Google announced its decision to roll out AI Max for Search Campaigns, a new campaign-level setting designed to maximize ad performance on May 7th, 2025. This marks a major leap in AI-powered search advertising, as AI Max leverages automation to deliver smarter targeting and real-time optimization. AI-driven search engines are becoming more advanced by going beyond matching user’s intent to predict their future needs.
Advertisers can activate AI Max directly in the Google Ads interface with a single click, enabling a set of targeting and creative features. The tool allows automated ad targeting, making it easier to reach audiences with more relevant ads without manual adjustments. By using dynamic search term prediction Google Ads, advertisers can uncover new, high-converting queries that may have never been considered previously.
What Is AI Max in Google Ads?
Google’s AI Max is a newly launched AI-driven enhancement for Search campaigns in Google Ads, currently in open beta starting May 27, 2025. The full API support is set to arrive later this year in August for version 21. During the beta phase, users are advised to exercise caution when enabling or disabling AI Max features via the API, as conflicts may arise with legacy settings.
How to Use AI Max for Better Ad Performance
Let’s go through the key features of AI Max that advertisers can combine to optimize ads in real time:
- Search term matching: With search term matching feature, advertisers can go beyond traditional keyword targeting by using broad match and keyword-less technology to dynamically identify new, high-converting queries. Its AI learns from the advertiser’s current keywords, creative assets, and URLs to target relevant searches and enhance campaign reach.
- Creative asset optimization: Replacing the older “Automatically Created Assets” feature, text customization under the “asset optimization” panel generates and tailors ad copy based on landing page, existing ads, and keywords.
- Granular control: Exclusive to this suite, advertisers can target specific customers based on geographic intent at ad group level with locations of interest feature. Brand control feature lets advertisers include or exclude appearances of specific brands at ad group and campaign level.
- Seamless Integration: It consolidates several legacy features, including text customization, campaign-level broad match settings, and brand inclusions/exclusions, into a unified AI-driven framework.
- Reporting improvements: It also introduces enhanced reporting capabilities that provide deeper insights into how AI-driven elements are performing. Advertisers can now view performance data across search term categories, asset variations, and targeting settings, enabling more informed decisions through better automated reporting for search campaigns.
Impact of AI Max on Campaign Performance
From initial tests, Google emphasizes positive results for brands activating AI Max in their campaigns. According to Google, advertisers that activate this new tool will see an increase in conversions by up to 14%, with higher gains of 27% for campaigns predominantly using exact and phrase match keywords.
Nicolás Moya, CMO of L’Oreal Chile, stated, “AI Max not only allowed us to pioneer the use of AI in Search — it also propelled us into new markets, reaching untapped audiences with lower costs, higher conversions and more relevant ad experiences that significantly boosted engagement.” By using AI Max to find new search opportunities and boost ad relevance in their Search campaigns, they achieved 2X higher conversion rate at a 31% lower cost-per-conversion.
Another Australian-based utility connection service company, MyConnect, drove 16% more leads at a 13% lower cost-per-action by turning on AI Max in their Search campaigns. Moreover, 30% increase in conversions was also noted to be specifically from net-new queries. Their head of marketing said, “With the AI-powered creative and targeting enhancements in AI Max for Search campaigns, we were able to drive incremental high-quality leads by unlocking net-new searches and having AI build more relevant content to each user and their query.”
Leverage SEO Expertise to Stay Competitive
As the advertising landscape continues to evolve, tools like AI Max reflect a growing need for smarter automation. Businesses can hire SEO specialists from affordable digital marketing services to ensure they’re not just relying on automation but also aligning strategy with real-world user behavior. For advertisers, especially those managing large or complex campaigns, AI Max offers a chance to scale performance using the latest in AI without reinventing their entire strategy. While it can uncover hidden opportunities, it’s still crucial to guide it with clear, data-driven goals and a human understanding of brand voice and audience needs. As search becomes more unpredictable and personalized, SEO success will come to those who blend machine efficiency with human insight.
