Testing AI Max in Google Ads: When to try it and when to wait

AI Max, Google’s latest AI-powered search campaign feature promises big performance improvements. 

Still, the decision between AI Max and traditional Search campaigns isn’t as straightforward as the marketing materials suggest.

Advertisers using AI Max see 14% more conversions at similar costs, with some seeing up to 27% improvements, according to Google. 

But these gains come with trade-offs that could make or break your advertising strategy.

The real question isn’t whether AI Max works; it’s whether it works better than what you’re already doing and for which specific situations. 

With its wide release in Q3, take some time to determine whether you’re ready to test it. 

How AI Max actually works vs. regular search

AI Max expands your targeting in three ways:

• Search term matching: Uses broad match and “keywordless” technology to find relevant searches beyond your keyword list.
• Text customization: Automatically generates new headlines and descriptions based on your landing pages and existing ads (you can remove any you don’t like).
• Final URL expansion: Sends users to the most relevant page on your site for their specific search (with URL exclusion controls available).

Regular Search campaigns give you direct control:

• You choose exactly which keywords trigger your ads.
• You write every headline and description.
• You decide which landing page each keyword leads to.
• You control bidding and budget at the keyword and ad group level.

The fundamental difference: AI Max finds opportunities you didn’t know existed, while regular Search requires you to discover opportunities through broad match testing, phrase match expansion, competitor analysis, and manual keyword research.

Control vs. performance trade-offs

What you control with regular Search

• You decide whether keywords need to exactly match searches, contain specific phrases, or broadly relate to user intent.
• Specific ad copy for each keyword theme.
• Precise landing page selection.
• Granular control over how much you spend on specific keywords through bid adjustments and negative keywords.

What you give up with AI Max

• Google’s AI decides which additional searches to target (beyond your keywords).
• AI-powered ad customization that creates new text variations, though you can remove unwanted assets.
• AI chooses landing pages from your site (with URL exclusion options available).
• Keywordless expansion based on your landing page content.

What you get back

• Enhanced reporting showing search sources. See exactly which search terms triggered your ads, whether they came from your keywords or AI expansion, and performance metrics for each source.
• Brand exclusions and inclusions at campaign and ad group levels (block competitors or ensure brand terms always show).
• Geographic intent targeting at the ad group level (target users searching for specific locations even if they’re not physically there).

When testing AI Max makes sense

Best scenarios for AI Max include:

• Accounts heavily using exact and phrase match: These see the biggest performance gains because they have the most untapped search volume to discover.
• Businesses with comprehensive, well-organized landing pages: AI Max pulls content from your pages to determine relevance for new searches.
• Campaigns that have maxed out impression share on current keywords: AI Max finds incremental volume you can’t get by increasing bids.
• Advertisers comfortable with 1-2 week learning periods: Google’s typical Smart Bidding optimization timeframe.

Best scenarios to stick with regular Search:

• Accounts that need predictable, controlled spending: You set exact budgets and bids rather than letting AI optimize.
• Businesses with established keyword performance data: You already know what works and want to control the variables.
• Campaigns requiring strict creative and messaging control: Regulated industries, brand guidelines.
• Advertisers managing multiple clients with varying risk tolerances: Easier to explain and control outcomes.

Where regular Search campaigns win

Stick with regular Search if:

• Your website changes frequently or has outdated content.
• You’re managing tight budgets that can’t handle expansion.
• Your campaigns already use broad match extensively (typically when you’re in discovery mode, testing new markets, or your account is new and gathering performance data).
• You’re in a niche industry that has specific keyword variables that require detailed attention (exact match). 

---

The technical requirements

Some AI Max requirements you can’t avoid include:

• Using Smart Bidding strategies: Maximize conversions or Maximize conversion value with optional targets).
• Text customization must be enabled for the final URL expansion.
• Asset pinning doesn’t work when the final URL expansion is on.

In contrast, regular Search offers more flexibility:

• Any bidding strategy works.
• Complete control over final URLs.
• Asset pinning supported.
• Allows manual bidding strategies and granular budget control at every level.

The hybrid strategy that works

Most successful advertisers recognize there’s a time and place to run both campaign types for maximum effectiveness:

Use regular Search for:

• Your highest-converting, most profitable keywords.
• Brand defense and competitor terms.
• Campaigns with strict compliance requirements.
• Bottom-funnel, high-intent searches.

Use AI Max for:

• Keyword expansion and discovery.
• Upper-funnel awareness campaigns.
• Testing new market segments.
• Capturing long-tail, conversational searches.

The key: Set up proper campaign prioritization so your exact match keywords in regular Search always win over AI Max expansion.

Dig deeper: 10 advanced strategy ideas for Google Ads

The financial reality

AI Max may cost more upfront because:

• The learning period increases initial spend.
• Broader targeting can drive budget consumption.
• It requires monitoring and negative keyword management.

Regular Search costs are more predictable and manageable:

• Established performance benchmarks.
• Controlled spending on known converting terms.
• Lower management overhead.

Long-term ROI: AI Max typically pays off after 3-4 weeks once the learning period stabilizes, especially for exact/phrase match heavy accounts.

Industry-specific considerations

Ecommerce

AI Max excels at automatically matching users to relevant product pages and handles product feed integration well. 

However, product feed quality becomes critical since poor descriptions hurt AI Max more than regular Search.

Lead generation

Proceed with caution.

While AI Max increases lead volume, quality often varies more than regular Search. 

The broader matching can overwhelm sales teams with lower-intent prospects.

Local services 

Geographic intent targeting makes AI Max valuable for multi-location businesses, especially for capturing users researching services in different locations. 

Ensure your Google Business Profile data is comprehensive.

B2B

Regular Search often performs better due to longer sales cycles and the need for precise messaging control. 

AI Max can work for top-of-funnel research queries, but may dilute messaging specificity for complex solutions.

Dig deeper: Google Ads optimization: What to stop, start, and continue in 2025

Making the decision

Start with AI Max if:

• Your Search campaigns have low impression share.
• You’re primarily using exact and phrase match.
• Your website has comprehensive, up-to-date content.
• You can handle a two-week learning period.

Stick with regular Search if:

• Your campaigns are hitting performance targets.
• You need maximum control over messaging and targeting.
• Your industry requires strict compliance oversight.
• You’re working with limited budgets.

Test both if:

• You want to maximize total account performance.
• You have a sufficient budget for parallel testing.
• You’re looking to expand into new keyword territories.
• You can properly segment performance reporting.

The bottom line

AI Max isn’t replacing regular Search campaigns; it’s expanding what Search campaigns can do. 

The 14% performance improvement is real, but it comes from finding new opportunities rather than improving existing performance.

Your decision should be based on where you are now: 

• If you’ve maxed out your current keyword optimizations and need expansion, AI Max makes sense. 
• If your current campaigns are profitable and you need control, regular Search remains the better choice.

The future looks like a portfolio approach: regular Search for your core terms, AI Max for expansion and discovery. 

The question is whether you’ll test this approach now while there’s still a competitive advantage or wait until everyone else figures it out.

#Testing #Max #Google #Ads #wait