Google Launches AI Max for Search: What It Means for Your Campaigns (and Why We're Excited)

Key Takeaways

• AI Max is a toggle setting in your Google Search campaigns that adds powerful AI features [1]

• Early results show 14% more conversions on average, with up to 27% for exact/phrase match campaigns [1]

• Three main features work together: smarter keyword matching, dynamic ad creative, and URL expansion [2]

• Control options include brand safety settings and geo-targeting to keep you in charge [3]

• Best suited for advertisers already using broad match or automated bidding strategies [1]

• Worth careful consideration for highly regulated industries as AI-generated assets go live before review [3]

  
  

What Is AI Max for Search?

If you've been keeping an eye on Google Ads updates lately, you've probably heard whispers about AI Max. It's Google's newest addition to their advertising toolkit, and we think it's one of the most interesting changes we've seen in quite a while.

Let's be clear about what AI Max actually is: it's not a completely new campaign type. It's more like a power-up toggle within your existing Search campaigns that layers in some pretty clever AI capabilities.

When you enable it, AI Max enhances your Search ads with three primary features:

1. Smarter keyword matching: The system finds and matches your ads to relevant search queries you might otherwise miss. We'd describe it as broad match with a PhD, still expansive, but with more intelligence behind the scenes.

2. Dynamic ad creative: Google can automatically generate new headlines and descriptions based on your existing ads, keywords, and landing pages. This helps your ads adapt to what people are actually searching for.

3. Final URL expansion: Instead of sending everyone to the same landing page, Google can direct users to the most relevant page on your site based on their search intent. So someone searching for a specific product might go straight to that product page rather than your homepage.

   
   

You don't have to use all these features if they don't suit your strategy. Each can be toggled on or off independently. And don't worry, your exact match keywords will still take priority, so your core targeting isn't going to be suddenly overridden.

Why Has Google Introduced This Now?

So why has Google rolled this out now? Well, search behaviour is changing. Rapidly. With tools like Google Lens and AI Overviews, people are searching in more complex, conversational ways that don't always fit neatly into traditional keyword structures.

The challenge for advertisers is keeping pace with these changes without losing control of their campaigns. That's the gap AI Max aims to fill.

We'd say it brings the best bits of Performance Max (automation and adaptability) into your Search campaigns, while offering better transparency, more detailed reporting, and built-in controls to protect your brand identity.

Does AI Max Actually Work? Early Results

We're naturally sceptical about new Google features, we've all been promised the world before only to find minimal improvements. But the early data for AI Max is actually quite promising.

According to Google's testing, advertisers using AI Max have seen:

• An average increase of 14% in conversions at a similar cost per acquisition

• Even better results, up to 27% increases, for campaigns primarily using exact or phrase match keywords

  
  

These are substantial improvements that make a strong case for testing this setting, especially if you're running well-optimised Search campaigns already.

What we find particularly interesting is that bigger gains came from advertisers using exact and phrase match keywords. This suggests that even if you've been hesitant to embrace broad match, AI Max might offer a more controlled approach to expanding your reach.

What Controls Do Advertisers Have?

One of the biggest concerns with any AI-driven feature is whether you'll maintain enough control over where your ads appear and what they say. The good news is that Google has built several key controls into AI Max:

• Brand safety controls: You can specify which brands you want your ads to appear alongside, or block specific ones. This helps protect your brand identity and ensures your ads show up in appropriate contexts.

  
  

• Geo-intent targeting: You can fine-tune your targeting based on where users are searching from or looking for. This is particularly useful for businesses with physical locations or region-specific offerings.

  
  

• Creative asset removals: If you spot an AI-generated headline that doesn't align with your brand voice, you can remove or block it. This gives you the final say on what creative elements represent your brand.

  
  

There is one caveat worth noting, at this stage, AI-generated assets will go live before you can review them. So you'll need to monitor your campaigns closely to ensure compliance with your brand guidelines. This is particularly important for highly regulated industries like finance or healthcare.

What's New in Reporting?

AI Max adds some powerful new dimensions to your reporting that give you better insights into how your campaigns are performing:

• Search terms + creative pairings: You can now see which headlines and URLs showed up for specific queries. This helps you understand how your ads are being displayed and which combinations work best.

  
  

• Asset performance reporting: Track spend and conversions for each asset, not just impressions. This gives you a clearer picture of which assets are driving results, not just visibility.

  
  

• New URL parameters: Get deeper insight into how search terms perform across match types, helping you refine your strategy over time.

  
  

Google is rolling these reporting features out first in the Google Ads interface, with support for API, Report Editor, and Desktop Editor coming later in 2025.

How Does AI Max Compare to Other Options?

A question we've heard quite a bit is how AI Max differs from existing options like Performance Max or Dynamic Search Ads (DSA).

AI Max vs. Performance Max:

• Both show in Search results, but Search campaigns with exact match keywords will always take priority.

• AI Max gives you more granular control and transparency than Performance Max, which many advertisers will appreciate.

  
  

AI Max vs. Dynamic Search Ads:

• AI Max overlaps with DSA in features like URL expansion, but it's not a direct replacement.

• AI Max integrates more tightly with your existing Search campaigns, making it feel like an enhancement rather than a separate tactic.

  
  

If you're curious about how AI Max would perform compared to your current setup, you can run a proper A/B test using Google's drafts and experiments feature. This lets you see the impact without fully committing right away.

Who Should Use AI Max (and Who Shouldn't)?

The truth is, AI Max won't be the right fit for every campaign. There are certain situations where we'd recommend proceeding with caution:

• Brands with strict creative guidelines: If you have very specific requirements for ad copy, AI-generated assets might cause compliance issues. The lack of pre-review makes this particularly challenging.

• Highly regulated industries: Legal or healthcare advertisers may find the lack of pre-review for assets problematic, especially when specific disclaimers or approved language is required.

• Frequently changing websites: If your site structure changes often, automated URL expansion might lead to less-than-ideal user experiences, with visitors potentially landing on outdated or irrelevant pages.

  
  

On the other hand, AI Max could be an excellent fit if you're already comfortable with broad match or automated bidding strategies, have a stable website, and want to scale your campaigns more efficiently.

Our Experience with AI Max So Far

At Lucky Penny, we're in the early stages of testing AI Max with our clients. While we don't have long-term data yet, we're seeing some interesting initial patterns.

What we've found most valuable is AI Max's ability to surface search terms we hadn't considered. For example, with one of our e-commerce clients, we discovered people were searching for very specific product combinations we hadn't targeted with our manual keywords.

The dynamic creative has also been showing promise, generating headlines that highlight specific benefits based on the search query. This kind of relevance is exactly what drives better click-through rates and, ultimately, conversions.

We've noticed that AI Max works best when you give it strong foundations. Well-written existing ads, a clear campaign structure, and a content-rich website all help the AI make better decisions.

Implementation Tips

If you're thinking about giving AI Max a try, here are a few practical tips based on Google's recommendations and our early experiences:

1. Start with your best-performing campaigns: Begin with campaigns that already have solid performance data and well-written ads. This gives the AI better material to work with.

2. Review your existing assets: Before enabling AI Max, audit your headlines, descriptions, and landing pages. The better your existing content, the better results you'll get from the AI-generated variations.

3. Check search terms reports frequently: Especially in the early days, review these reports regularly to ensure the AI is finding valuable new queries. You might discover opportunities you hadn't considered before.

4. Consider your landing page strategy: If enabling URL expansion, make sure all potential landing pages are conversion-optimised. There's no point sending traffic to pages that aren't ready to convert visitors.

   
   

AI Max isn't meant to be a standalone solution, we've found it works best as part of a comprehensive digital marketing strategy. You can use the new search terms it discovers to inform your SEO strategy, or let creative assets that perform well guide your approach to social media ads.

Final Thoughts

AI Max represents an interesting shift in how Google Ads functions, moving gradually from purely keyword-based advertising toward something more intent-focused and adaptable.

At Lucky Penny, we see it as an opportunity to help our clients reach more relevant customers more efficiently, without losing the control and transparency that make Search campaigns so effective.

If you're already using broad match or automated bidding, this may be the perfect next step. If you've stuck with phrase and exact match, AI Max offers a chance to cautiously expand your reach while maintaining your core strategy.

We'll be testing this feature extensively with our clients in the coming months. If you'd like to discuss how AI Max might fit into your digital marketing strategy, we'd love to chat, this is what we do best.

Ciao for now!

Ali Puglianini

Frequently Asked Questions

• Does AI Max replace my existing Google Ads campaigns? No, AI Max is a setting within your existing Search campaigns, not a replacement. You can enable it for some campaigns and leave others running as they are.

• Will AI Max override my exact match keywords? No, your exact match keywords will always take priority. AI Max expands your reach beyond these, but doesn't replace your core targeting.

• How much does AI Max cost to use? There's no additional cost to enable AI Max, you'll still pay based on your normal bidding strategy and budget. However, because it may find new valuable queries, we recommend monitoring spend closely when first implementing it.

• Can I turn off specific features of AI Max? Yes, you can selectively enable or disable the three main features: search term matching, dynamic creative, and URL expansion. This gives you flexibility to use only the elements that fit your strategy.

• Can I see what new search terms AI Max is finding? Yes, the search terms report will show all the queries triggering your ads, including those found by AI Max. This transparency helps you understand what's driving your results.