Google Launched AI Max for Search Campaigns

Google Launched AI Max for Search Campaigns

Google officially launched AI Max for Search Campaigns. Google introduced AI Max for Search, expanding query reach, adaptive creative, and better controls to boost performance while maintaining transparency for advertisers.

As per the announcement, enabling AI Max in Search campaigns is expected to give stronger performance through improved query matching, dynamic creatives, and better control features.

Introducing AI Max for Search campaigns, which is a comprehensive suite of targeting and creative enhancements bringing the best of Google AI to help take Search campaigns to the next level.

AI Max, a new, one-click feature suite for Search campaigns

To help you maximize performance now and get your campaigns ready for the ever-evolving Search experiences of tomorrow, it is key to adopt the latest AI solutions.

Google Ads is taking a big step in AI-powered Search campaigns with AI Max, a feature that suits design for expanding keyword reach, improving automation, and maintaining transparency.

• AI Max for Search is Google’s new feature for Search campaigns that aids in enhancing keyword reach, ad asset generation, and landing page selection using AI-without sacrificing control.
• It is a one-click upgrade that enables keywordless matching, dynamic as copy, and URL expansion. Ideal for advertisers seeking automation with transparency, AI Max provides brand safety tools, reporting improvements, and compatibility with Smart Bidding strategies.
• Use for discovering untapped queries, scale creative, and improve conversion performance, especially in campaigns that rely on exact or phrase match.

Advertisers worldwide can now use AI Max to optimize campaigns with one-click experiments and brand-safe creative controls. Advertisers should start testing AI Max in their campaigns, using the one-click experiments and text guidelines to optimize performance while keeping creative control.

Why is Google Introducing AI Max?

AI Max aims to address-

• Advertisers keep access to existing Search reports and controls while layering in new targeting and creative tools.
• More granular reporting is rolling out, including search terms by asset and improved URL parameters for detailed tracking.

Controls for Brand Safety

With a significant shift towards automation, Google Ads requires advertisers to enable AI Max to access brand inclusion and exclusion tools in new Search campaigns, reshaping how brand control works in PPC strategies.

As of May 2025, all new Search campaigns are configured so that brand targeting controls (inclusions and exclusions) are located in the AI Max settings panel, which implies that advertisers would be required to ensure that AI Max can either introduce new brand lists or update any existing lists in the case of initiating new campaigns.

Without AI Max, legacy campaigns can either drop or maintain current brand lists, but adding new brand lists now requires AI integration.

Since, brand controls played a crucial role in preventing competitors from bidding on the brand name, brand search integrity has been ensured. These changes align with Google’s goal of making campaigns fully automated. Brand targeting advertisers are now in critical need to make a crucial decision: either adopt AI Max or role-play in the new campaign and lose out on the high level brand safety.

To future-proof your brand control strategy, savvy advertisers should:

• Audit legacy campaigns which currently employed with brand controls and monitor those requiring transition
• For creating a campaign, train the team with AI Max settings, especially where brand controls reside.
• Test AI Max on your branded search performance before taking the plunge
• Revising internal SOPs for setting up a campaign to ensure brand control expectations align with the new technical requirements
• Watch out for performance volatility in case automation choices take on subtle keyword strategies

Updates Coming to Reporting?

• Search terms reporting show associated headlines and URLs
• Asset reports would measure performance not only by impressions, but by spend and conversions.
• A new URL parameter offering deeper visibility into search queries and performance across match types

How does AI Max compare to Performance Max or Dynamic Search Ads?

AI Max fitting alongside other Google campaign types.

Current landscape of differences or overlap between other campaign types:

• Performance Max and AI Max for Search, eligible for the same Search auctions. Search would always take precedence if a user’s search term precisely matched a keyword in your search campaign.
• Although AI Max overlaps in certain areas, such as final URL expansion and keywordless matching, dynamic search ads are still available because AI Max is not a straight replacement.
• Optimized Targeting for audiences is comparable to AI Max’s query expansion, except it focuses on audiences instead of keywords.

Negative Keywords in AI Max Campaigns

Adding negative keywords to your Performance Max campaigns or account aids in avoiding your campaigns from showing queries containing those terms on Search and Shopping inventory.

Google Ads automation now relies heavily on PMas campaigns. Every waste click now costs more than ever because CPCs have increased by over 13% year over year. Negative keywords are now one of the last and most effective tools available to advertisers in a Google AI-powered system to reduce waste, safeguard funds, and direct ads toward successful results.

Unlike Search campaigns, where you choose keywords, PMax uses Google’s AI to find audiences across Search, Shopping, YouTube, Display, and Discover. Flexibility comes with risk, showing up ads for irrelevant queries, low-intent searches, or placements that don’t align with goals.

AI Max represents a significant shift in how Google Search campaigns can scale, bringing the adaptive reach and creative flexibility of Performance Max without requiring a new campaign type or sacrificing keyword control. Further, it is likely to gain a competitive edge as search behaviour grows more complex.