If you run Google Search ads, your campaigns may have changed this month even if nobody on your team touched them. Throughout September 2026, Google has been automatically upgrading Search campaigns that use automatically created assets or campaign-level broad match to AI Max for Search campaigns. Then, on 23 September, Google announced a new unified AI Max report designed to show exactly what the AI is doing with your money.

Here’s what has changed, what’s still coming, and the checks we recommend every Australian advertiser does before the end of the month.

What AI Max actually is

AI Max is a bundle of three settings that sit on top of a normal Search campaign:

  • Search term matching – Google uses your keywords, ads and landing pages to match you to searches beyond your keyword list, including longer, more conversational queries.
  • Text customisation – Google writes and tests extra headline and description variations based on your existing ads and website. This is the feature that used to be called automatically created assets.
  • Final URL expansion – Google can send a searcher to the page on your site it thinks best matches their intent, rather than the landing page you chose.

Google says AI Max for Search campaigns see an average of 7% more conversions or conversion value at a similar CPA or ROAS when the full feature suite is used. That’s Google’s own figure, averaged across many advertisers, so treat it as a claim to test rather than a promise for your account. According to MediaPost’s report of the 23 September announcement, more than 500,000 advertisers now use AI Max, a year after launch.

What’s being upgraded, and when

There are two separate timelines, and it’s easy to mix them up:

  • September 2026: campaigns using automatically created assets and campaign-level broad match are being upgraded to AI Max automatically. Google has said it expects to finish upgrading eligible campaigns by the end of September.
  • February 2027: Dynamic Search Ads (DSA) will be sunset and automatically upgraded. This was originally scheduled for September 2026, but Google pushed it back after advertiser feedback. Google has also said that after September, you won’t be able to create new DSA campaigns through Google Ads tools.

When DSA campaigns are upgraded, Google says it will mirror the legacy settings and switch on all three AI Max features. If you rely on DSA to cover a large website, you have a few months to test AI Max on your own terms rather than having the switch flipped for you.

The new unified report (and why it matters)

The biggest complaint about AI-driven search campaigns has been visibility. If Google matches you to a new search, writes a new headline and sends the click to a different page, it has been hard to see all three decisions in one place.

Google’s answer, announced on 23 September, is a single AI Max report that will show, for each search term, which assets were shown and which landing page the person reached. Google hasn’t given a release date; it has said more details and availability will be shared later in 2026. Until then, you’ll need to piece the story together from the separate search terms, assets and landing page reports.

At the same time, Google expanded AI Brief, a Gemini-powered tool that lets advertisers describe their business, audience and key messages in plain language to guide AI Max. It launched in English earlier this year and has now been added in seven more languages (Dutch, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese and Spanish), and remains in closed beta.

The controls you still have

AI Max doesn’t mean giving up control entirely. The main levers available are:

  • Brand inclusions and exclusions – stop your ads matching to competitor brand searches, or keep a brand campaign tightly focused on your own name.
  • URL inclusions and exclusions – keep final URL expansion away from pages that don’t convert, such as careers, blog or terms pages.
  • Locations of interest – important for local service businesses that only work in certain suburbs or cities.
  • Negative keywords – still your first line of defence against irrelevant searches.

Google has also added text disclaimers that work alongside final URL expansion, which matters for regulated industries (such as finance or health) that must show mandatory compliance wording.

What to do now

  1. Check which campaigns were upgraded. Look at each Search campaign’s settings and note whether AI Max is on and which of the three features are active.
  2. Grab a baseline. Record cost per conversion, conversion volume and ROAS for the weeks before the upgrade so you can compare fairly.
  3. Review search terms weekly for the next month. Add negatives quickly for anything irrelevant. Expect to see more long, question-style searches.
  4. Read the new ad copy. Check the assets report for AI-written headlines. Make sure nothing overpromises, quotes the wrong price or makes a claim you can’t back up.
  5. Set URL exclusions. If final URL expansion is on, exclude pages you never want paid traffic landing on.
  6. Make sure conversion tracking is solid. AI Max optimises towards whatever you tell it is a conversion. If you’re counting page views or low-value actions as conversions, you’ll get more of those, not more customers.
  7. If you use DSA, plan a test before February. Google recommends using its one-click experiments to test AI Max, which beats waiting for the automatic switch.

AI Max can work well, but it rewards accounts with clean tracking, good landing pages and someone keeping a close eye on search terms. If you’d like a second pair of eyes on how the upgrade has landed in your account, the Google Ads team at Big Digital is happy to take a look.

Photo: Myriam Jessier on Unsplash

Sources

Tags: AI Max Dynamic Search Ads Google Ads Search campaigns