Over recent years, artificial intelligence (AI) has begun to reshape many aspects of digital marketing — from content creation to targeting and optimisation. Today, AI is changing how businesses use Search campaigns within Google Ads.
Earlier this year, in 2025, Google announced AI Max for Search campaigns, a new innovation within the Google Ads platform designed to help advertisers maximise Google’s AI capabilities. As businesses seek smarter, more intuitive, and more efficient ways to manage advertising, AI Max offers an interesting solution.
In this article, we explore Google AI Max for Search campaigns, including what it is, the benefits, how it works, and its core features.
What is Google AI Max for Search Campaigns?
AI Max for Search campaigns is a new addition to Google Ads, specifically tailored for Search.
Search is evolving beyond basic keyword queries. Over recent years, we have seen people using more conversational language, using AI-generated overviews, and visually searching with tools such as Google Lens. These new behaviours create new opportunities for businesses, but at the same time, more advanced tools are needed to remain visible and competitive.
This is where AI Max comes into play. This tool was created to help advertisers adapt to this evolving search environment. Applying Google’s latest AI innovations to Search campaigns, it assists businesses in connecting with potential customers as they explore information in new, AI-led ways.
Instead of replacing existing Search campaigns, AI Max expands on them, delivering a new, AI-optimised layer to match current user search behaviours.
Did You Know? Data collected from Google’s beta tests on Google AI Max for Search campaigns is compelling. It suggests that typical advertisers saw approximately 14% more conversions (or conversion value) at a similar return on ad spend (ROAS) or cost-per-acquisition (CPA). For those heavily reliant on exact and phrase match keywords, typical uplifts as high as 27% were noted.
What Are the Benefits of Google AI Max?
Google presents AI Max for Search campaigns as an effective way for advertisers to maximise reach and performance with little effort required. Here is a look at some of the key benefits.
1. Wider Reach Through Smarter Matching
AI Max improved keyword matching by combining broad match, asset-based tactics, and “keywordless” technology. As a result, campaigns can surface for relevant queries that traditional keyword strategies might miss, therefore, presenting new customer opportunities.
2. More Relevant Creatives and Landing Experiences
With asset optimisation (more on this below), AI Max dynamically adjusts ad copy, i.e., headlines and descriptions, based on user search intent, existing assets, and landing page content. Additionally, it automatically directs traffic to the most relevant URLs on your website, which enhances ad relevance as well as user experience.
3. Actionable Insights With Enhanced Reporting
Another core benefit is increased transparency. The search terms report now includes AI Max match type labels and details on why matches took place. Asset reports display conversions, spend, and asset-level performance. These insights are extremely useful in helping advertisers understand what is working (as well as what isn’t) and make data-driven adjustments accordingly.
4. Maintained Control and Precision
Even though AI Max automates many elements, advertisers are given granular control with targeting and brand settings, allowing them to determine where and how ads appear.
How AI Max for Search Campaigns Works
AI Max is built around two main AI-powered capabilities that improve Search campaigns in real time. Let’s consider each of them.
Search Term Matching
When AI Max is enabled, it automatically activates search term matching at the ad group level. This feature utilises Google’s AI to extend beyond your existing keywords, using broad match and even “keywordless” strategies, to find relevant queries you might otherwise miss. The AI learns from your campaign’s keywords, landing page URLs, and ad creatives to serve ads on additional high-performing searches.
Critically, advertisers keep control:
- You can disable search term matching.
- You can specify where your ads should or shouldn’t appear with brand controls.
- You can define locations of interest to accurately target particular geographic areas.
As aforementioned, enhanced transparency is also afforded through new data, showing which headlines and URLs ran for which search terms and why. This is extremely helpful when it comes to understanding and refining performance.
Asset Optimisation
Asset optimisation operates at the campaign level and introduces two sub-features:
- Text Customisation: Previously known as automatically created assets, text customisation uses generative AI to dynamically customise headlines and descriptions. It draws its inspiration from your landing page content, user intent, and existing assets.
- Final URL Expansion: Combined with text customisation, this directs users to the most relevant landing page on your website instead of a default URL. This improves both relevance and conversion potential.
Both these settings can be toggled on (or off) individually, permitting flexible control. When Final URL expansion is enabled, pinning specific responsive search ad assets is disabled, as AI dynamically tailors ads. This combination helps meet user intent more accurately, optimises efficiency, and generates better campaign performance, all while keeping asset-level reporting visibility and control.
Features and Settings Included in AI Max
Google AI Max offers a powerful set of features and settings designed to simplify and enhance your Search campaigns, some of which have already been touched upon in this article. They give you the flexibility to use AI’s power whilst maintaining control over how your ads reach customers and, ultimately, perform. They include:
- Search Term Matching: Can be enabled or disabled at the ad group level, permitting AI to expand keyword reach by matching to relevant queries beyond your initial keywords.
- Locations of Interest Targeting: Allows you to focus ads on users according to geographic intent at the ad group level.
- Brand Controls: Enable inclusion or exclusion of specific brands at campaign and ad group levels in order to protect target audiences and brand identity.
- URL Inclusions and Exclusions: Permit you to specify which URLs AI Max can or cannot utilise for landing pages.
Google AI Max for Search campaigns was rolled out to advertisers in beta in May 2025, with full API support from August 2025.
With over 20 years of experience, topclick helps businesses cut through the noise and stay ahead online. Whether it’s making sense of tools like Google AI Max or building a stronger, smarter digital presence, our digital marketing agency in Surrey delivers the expertise you need. Contact us today to learn how we can assist your business in enhancing its digital footprint.