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AI Max is an optimization layer inside Google Search campaigns, not a separate campaign type. It combines broader search-term matching, AI-generated ad text, automated landing-page selection, location-of-interest matching, brand and URL controls, and expanded reporting; each feature has its own controls and prerequisites.
For new Search campaigns, Google selects AI Max by default. When you activate it, text customization and Final URL expansion are selected by default, although you can change those choices. Final URL expansion requires text customization. The sections below explain what every setting does, what can override existing behavior, and how to test the rollout safely. Google’s setup guide and AI Max documentation are the authoritative references for the current interface.
What AI Max includes
AI Max groups several automation features that previously appeared as separate Search campaign options. You can enable the suite while retaining campaign, ad-group, keyword, bidding, negative-keyword and brand controls. The controls do not all operate at the same level, so a campaign-level choice may be required before an ad-group setting becomes available.
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Outbyte Driver Updater FREEScan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Outbyte PC Repair FREERepair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →| Setting | Where you control it | What it changes | Important dependency or limitation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Search term matching | Campaign switch, then ad-group controls | Finds additional queries using broad-match, asset-based and landing-page-based signals | Needs conversion-based Smart Bidding to function effectively; does not work with Manual CPC |
| Text customization | Campaign-level asset optimization | Generates additional headlines and descriptions from your site and existing campaign context | Review generated assets; text guidelines can restrict wording |
| Final URL expansion | Campaign-level, with URL controls | Sends a click to a more query-relevant page on your domain | Requires text customization; pinned assets may not be honored when the destination changes |
| URL inclusions and exclusions | Eligible destinations, including ad-group URL inclusions | Defines pages that may or may not be selected | Inclusions and expansion can override pinned-asset expectations |
| Brand inclusions and exclusions | Inclusions at campaign or ad-group level; exclusions at campaign level | Limits or blocks queries associated with selected brands | Brand restrictions can reduce conversion opportunities |
| Locations of interest | Ad-group level | Matches inferred geographic intent, including in keywordless matches | It complements, rather than replaces, campaign location settings |
| Reporting | Search terms, Keywords, Landing pages and Assets reports | Shows AI Max match sources, selected pages and generated-asset performance | Use the reports to validate query quality and destinations |
Google describes AI Max as an “optimisation layer within existing search campaigns,” so budgets, campaign objectives and conversion setup remain part of the underlying Search campaign. Read the setup definition.
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How do I turn AI Max on or off?
For a new Search campaign
- Start creating a Search campaign in Google Ads.
- In the campaign settings, leave the AI Max option selected if you want the suite enabled. Google says this option is selected by default for new Search campaigns.
- Review the feature choices. Text customization and Final URL expansion are selected by default when AI Max is activated.
- Disable either choice if it does not fit your controls. You cannot keep Final URL expansion enabled while text customization is disabled.
- Choose your bidding, conversion and location settings, then review the generated-asset and destination controls before publishing.
For an existing campaign
- Open Campaigns in Google Ads and select the Search campaign.
- Open Campaign settings, choose AI Max, and opt in.
- Select the features you want, including text customization, Final URL expansion, search-term matching and available brand or URL controls.
- Save, then inspect asset, landing-page and search-term reports after traffic begins.
Google recommends conversion-based Smart Bidding so the AI features can use conversion signals effectively. This is a recommendation, not a promise of a particular performance increase. See the setup requirements.
Turning AI Max off
Disabling AI Max turns off the suite’s features, including AI Max brand exclusions. Re-enabling it restores the settings that were previously configured. Existing broad-match campaign settings, brand settings and text customization are incorporated into the AI Max suite when you activate it.
Google also notes that broad keywords are not treated as exact-match keywords for prioritization after broad match is disabled or the campaign moves to AI Max. If preserving exact-match prioritization matters, add exact-match copies before making the change. Converting a broad keyword removes that keyword’s historical statistics, so export any history you need first. Review the interaction with existing settings and the official FAQ.
What does Search term matching do?
Search term matching uses broad-match, asset-based and landing-page-based technology to find incremental queries. It can use your keywords, ad assets and eligible landing-page content to match intent beyond the terms you explicitly added. The campaign-level switch must be active before you can manage the feature at ad-group level.
Conversion-based Smart Bidding is required for the feature to function effectively. The FAQ specifically states that Search Term Matching does not work with Manual CPC because it relies on automated-bidding signals. A Manual CPC campaign can therefore provide no evidence about how the full AI Max suite performs: other features may be active, but this matching component will not operate as intended. How matching works · Manual CPC FAQ.
Negative keywords remain respected. Continue maintaining your negative-keyword lists and inspect the Search terms report for irrelevant or unintended queries. Google adds “AI Max” as a match type for incremental terms and a source column that distinguishes broad-match expansion from keywordless matching, making that review possible. Negative-keyword behavior.
What is Text customization?
Text customization, formerly called automatically created assets, creates additional headlines and descriptions. Google says it can use your domain, landing pages, existing ads, ad-group keywords and other assets. The system combines extractive techniques with generative AI grounded in landing-page content.
Prepare the source material
- Correct inaccurate claims, prices, availability and legal language on every page the system may read.
- Keep important product and service details visible in text rather than relying only on images or scripts.
- Check that the content complies with Google Ads policies before enabling generation.
Control the wording
Text guidelines let you exclude terms or impose messaging restrictions such as tone. Use them for regulated phrases, prohibited claims, naming conventions and brand voice requirements. Generated assets appear in asset reporting, where you can review performance and remove assets that are inaccurate or unsuitable. Google’s text-customization documentation explains the available controls.
How do Final URL expansion and URL controls work?
Final URL expansion can send a click to a query-relevant URL on your advertising domain instead of the URL supplied in the ad. The selected page is themed to the ad group and intended to better match the query. Text customization must remain enabled for Final URL expansion.
URL exclusions
Add URL exclusions for pages that should never receive paid Search traffic, such as login screens, application errors, out-of-stock pages, legal notices or thin utility pages. Exclusions are the broad safety boundary when expansion is active.
URL inclusions
URL inclusions identify eligible destinations, including at ad-group level. They are useful when you want automation to choose among a curated set of product, service or regional pages instead of the entire domain.
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When Final URL expansion or URL inclusions select a more relevant page, pinned responsive-search-ad assets may not be respected because those assets may no longer fit the selected destination. If a specific pinned headline or description must always appear with a controlled URL, Google’s FAQ advises against using Final URL expansion and URL inclusions for that setup. Final URL expansion details · Pinned-asset guidance.
Tracking-template checks
Dynamic destinations can expose incompatible tracking templates. Google warns that an expanded landing page may return a 404 error when an existing template cannot process the selected URL. Before enabling expansion on a campaign with a tracking template, test a dynamic landing page and verify that the template handles the landing-page URL and parameters. Pay particular attention to templates using {lpurl}?, {lpurl}&, {lpurl}# or plain {lpurl} patterns. Tracking and landing-page behavior.
What do brand settings and locations of interest control?
Brand inclusions and exclusions
Brand inclusions restrict Search traffic to queries associated with selected brands. They can be applied at campaign or ad-group level. Brand exclusions prevent serving on queries associated with selected brands and are configured at campaign level in the AI Max documentation.
Use these controls only when the business objective requires them. Google’s separate brand guide cautions that restrictions can limit conversion opportunities; they are not a substitute for evaluating query quality and profitability. Brand settings guidance.
Locations of interest
The ad-group-level locations-of-interest control can reach people based on inferred geographic intent, including in keywordless matches. It addresses how Search matching interprets a person’s interest in a place; it does not replace campaign location targeting, presence or exclusion settings. Confirm both layers when geographic eligibility is important. AI Max controls.
How does AI Max affect pinned ads, negatives and other campaigns?
Negative keywords
AI Max honors negative keywords. Keep account, campaign and ad-group negatives maintained, then verify the Search terms report after activation rather than assuming expansion will be perfectly aligned with every business rule.
Pinned responsive-search-ad assets
Pins can be bypassed when a different landing page is selected through Final URL expansion or URL inclusions. That behavior follows destination relevance: a pinned asset written for one page may not match another page. Avoid expansion and inclusions when exact pin-to-URL control is essential.
Performance Max and other campaigns
AI Max operates inside the selected Search campaign; it does not convert the campaign into Performance Max or another campaign type. Evaluate overlap and account-level query strategy across campaigns, but do not assume that enabling AI Max changes the settings of unrelated campaigns.
Where can I see AI Max results?
Google documents several reporting additions:
- The Search terms report includes AI Max as a match type for incremental terms and a source column distinguishing broad-match expansion from keywordless matching.
- A combined view shows the search term, headlines and URLs together, allowing you to inspect the complete ad journey.
- The Keywords report adds AI Max summary rows.
- The Landing pages report adds a Selected by column identifying pages chosen by AI Max.
- Asset reporting shows AI Max-generated asset performance, including spend and conversions, and lets you remove generated assets.
Use these reports to check five things separately: query relevance, conversion value, generated-copy accuracy, landing-page suitability and tracking integrity. Google recommends optimizing toward business impact rather than conversion volume alone. The official guidance reviewed for this article does not provide an independently verified AI Max-specific performance lift, so no fixed percentage increase should be expected. Reporting documentation · Google’s Search optimization guidance.
How can I test AI Max before changing a live campaign?
Use Google’s AI Max experiment flow to compare a control campaign with an AI Max treatment. The experiment lets you choose campaign-level asset settings, split traffic according to the experiment design and review results before applying the treatment or ending it.
- Open the campaign’s experiment tools and choose the AI Max experiment option, if the campaign is eligible.
- Define the control and treatment settings, including which asset features are enabled.
- Set the experiment dates, budget allocation and success metrics. Include conversion value, query quality, destination relevance and copy accuracy, not just conversion count.
- Monitor Search terms, Landing pages, Assets and tracking diagnostics during the run.
- After the test, apply the treatment if the results justify it, or end the experiment to revert to the pre-experiment state.
Eligibility is limited. Google’s experiment guide lists exclusions including campaigns with text customization already enabled, Display Network targeting, portfolio bidding, shared budgets, bidding exploration or another active experiment. Check the current interface because eligibility and labels can change. AI Max experiment instructions.
A practical decision checklist
- Choose AI Max when: you can supply accurate landing-page content, use conversion-based Smart Bidding, accept incremental matching and can review generated assets and destinations regularly.
- Keep expansion limited when: every query must map to a tightly controlled keyword set, pinned copy is mandatory, or only a small group of pages may receive traffic.
- Delay activation when: tracking templates have not been tested with dynamic URLs, conversion actions are unreliable, or important site claims are outdated.
- Measure the rollout by: conversion value and profitability, query relevance, landing-page fit, asset accuracy, brand-safety compliance and error-free tracking.
There is no universal setting combination. AI Max is most useful when its additional reach is balanced with explicit URL, brand, negative-keyword and asset-review processes. A controlled experiment is preferable to attributing a later performance change to automation without a comparable control.
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The official AI Max FAQ page still says AI Max was not yet available in Google Ads API and Editor and that support was expected later in 2025. That page does not establish the current state as of October 13, 2026, and no current official confirmation is supplied here. Do not assume API or Editor support; check the latest Google Ads API release notes and product documentation before planning an automated workflow. See the qualification in Google’s FAQ.
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