Google AI Max for Search is a set of AI features your ads team switches on inside a normal Search campaign. It finds searches beyond your keyword list, writes extra headlines and descriptions from your website, and can send each person to whichever page on your site Google thinks fits their search best. That's useful reach. It also means the ad someone clicks may not be the copy you wrote, and the page they land on may not be the one you planned. For marketing and email teams, the job changes shape: every page Google might pick, and the email that follows the click, need to tell the same story in your voice.
Checked against Google's help pages on 10 October 2026. AI Max changes often, so the linked Google pages have the latest detail.
What AI Max for Search actually changes
AI Max isn't a new campaign type. Google describes it as "an optimisation layer within existing search campaigns" (set up AI Max, Google Ads Help). Three parts matter most to the people who own the brand.
Search term matching starts from your keywords and uses broad match and keywordless technology to find related searches you never listed. Google says it learns "from your current keywords, creatives and URLs" (how AI Max for Search campaigns works).
Text customisation writes extra headlines and descriptions from your domain, landing pages, existing ads and keywords. It mixes snippets lifted from your pages with generative AI, and Google only serves those lines when it predicts they'll do better than the ones you wrote (about text customisation).
Final URL expansion sends people to the page on your site that Google judges most relevant to their search, limited to pages that are "query-relevant and themed to your ad group" (how AI Max works).
Where it stands now
AI Max for Search moved out of beta in April 2026, and new Search campaigns have it switched on by default (set up AI Max). From September 2026, Google also began upgrading campaigns that used automatically created assets or the campaign-level broad match setting, and expected those upgrades to finish by the end of September. Dynamic Search Ads campaigns are due to follow from February 2027 (Google's Dynamic Search Ads upgrade post, updated 11 June 2026).
If you're not sure whether yours is on, ask whoever runs your ads. It takes them a minute to check.
Your website becomes the source of your ad copy
Text customisation takes "snippets from landing page titles, descriptions and meta tags" and builds on your page copy. Google reviews those lines at least every 48 hours, and refreshes them within 48 hours when a page changes (about text customisation).
You can't edit the lines Google writes. Its FAQ is plain about it: they're "fully automated" (AI Max FAQ). You can remove them, and you can set the rules they're written to.
The upside is real. Clear, current pages give Google good material, so you get relevant ads with less writing. The flip side is that an old offer, a vague claim or an off-brand phrase sitting on a page can turn up in an ad. Google's own advice is to keep your website content "accurate, not misleading".
A few habits help:
- Keep the offer and its terms in live text on the page, not baked into an image. It's the same rule that keeps an email readable in every inbox, as in our HTML email checklist.
- Retire expired promo pages, or ask your ads owner to exclude them.
- Read your page titles and meta descriptions as if they were ad lines. If you wouldn't be happy seeing one in an ad, rewrite it.
The landing page may not be the one you picked
With final URL expansion on, Google can choose a different page on your domain for each search. Often that means people land somewhere more relevant, which is the point. The catch is that the page they land on may carry a different offer, a different sign-up form, or no clear next step at all. And when Google picks a more relevant page, your pinned headlines aren't used, because they might not match it (set up AI Max).
Make a short list of pages you'd never want as a landing page: careers, old campaigns, legal pages, anything without a clear next step. Hand it to your ads owner for URL exclusions. If a campaign must always use specific pages, URL inclusions or switching final URL expansion off are the options.
One more thing to pass on: dynamic landing pages can clash with tracking templates that aren't set up for them, and send people to an error page. Google recommends checking tracking links before AI Max goes on (how AI Max works).
Keep the ad, the page and the follow-up email saying the same thing
Message match used to mean one ad and one page. With AI Max it has three moving parts: an ad you may not have written, a page you may not have chosen, and the email that arrives after someone signs up or buys. The reader remembers what the ad promised. If the email doesn't line up with it, it feels like it came from a different company.
What helps:
- One source of truth for the offer. The same price, dates and terms on every page that could be chosen, and in the email. If the email says "20% off until Sunday", every page that might catch the click should agree.
- Every sign-up page leads to the right email. If AI Max can send people to a page with a form, check that the form starts the welcome or offer email that fits that page, not a generic one.
- One written brand voice. Keep your tone, banned words and must-have phrases in one place that ads, site and email all draw from. The same rules can then feed Google's text guidelines and your email copy. If your colours, type and buttons already live in a brand kit, the email side is halfway there.
- Check against the pages people actually landed on. Ask for the landing pages report, not just the campaign plan, and read your follow-up email next to the pages that really got the traffic.
The brand controls Google gives you
You can't hand-edit Google's lines, but you can set the rules they follow. Most of those rules can come straight from brand guidelines you already have.
| Control | What it's for |
|---|---|
| Text guidelines (an experimental beta) | Up to 25 words or phrases to keep out of generated ads, and up to 40 messaging rules, such as "Don't generate assets with prices", how to spell your brand, or "If promoting a discount, always include 'T&C apply'" (use text guidelines) |
| Text disclaimers | Required text that always shows in your ads, even when final URL expansion picks the page (Google's AI Max page) |
| Google's AI Brief (closed beta) | Guide AI Max in your own words, with context on your business, audience and key messages (Google's September 2026 update) |
| Brand inclusions and exclusions | Which brand-related searches your ads show on. They don't set your tone of voice |
| URL inclusions and exclusions | Which pages can, or can never, be used as landing pages |
| Locations of interest, negative keywords, asset removal | Reaching people by the places they're searching about, searches to avoid (Google says negative keywords are still respected), and generated lines you want gone |
A few things worth knowing. Term exclusions can't block prices on their own, so Google says to use a messaging rule for that, and adding guidelines also removes existing generated lines that break them. Google's AI Brief is still a closed beta, extended to seven more languages in September 2026, so it may not be in your account yet. Google announced text disclaimers in April 2026 and has been rolling them out since, so check they're in your account before you rely on them.
What to look at in reporting
You don't need to live in Google Ads, but a few reports are worth asking for (how AI Max works):
- The search terms report, where "AI Max" shows as its own match type, with a source column saying whether the match came from broad match expansion or keywordless matching.
- The view that puts the search term, the headlines shown and the landing page side by side.
- The landing pages report, where a "Selected by" column shows the pages AI Max chose.
- The asset report, which shows how generated lines perform.
From the email side, two things matter most: the list of pages AI Max actually sent people to, and the generated headlines that served most. Check both against your current offer and your welcome or offer email. Google has also announced a single view of the whole journey, from search term to ad to landing page, and says it will share details and availability later this year.
When to hold off, or switch parts off
AI Max isn't all or nothing. Your ads owner can switch it off for a campaign, or turn individual parts off. A few cases where that's worth considering:
- Manual CPC bidding. Search term matching won't work with it (AI Max FAQ), and Google says the features need conversion-based Smart Bidding to work well.
- Campaigns limited by budget. Google says AI Max "won't be effective" there.
- A page or headline that must be used exactly. Pinned headlines aren't respected with final URL expansion or URL inclusions on, so leave those off.
- A site with stale or clashing offers. Tidy it first, or exclude those pages.
- Regulated wording. Use text disclaimers where you have them, and get sign-off from whoever approves your ads.
If you're unsure, eligible accounts can run Google's one-click 50/50 experiment to compare a campaign with and without AI Max. Google says advertisers that switch it on "will typically see 14% more conversions or conversion value at a similar CPA/ROAS" (Google internal data, 2025, for non-retail advertisers) (about AI Max). That's an average across accounts, not a forecast for yours.
Where Milo fits: the email after the click
Milo Email Studio helps with the part your team owns once someone clicks and signs up: the welcome, offer or follow-up email. Build the email on Milo's drag-and-drop canvas with your brand kit, so it uses the same colours, type and buttons as your site. The AI designer can draft the blocks if you want a head start. Keep the offer and terms in live text, send yourself a Test, and share a preview link if brand or legal need to check it. Then take export-ready HTML or MJML to your ESP (here's how to import it), or push a Zoho Campaigns draft. The campaign itself goes out from your ESP. Milo works alongside your ads rather than connecting to Google Ads.
Questions
What is Google AI Max for Search?
AI Max for Search is a set of AI features in Google Ads that you switch on inside an existing Search campaign. It finds relevant searches beyond your keywords, writes extra headlines and descriptions from your site and ads, and can send people to the most relevant page on your domain. It isn't a new campaign type.
Is AI Max still in beta?
No. Google announced AI Max for Search in May 2025 and moved it out of beta in April 2026. Some newer controls, such as text guidelines and Google's AI Brief, are still labelled beta.
Is AI Max turned on by default?
For new Search campaigns, yes. From September 2026 Google also upgraded campaigns that used automatically created assets or the campaign-level broad match setting. Dynamic Search Ads campaigns are due to follow from February 2027. You can switch AI Max, or individual parts of it, off.
Does AI Max rewrite my ads?
With text customisation on (Google's US pages spell it "text customization"), Google adds its own headlines and descriptions based on your website, landing pages, existing ads and keywords. You can't edit those lines, but you can remove them and set rules with text guidelines. Google only serves them when it predicts they'll do better than yours.
Can AI Max send people to a different landing page?
Yes, if final URL expansion is on. Google picks the page on your domain it thinks best matches the search. You can exclude pages, choose pages to include, or turn final URL expansion off.
Can I stop AI Max mentioning prices or competitors?
Yes. Text guidelines let you add words to avoid and messaging rules, such as not mentioning prices. Google says term exclusions can't block prices, so use a messaging rule for that.
Do AI Max brand controls set my tone of voice?
No. Brand inclusions and exclusions decide which brand-related searches your ads appear on. Tone and wording are steered with text guidelines and, where available, Google's AI Brief.
What does AI Max mean for my emails?
Nothing changes inside your email platform. But people may arrive through an ad and a page you didn't plan, so the offer, terms and tone in your follow-up email need to match every page they could land on.
When shouldn't I use AI Max?
Google says search term matching won't work with manual CPC bidding and AI Max won't be effective on budget-limited campaigns. If you must always use a specific page or pinned headline, leave final URL expansion off.
How is AI Max different from Performance Max?
AI Max adds AI features to a Search campaign and keeps the familiar Search structure. Performance Max is a separate campaign type. If a search could match both, the one with the higher Ad Rank serves.
Does Milo connect to Google Ads?
No. Milo is an email studio. It helps you design the on-brand email that follows the click and hand it to your ESP as export-ready HTML or MJML, or push a Zoho Campaigns draft.