AI Max for Search Campaigns: Settings, Controls and Testing

#01What do the three features do?

Google says AI Max is an evolution of DSA and of final URL expansion in Performance Max, and there is an upgrade path from DSA campaigns.

#02Which controls should you set?

• URL exclusions (campaign level) for careers, login, support, legal and blog pages you don't want as landing pages. They require text customisation and final URL expansion to be on.
• URL inclusions (ad group level) to restrict or add landing pages. Pins are not used when these are set.
• Brand inclusions and exclusions at campaign and ad group level. Use inclusions on a brand campaign; exclusions on non-brand.
• Locations of interest at ad group level, for people searching about a place.
• Text guidelines: term exclusions and messaging restrictions for generated text.

#03How does AI Max interact with Performance Max?

If a query could match both, Google says the one with the higher Ad Rank serves, the same as broad match versus Performance Max. Exact match keywords identical to the query still take priority (lesson 7).

#04How do you test it?

Use an AI Max experiment from the Experiments page: it splits traffic within your existing campaign (control without AI Max, trial with it) rather than copying the campaign. Google lists faster results, fewer setup errors and a shorter learning period as benefits. Set the success metric before you start: cost per qualified lead, not raw conversions.

Our view: AI Max suits accounts with strong conversion data and a site full of good, specific landing pages. If your conversion data is weak, fix lessons 3 and 4 first.

One caution: Google's FAQ says turning AI Max off disables all its features, including brand exclusions set within it, and that AI Max support in the API and Editor was still limited when written. Check before bulk changes.

#05Is your account ready for AI Max?

If two or more rows are "not ready", fix those first.

#06How do you turn it on, step by step?

1. Open the Search campaign and go to Settings → AI Max.
2. Turn on AI Max. Search term matching and text customisation are part of it; decide whether to keep final URL expansion on.
3. Add URL exclusions for pages that should never be landing pages: careers, login, support, legal, and blog posts if they don't convert.
4. Set brand exclusions for non-brand campaigns, or brand inclusions for a brand campaign.
5. Add text guidelines: term exclusions and messaging restrictions.
6. Review ad groups: switch off search term matching for any ad group that must stay keyword-only.
7. Better: start with an AI Max experiment (below) instead of switching on for the whole campaign.

#07How do you review AI Max traffic?

In the search terms report, AI Max adds columns that show the source of the match and the landing page used. Each week for the first month:

• Filter to AI Max matches and sort by cost.
• Check landing pages: anything unexpected becomes a URL exclusion.
• Check generated headlines in the asset report; remove poor ones.
• Add new negatives as needed.

#08What goes wrong, and how do you fix it?

#09Edge cases to know

• Dynamic Search Ads. Google describes AI Max as an evolution of DSA, with an upgrade path. Test before retiring DSA campaigns.
• Turning it off. Google's FAQ says turning off AI Max disables all its features, including brand settings made within it. Re-check brand controls after switching off.
• Ads in AI Overviews. AI Max with search term matching is eligible for contextual matching in AI Overviews and AI Mode (lesson 15).

#10Practitioner hacks for AI Max

• Set URL exclusions before launch, not after the first bad week.
• Keep a short list of banned claims in text guidelines and share it with legal.
• Review generated headlines weekly in the first month.
• Compare against a control, not against last month: seasonality and other changes muddy before-and-after comparisons.

#11A 30-minute audit for this lesson

1. List Search campaigns and their bid strategies.
2. Check which are limited by budget.
3. List pages you would never want as landing pages.
4. Draft text guidelines.
5. Pick one campaign for an AI Max experiment.

#12Key terms

#13Worked example: Ledgerline's AI Max test

Ledgerline is a fictional accounts-payable software company. Details and numbers are illustrative.

Ledgerline's non-brand Search campaign had steady demo volume and was not limited by budget, so it qualified for a test. The team set URL exclusions for /careers, /blog and /support, added a brand exclusion for its own brand and a text guideline banning "free", then ran a 50/50 AI Max experiment for six weeks judged on sales-qualified leads.

Walkthrough: Ledgerline's experiment setup

1. Checked readiness: Target CPA bidding on the sales-qualified opportunity, not limited by budget, negatives in place, a separate brand campaign. Ready.
2. Created an AI Max experiment on the non-brand campaign from the Experiments page, splitting traffic within the campaign.
3. Set URL exclusions for /careers, /blog, /support and /legal, and a brand exclusion for Ledgerline's own brand.
4. Added text guidelines banning "free forever" and any claim about savings amounts the team couldn't prove.
5. Reviewed AI Max search terms weekly. In week two, several matched searches about personal budgeting apps; the team added "personal" and "budget app" as negatives.
6. After six weeks, judged the result on cost per sales-qualified opportunity against the control, using the decision rule written before the test (lesson 18).

#14Try it yourself

1. Score your best non-brand Search campaign against the readiness table.
2. List the URLs you would exclude.
3. Write three text guidelines for terms or claims generated text must never use.
4. Draft an experiment plan: campaign, split, metric, decision rule, duration.

#15Quick quiz

1. Which bid strategies does AI Max need?

Answer: Conversion or value-based Smart Bidding.

2. When are pins not respected with AI Max?

Answer: When text customisation and final URL expansion are both on, or when URL inclusions are set.

3. What happens to brand settings made in AI Max if you turn it off?

Answer: Google says turning off AI Max disables all its features, including those brand settings.

#16What should you check before the next lesson?

• Check which Search campaigns have AI Max on and whether that was a decision.
• Add URL exclusions for pages that should never be landing pages.
• Set brand controls on brand and non-brand campaigns.
• Plan an AI Max experiment with a qualified-lead success metric.

Next: Smart Bidding: learning, seasonality and data exclusions. Or return to the Google Ads for Marketers track.

#17Common questions

What is AI Max for Search? It is a set of features inside Search campaigns: search term matching, text customisation and final URL expansion. Google describes it as an evolution of Dynamic Search Ads.

Does AI Max respect negative keywords? Yes. Google's FAQ says negatives are respected with AI Max on.

Can I use AI Max with manual CPC? You can, but Google says search term matching does not work with manual CPC. Use a conversion or value-based Smart Bidding strategy.