Google AI Max for Search Campaigns
AI Max lets Google match your ads to searches beyond your keyword list, write ad text to suit them and send people to the most relevant page. We switch it on with the controls that keep spend on qualified leads, and prove it with a test.
Real Mojo Dojo clients, on the record.
What is Google AI Max?
Google announced AI Max for Search campaigns on 6 May 2025 as a one-click feature suite for existing Search campaigns. It adds three features, each of which can widen where your ads show and what they say.
The three AI Max features, as Google describes them
Search term matching. Expands on your existing keywords using broad match and keywordless technology, to find queries you are not bidding on.
Text customisation. Formerly automatically created assets. Generates new headlines and descriptions for your ads.
Final URL expansion. Sends a searcher to the page on your site that best matches their intent, instead of the one you set.
Controls. Brand inclusions and exclusions at campaign and ad group level, URL controls, asset removals and locations of interest.
More reach, if you keep control.
AI Max is built for the longer, conversational searches people now type, including searches that show AI Overviews. Used carelessly it can also spend on loose matches, write copy you would not approve and land people on the wrong page.
Better reporting than before.
Google added headlines and landing URLs to the search terms report, and asset reports that show spend and conversions. That is what lets us judge AI Max on results instead of trust.
AI Max sits inside your Google Ads management. Microsoft Advertising now has its own AI Max too, and Google Import carries the settings across, which we cover in Microsoft and Copilot Ads.
What managed Google Ads does for the numbers.
Paid results from our published client case studies. Every account is different, and these are not promises.
What is included in our AI Max management.
Set-up, controls, testing and reporting, as part of your Google Ads account management.
Account readiness check
Conversion tracking, values and lead quality checked first, because AI Max optimises toward whatever you measure.
Brand and URL controls
Brand inclusions and exclusions, URL exclusions and asset removals set before anything goes live.
Locations of interest
Targeting by geographic intent at ad group level where it matches how your customers search.
Approved source material
Landing pages and copy guidelines that text customisation draws on, so generated ads stay accurate.
A controlled test
AI Max switched on for a bounded set of campaigns against a recorded baseline, not across the whole account.
Search term and asset review
Weekly review of the new queries, generated headlines and landing pages, with exclusions added fast.
Qualified lead reporting
Results compared on qualified leads and revenue from your CRM, not just conversions in Google Ads.
Expand, revise or roll back
A clear call after the test, with the baseline kept so the change can be reversed.
Get your free AI Max readiness check.
Send us access to your Google Ads account and we will tell you whether AI Max is likely to help, which controls you need first and how we would test it.
How AI Max differs from broad match and Performance Max.
Three ways to let Google find searches for you, with different levels of control.
Broad match
Broad match widens one keyword. AI Max includes broad match and adds keywordless matching, text customisation and URL expansion on top.
Performance Max
Performance Max runs across all of Google's channels from one campaign. AI Max stays inside Search campaigns, so your search structure, keywords and reporting remain.
Dynamic Search Ads
Google has announced a move away from Dynamic Search Ads. AI Max covers similar ground with more controls, which is why many accounts will need to plan the switch.
Why AI Max wastes budget in some accounts.
The problems we see when AI Max is switched on without preparation.
Optimising toward the wrong thing
Form fills and calls counted equally, spam included, so AI Max finds more of the cheap kind.
Loose new queries
Expanded matching picks up searches with the wrong intent and nobody reviews the search terms.
Generated text nobody approved
Headlines that promise things you do not offer, written from old pages on your site.
The wrong destination
URL expansion sends people to blog posts, careers pages or old offers.
Brand and non-brand mixed
Brand searches inflate the results, hiding whether new searches are paying back.
No baseline
Switched on across the account at once, so nobody can say what it changed.
How we judge AI Max.
Against a baseline
We record the campaign's performance before the change and keep everything else steady during the test, so the result can be read.
On qualified outcomes
Conversions in Google Ads are reconciled with your CRM, so we compare qualified leads and revenue, not just form fills.
Brand kept separate
Brand and non-brand results are reported apart, so new searches are judged on their own.
What we report
New search term themes and exclusions, generated assets and any removals, landing pages used, lead quality and the recommendation for next month.
How we set up and test AI Max.
Six steps, from readiness to a decision.
Readiness
We check conversion tracking, values and lead quality, and fix them before anything else.
Baseline
We record current performance for the campaigns we plan to test.
Controls
Brand, URL, location and asset controls set, with landing pages that are safe to send people to.
Bounded test
AI Max switched on for a chosen campaign or segment, with no other major changes at the same time.
Weekly review
Search terms, generated assets and landing pages reviewed, exclusions added as needed.
Decision
Results compared on qualified leads and revenue, then expanded, revised or rolled back.
Google Ads results from our clients.
Paid media outcomes from published case studies.
Bfree
1000% Increase in Sales
House & Trade Supplies
56% decrease in CPC
Downies Collectables
4,994% increase in Google Ads paid revenue
Linen House
109% increase in paid revenue
Comcater
50% decrease in marketing cost
Arise Solar
370% increase in paid conversions
AI Max is one part of being visible in AI search.
AI Max helps your ads match the longer questions people now type. Your organic presence in the same answers comes from Google AI Overviews SEO, and ads inside ChatGPT are a separate channel covered in ChatGPT Ads.
“Their team understood our business before we even had to explain it. Enquiries are up 250% and the quality is better than ever.”
Outsmart competitors instead of outspending them.
What nine years and $32 million of Google Ads taught us about outsmarting competitors instead of outspending them. One client, five ideas that transfer to any account.
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What is Google AI Max?
AI Max for Search campaigns is a feature suite Google announced in May 2025. It adds search term matching, text customisation and final URL expansion to existing Search campaigns, with controls for brands, URLs and locations of interest.
Is AI Max the same as Performance Max?
No. Performance Max runs across all of Google's channels from one campaign. AI Max works inside your Search campaigns, so your keywords, structure and search reporting stay in place.
Will AI Max replace my keywords?
No. Search term matching expands on your existing keywords using broad match and keywordless technology. Your keywords still matter, and so do the negatives and exclusions that keep the expansion relevant.
Can I stop AI Max writing ads I do not approve?
Yes. You can remove generated assets, and we check your landing pages and existing ads are accurate before switching text customisation on, since generated copy reflects them.
Can I control which pages AI Max sends people to?
Yes. URL controls let you exclude pages, so final URL expansion only uses pages that are safe and relevant to send buyers to.
Does AI Max show ads in AI Overviews?
AI Max is designed to match the longer, conversational searches people now type, including searches where an AI Overview appears. Where ads show on the page is set by Google, and we report the search terms and landing pages that result.
Should every account use AI Max?
No. It suits accounts with reliable conversion tracking and enough volume to learn from. Accounts with poor tracking or a very narrow offer usually need fixing first, and we will tell you if that is the case.
How long does an AI Max test take?
Long enough to gather a fair amount of data against the baseline, which depends on your volume. We agree the test length and the decision rules before we start.
Get your free AI Max readiness check.
Send us access to your Google Ads account and we will tell you whether AI Max is likely to help, which controls to set first and how we would test it. No obligation.
More paid media and AI search services.
The channels that sit alongside AI Max.