Google Ads AI Max: What It Does and When to Turn It Off

Google added a single switch to Search campaigns called AI Max. When it is on, a campaign is no longer limited to the keywords you chose. Google looks at your site and your ads to find new searches, writes ad text on its own and, when it sees fit, sends the click to a different page of your site. In some accounts this brings new customers. In others, part of the budget goes to searches that have nothing to do with the business.

This post explains exactly what AI Max changes, how to measure whether it works using your own data, and when turning it off is the right call. At the end we show how to read and change the setting from the chat with Opus Growth.

What AI Max changes

AI Max turns on three separate features at once. Knowing what each one does makes the decision easier.

Search term matching. With AI Max on, your keywords behave like broad match. On top of that, Google can use your landing pages and ads to show your ad on searches you never added. A campaign built on exact match keywords therefore opens up to a much wider set of searches.

Text customization. Google generates new headlines and descriptions from the content on your site and in your existing ads, and picks them based on the search.

Final URL expansion. Instead of the page written in the ad, Google can send the click to another page on your site that it considers more relevant to the search. This feature only works while text customization is on.

AI Max exists only in Search campaigns. When the main switch is turned off, Google requires text customization and final URL expansion to be turned off in the same change. From then on, keywords work by their own match types again.

Does AI Max work? Measure it with your own data

There is no single answer that holds for everyone. The right answer sits in your account's search terms report. Open the campaign in Google Ads and go to the Search terms report: rows marked "AI Max" in the match type column are searches captured by AI Max, outside your own keywords.

To decide, put the two groups side by side: the spend, clicks and conversions from your own keywords on one side, and the totals of the AI Max rows on the other. Keep three points in mind while comparing:

• Conversion tracking has to be right. If bookings or sales are not counted correctly, you will misjudge both groups. Verify tracking first.
• Enough time has to pass. A few days of data can mislead. Look at several weeks at least.
• Read the search terms one by one. The searches matter as much as the numbers. Are the searches AI Max found really looking for what you sell, or do they only share similar words?

An example from a real account

In an account we reviewed recently, the business sold a service booked in advance. The daily budget was limited and the ads could appear on only a small share of relevant searches. AI Max was on.

When we split about three and a half weeks of search terms data in two, the picture became clear. Roughly a fifth of the spend had gone to AI Max rows, and those rows had not produced a single booking. Every booking had come from the business's own keywords.

Looking at the searches AI Max had found explained why. There were searches for car rentals, parking, hotels and other companies' names. They resembled the business's keywords, but the people searching wanted something else. In a campaign whose budget was already too small, that spend came out of the searches that brought bookings. AI Max was turned off, and the same budget stayed with the campaign's own keywords.

When to keep it on, when to turn it off

Keeping AI Max on makes sense when your conversion tracking is reliable, your budget already covers the demand for your keywords, and you want to test new search territory. In that case the new searches AI Max brings can mean extra volume.

Consider turning it off in these situations:

• The campaign is losing impressions to budget and the AI Max rows are not converting.
• Your business depends on a very specific intent, and similar but different searches do not bring you customers.
• You keep finding unrelated searches in the search terms report that you have to add as negatives.

There is also a middle option. You can leave AI Max on and turn off only search term matching at the ad group level. Google then keeps improving your ad text, but the campaign shows only by your own keywords' match types.

How to turn off AI Max in Google Ads

In the Google Ads interface, open the campaign and go to Settings in the left menu. Turn off the main switch in the AI Max for Search campaigns section and save. The campaign does not stop; it keeps running on your own keywords. In the days after the change, no new "AI Max" rows should appear in the search terms report.

Managing it from the chat with Opus Growth

If you have connected Opus Growth to Claude or ChatGPT, you can read and change this setting from the chat. Ask your assistant "Is AI Max on in this campaign?" and it shows the state of AI Max, text customization and final URL expansion, plus whether search term matching is on in each ad group.

When you say "Turn off AI Max" or "Turn off only search term matching", the assistant first shows what will change and does not touch any setting until you approve. With your approval the change is applied. Before deciding, you can ask for the search terms report in the same chat and have the AI Max rows' spend compared with your own keywords.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does turning off AI Max stop the campaign?

No. The campaign stays live and your keywords keep working by their own match types. Only the searches Google found beyond your keywords, the text it wrote itself and the redirection to other pages stop.

Which campaigns have AI Max?

Search campaigns only. Other campaign types, such as Performance Max and Smart campaigns, have their own automation settings.

Where do I see the searches AI Max brought in?

In the campaign's search terms report. Rows marked "AI Max" in the match type column are searches captured thanks to AI Max.

Can I turn off just one feature?

Yes. You can turn off search term matching at the ad group level and leave text customization on. Final URL expansion depends on text customization, so it turns off when text customization does.

Can I turn it back on later?

Yes. You can switch it back on from the same setting at any time. After turning it on, we recommend watching the search terms report for a few weeks and judging the result with your own data again.