How is AI Max different from DSA or Performance Max with Final URL expansion?
AI Max is an evolution of DSA and Performance Max with Final URL expansion, while including the convenience and control of Search campaigns. Using a broader and more comprehensive understanding of the URLs in your domain, we use a superset of the asset generation technologies of DSA and Performance Max Final URL expansion.
How does AI Max interact with Performance Max and other existing campaigns in the account?
Just like the interaction between broad match and Performance Max, if a query is eligible to match to candidates in both AI Max for Search campaigns and Performance Max, then the one with the highest Ad Rank will serve. Learn more About keyword and search theme prioritization within a Google Ads account.
Will I have any option to create, edit, or customize assets, like grammar or special offers that are used?
No, these assets will fully be automated.
Does AI Max work with Editor or API?
Activating or deactivating AI Max may cause errors for API requests managing text customization and brand settings in your campaign, as AI Max is not yet available in the API and Editor. Inform your team before proceeding with either action.
Support for Editor and API is expected later in 2025. This article will be updated to reflect feature availability. Additional details can be found in our blog post about AI Max for Search campaigns.
Does AI Max honor negative keywords?
Yes. Negative keywords will be respected even with AI Max turned on.
Does AI Max consider existing ad copies in the campaign / account, or will my ads be entirely new?
Yes, the new ad may include your existing ad copy if it’s relevant to the user’s query and ad URL. The new ad content reflects the marketing messages from your URLs.
How does creating new ad groups in existing campaigns change?
You can continue to add standard or DSA ad groups. If you add a standard ad-group with at least one broad match keyword, the ad-group gets keywordless recall. If you add URL rules, you can further Final URL expansion capabilities.
How is the creative altered? For example, is it dynamically pulled from the website?
AI Max improves your creatives by identifying marketing messages from your URLs that would be relevant to the user’s query. It then writes assets that complement your campaign and existing ads. Finally, the assets are composed into an ad and sent as a candidate into auction.
Does AI Max respect pinned RSA assets?
It depends on the Asset optimization settings and URL inclusion settings you’ve selected.
If you've enabled both text customization and final URL expansion settings, pinning of RSA assets will not be respected. Additionally, pinning is not respected when URL inclusions are provided.
If pinning is a necessity for you, do not use the final URL expansion nor the URL inclusions settings. Please review this section for more information.
What happens if I turn off AI Max within my campaign?
AI Max contains a suite of features within a campaign. When turned off, all of the AI Max features will be disabled and campaign performance may be impacted. For example, if your campaign is running brand exclusions and AI Max is turned off, brand exclusions will be disabled.
Turning AI Max back on will re-enable those settings just as they originally were set.
What happens if I use Manual Cost-Per-Click (CPC) with AI Max?
If you use Manual Cost-Per-Click (CPC) with AI Max, the full benefits and capabilities of AI Max will be limited. The Search Term Matching feature in AI Max will not work with manual CPC bidding. This is because AI Max for Search campaigns is built to use artificial intelligence for optimization and relies on signals from automated bidding strategies, such as "Maximize Conversions" or "Maximize Conversion Value."
When you use Manual CPC, you're setting your bids yourself. Because of this, the AI Max system won't receive the necessary signals to perform its advanced optimizations, like smart search-term matching and other AI-driven improvements.
If you’d like to enable the full capabilities of AI Max, it’s recommended that you use a conversion or conversion value-based bidding strategy.
Is keyword targeting available for Travel ad formats now?
Keyword targeting is supported within Travel Ads in Search Campaigns. This provides more flexibility compared to traditional Hotel campaigns, where keyword targeting was not typically available for travel formats.
- Compatible Formats: Keyword targeting can be used with both Text Ads (including those enhanced by Travel Feeds in Search Ads) and Travel Promotion Ads within Search Campaigns for Travel ad groups.
- Incompatible Format: Booking Links do not use keyword targeting. Their triggering is based exclusively on feed data and user intent, driven by Item Group targeting.
If I add a new item to my feed, will my Item Groups update automatically?
Yes. Item group rules automatically match new items as the feed updates. For example, if your Item Group is filtered for "Country includes France," any new hotel or activity added to your feed located in France will automatically be included.
Can I adjust titles or images at the campaign-level?
No. Changes to creative content (titles and images) for Travel Promotion Ads (TPA) and Booking Links (BL) must still be managed within the Feed (for example, through the Actions Center or Hotel Center). Search Campaigns for Travel uses that feed data to generate ads (Travel Promotion Ads and Booking LInks) dynamically.
What are the account limits for this new setup?
Search Campaigns for Travel follows the standard account limits currently set for Search campaigns.
