GOOGLE SWITCHED YOUR ADS TO AI MAX. HERE'S WHAT TO CHECK.

If you've opened your Google Ads account lately and noticed something called AI Max, you're not imagining it. Google has been rolling it out to Search campaigns, and in some cases switching it on for you. Because of course they have.

AI Max can work. But "Google turned on a setting that spends your money in new ways" is exactly the kind of thing you want to understand before your next invoice. Here's what it is and what to check.

Section 01What AI Max actually does

AI Max is a bundle of AI features for Search campaigns. In plain English, it does three things:

1. Expands which searches you show for. It goes beyond your keywords to searches Google thinks are relevant, a bit like broad match on espresso.
2. Writes and adjusts ad text. It can generate headlines and descriptions based on your website and existing ads.
3. Picks the landing page. Instead of always using the page you chose, it can send people to whichever page on your site it thinks fits the search best.

When it works, you find good searches you didn't know about. When it doesn't, you pay for clicks from people who wanted something else, reading an ad you didn't write, landing on your careers page.

Section 02What changed in 2026

Based on Google's announcements and industry coverage, AI Max came out of beta in spring 2026, and starting in September Google began automatically upgrading some Search campaigns, mainly those already using automatically created assets or campaign-level broad match. Dynamic Search Ads are also scheduled to move over to AI Max in early 2027.

Translation: some accounts got AI Max without the owner ever clicking anything. Google will tell you that's a feature. It's on you to check.

Section 03What to check in your account (10 minutes)

• Is AI Max on? Open each Search campaign's settings and look for AI Max. Know which campaigns have it.
• Look at search terms. The search terms report shows which searches came from AI Max. Add junk as negative keywords. Negatives still work.
• Check final URL expansion. If Google is sending clicks to your homepage, blog or careers page, exclude those URLs or turn the feature off.
• Review the ad text it wrote. Make sure it isn't promising things you don't offer, like "free estimates" when you charge for them.
• Set brand controls. If you don't want to show for competitor names, use brand exclusions.
• Compare cost per lead before and after it was turned on. Numbers don't lie.

Section 04Should you keep it on?

My honest take: it depends on your data.

• Keep it on (carefully) if you have solid conversion tracking, a decent number of leads each month and a website with clear, relevant service pages. AI needs good data to make good decisions.
• Turn parts of it off if your tracking is shaky, your budget is small, or your search terms are filling up with junk. You can usually keep search expansion while switching off URL expansion or text customization, or the other way around.
• Test it if you're unsure. Run it on one campaign, compare cost per lead for a few weeks, then decide.

Same goes for Performance Max: I usually wait until an account has steady conversions before handing Google the steering wheel.

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