigns are being auto-upgraded from September 2026; Dynamic Search Ads from February 2027.
Who is affected	Every Google Ads Search advertiser. Required reading for anyone running legacy automatically created assets, campaign-level broad match or Dynamic Search Ads.
Action needed	Decide per campaign. If you opt in, set brand lists, URL exclusions and text guidelines first, use the built-in experiment to measure, and read the search terms report with the Source column weekly.
Sources	Google Ads Help: About AI Max for Search campaigns · Google Ads Help: Set up AI Max for Search campaigns · Google Ads Help: About reporting in AI Max for Search campaigns · Google Ads Help: Text guidelines · Google Ads Help: About AI Max experiments · Google Ads & Commerce blog: AI Max for Search campaigns expands globally · Google Ads & Commerce blog: Upgrade to AI Max (updated 11 June 2026) · Google Ads & Commerce blog: New ways to test and plan with AI Max · Google Ads & Commerce blog: New AI Max features

The three features and what they require

Google’s overview describes AI Max as a suite of targeting and creative enhancements, combining broad match expansion, asset-based and keywordless targeting, creative optimization and improved reporting. The setup page adds the operating rules:

Search term matching uses broad match, asset-based and landing-page-based matching to extend reach. It is controlled at the ad group level and on by default when AI Max is enabled.
Text customization uses existing ads, landing page copy and assets with generative AI to write query-specific headlines and descriptions. On by default when you opt in; it can be turned off in campaign settings.
Final URL expansion sends traffic to the most relevant URL on your site when Google predicts better performance, limited to URLs relevant to the query and themed to the ad group. On by default; it requires text customization, so turning text customization off turns it off too. When it is on, pinned responsive search ad assets are not used if a different URL is chosen.

All three require conversion-based Smart Bidding to work effectively. AI Max is enabled per campaign under Settings › AI Max, or at creation on the AI Max step.

The controls

Brand inclusions and exclusions are managed as brand lists under Tools › Shared library › Brand lists and applied in the AI Max settings panel at campaign or ad group level. In an AI Max experiment they apply to both arms.
URL inclusions and exclusions sit on the Keywords page under the URL Inclusions and URL Exclusions tabs. Exclusions stop final URL expansion sending traffic to a URL; inclusions, set per ad group, add URLs expansion did not pick up.
Text guidelines, a campaign-level beta described on its help page, constrain generated text. Term exclusions block up to 25 exact words or phrases per campaign; messaging restrictions, up to 40, describe concepts or tones to avoid or adopt. They cannot block prices, do not support conditional instructions, and existing generated assets that break a new guideline stop serving. Set under Settings › AI Max › Asset optimization › Add text guidelines.
Experiments, documented on the experiments page, split a campaign into control and treatment arms from Campaigns › Experiments or the AI Max recommendation. Campaigns with text customization already on, Display Network targeting, portfolio bidding, shared budgets, bidding exploration or another active experiment are ineligible.

The reports

Google’s reporting page describes where AI Max shows its work. In the search terms report, the Source column shows where a match came from and the Match type filter isolates AI Max terms; the “Search terms and ad combinations” view pairs each term with the headline and landing page served, and terms or URLs can be added as negatives from there. The Keywords report ends with two totals, AI Max expanded matches and AI Max landing page matches. In asset reports, text written by text customization is marked “Google AI” in the Added by column, and the Expanded final URL assets tab lists asset and URL pairs served through expansion. The Landing pages report’s Selected by column shows whether AI Max chose the URL. Google asks for two weeks after enabling before adding negatives, and notes that generated assets cannot be bulk-removed in the interface, only through the API or Editor.

Google’s performance claims

Two figures recur. The overview says advertisers activating AI Max typically see 14% more conversions or conversion value at similar CPA or ROAS, footnoted “Google internal data, 2025; for non-Retail advertisers.” The upgrade announcement says the full suite delivers about 7% more than search term matching alone, footnoted “Google internal data, 2026; for non-Retail advertisers.” Both are Google’s aggregates, excluding retail, with no stated sample; the built-in experiment is the only way to get your own number.

Timeline

10 September 2025. AI Max opens to all advertisers globally in beta across Google Ads, Editor, Search Ads 360 and the API, with one-click experiments and text guidelines announced.
15 April 2026. Google announces that Dynamic Search Ads, automatically created assets and campaign-level broad match will be upgraded into AI Max, with voluntary tools first and automatic upgrades from September.
11 June 2026. The DSA sunset and auto-upgrade are postponed to February 2027; the text customization and broad match schedule is unchanged.
20 August 2026. Experiments can keep brand and location controls on in both arms; a multi-campaign budget and ROI-target test is announced for September; Performance Planner gains one-click application of bidding and budget changes.
September 2026. Automatic upgrades begin for campaigns using text customization or the campaign-level broad match setting, with search term matching on by default.
23 September 2026. AI Brief, the closed beta for giving AI Max business context, adds Dutch, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese and Spanish; a unified Search journey report showing search term, asset and landing page is announced with availability “later this year.”
February 2027. Dynamic Search Ads sunset and automatic upgrade begin.

Our view

AI Max is a bundle, and the bundle is the problem. Search term matching changes which queries you buy; final URL expansion changes where you send them; text customization changes what the ad says. Each is defensible on its own, and each needs a different control. Our advice is to opt in with the controls set first, brand lists and URL exclusions before the toggle, text guidelines before text customization, and to measure with the built-in experiment rather than before-and-after. Then live in the search terms report with the Source column for a month. Accounts that depend on exact query control, pinned headlines or a single approved landing page should turn final URL expansion off and may be better served staying out until the February 2027 deadline forces the DSA question.

What to do

Before opting in, create a brand list under Tools › Shared library › Brand lists and add URL exclusions on the Keywords page for pages that must not receive paid traffic.
Under Settings › AI Max › Asset optimization, decide text customization and final URL expansion separately, and add text guidelines for restricted terms and tone if text customization stays on.
Run the change as an AI Max experiment with auto-apply off, after checking the ineligibility list.
Weekly, open the search terms report with the Source column and the Keywords report’s two AI Max total rows; add negatives after the two-week settling period Google asks for.
Check the Landing pages report’s Selected by column and the Expanded final URL assets tab to see where expansion sent traffic and which generated headlines served.

Still unknown

Google has not given a date for the unified journey report, setup details for the multi-campaign budget test, or a day in February 2027 for the DSA sunset. The 14% and 7% figures have no sample or period beyond the year. AI Brief remains a closed beta with no public access route.

Coverage on this site

AI Max experiments: budget and ROI tests, brand controls kept on, 20 August 2026.
AI Max auto-upgrade timeline: DSA sunset moved to February 2027, updated 11 June 2026.

Frequently asked questions

What is AI Max in Google Ads?

An opt-in set of enhancements for existing Search campaigns, not a new campaign type. It turns on search term matching, text customization and final URL expansion together, with brand, URL and text controls. Google Ads Help describes it as a suite of targeting and creative enhancements powered by Google AI.

Does AI Max require Smart Bidding?

Google’s setup page says search term matching, final URL expansion and text customization require conversion-based Smart Bidding strategies to work effectively, such as Maximise conversions, Maximise conversion value, Target CPA or Target ROAS.

How do I see which search terms AI Max added?

In the search terms report, add the Source column, or filter Match type for AI Max. The Keywords report shows two total rows, AI Max expanded matches and AI Max landing page matches. The view “Search terms and ad combinations” shows each term with the headline and landing page served.

Can I use AI Max without final URL expansion?

Yes. Final URL expansion and text customization can each be turned off in the campaign’s AI Max settings, though final URL expansion needs text customization on. If you rely on pinned headlines, Google’s FAQ advises not using final URL expansion or URL inclusions, because pinned assets are not used when a different URL is chosen.

Official sources

Related coverage

Update history

Oct 14, 2026 — Reference page created from Google’s help centre and four dated announcements. It consolidates the three AI Max briefs published on this site and will be updated as Google changes the feature.

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