AI Max for Search: What Changed in Google Ads Reports and What to Tell Clients

Some clients opened their September Google Ads numbers and found search terms they never bid on and clicks landing on pages nobody chose. For many of them the reason is AI Max for Search, the set of features Google has been rolling into Search campaigns. Google said campaigns still using two older settings, automatically created assets and campaign-level broad match, would be upgraded to AI Max automatically starting in September 2026.

That makes this a reporting problem as much as a bidding one. Queries shift, landing pages change, new match types appear, and a month-on-month comparison can mislead in either direction. This guide covers what AI Max is, what Google changed in its reports, how to compare periods fairly, and how to explain it all in a client-ready Google Ads report without sounding as if the agency lost control of the account.

What is AI Max for Search?

AI Max for Search is a set of Search campaign settings that lets Google find more queries, write extra ad text and pick landing pages on the advertiser's behalf. Google's help center describes it as a suite of targeting and creative features, and lists three main parts.

• Search term matching uses broad match plus asset-based and landing page-based technology to reach queries beyond the keyword list, including keywordless matches. It is controlled at the ad group level.
• Text customization, formerly called automatically created assets, generates extra headlines and descriptions from the client's ads, landing pages and keywords. Google says these assets are reviewed at least every 48 hours.
• Final URL expansion sends traffic to other pages on the client's domain when Google predicts they will perform better. It requires text customization, and when it picks a different URL, pinned assets are not used.

AI Max also adds controls that matter for reporting conversations: brand inclusions and exclusions, locations of interest, and URL inclusions and exclusions. Google's guide on how AI Max for Search campaigns works lists each feature and the level it is set at.

For an agency, the important point is that each of those features moves a decision from the account manager to Google. That is not automatically bad, but it means the report has to show what Google decided, not only what the agency set up.

Which campaigns were upgraded, and how?

Campaigns using automatically created assets or the campaign-level broad match setting were scheduled for automatic upgrade starting in September 2026, and each kept only the AI Max features that matched its old setting. Google announced the plan in April 2026 and updated it in June, when it gave Dynamic Search Ads more time.

The source for the table is Google's own post, upgrading Dynamic Search Ads to AI Max, which said advertisers would be notified in the account before the switch and that Google expected the upgrades to finish by the end of September. Check each client's change history rather than assuming a date: the upgrade day is the line every comparison in the report will be drawn around.

One detail changes keyword reports in a way clients notice. Google's help center says that when a campaign leaves the broad match setting or moves to AI Max, broad keywords are not treated as exact match keywords when Google decides which keyword serves. If queries that used to map to a client's core keywords start mapping elsewhere, that is a likely reason, and Google suggests adding exact match copies of keywords where that priority matters.

What changed in Google Ads reports?

Google added AI Max labels to four reports, so traffic that came from AI Max can be separated from traffic that came from the agency's own keywords. These are the views to build a client section around.

1. Search terms report. "AI Max" appears as a new match type for incremental search terms, with a source column that shows whether the match came from broad match expansion or keywordless matching. A separate view combines the search term with the headline and URL that served.
2. Keywords report. New summary rows labelled AI Max show the total contribution from AI Max next to the agency's keywords.
3. Landing pages report. A new Selected by column shows which landing pages AI Max chose and how they performed.
4. Asset report. Shows how the generated headlines and descriptions are performing, and lets you remove any you do not want.

There is also a tracking risk worth checking before the numbers go into a report. Google warns that final URL expansion can clash with tracking templates: a template with a static URL and no {lpurl} tag can send people to the wrong page, and unusual lpurl patterns can cause 404 errors. If conversions dropped right after the upgrade, rule this out first, because a broken landing page and a weak campaign look identical in a conversion chart.

How to compare before and after fairly

A fair comparison separates what AI Max added from what the keywords were already doing, and only then compares periods. Putting September next to August without that split mixes two different campaigns into one line.

1. Mark the upgrade date. Find it in the account's change history and annotate it on every chart that crosses it.
2. Split the traffic. Report AI Max match type rows and keyword-matched rows separately for clicks, cost, conversions and cost per conversion.
3. Compare like with like. Check whether keyword-matched results held steady. If they did, AI Max traffic is mostly additional; if they fell, it may be replacing traffic the keywords used to win.
4. Judge on value, not volume. Use conversion value and what ROAS really measures rather than clicks, since wider matching nearly always raises clicks.
5. Give it a full period. Avoid conclusions from the first week after a switch, and compare whole months where you can.

If you want a cleaner test on a campaign that has not moved yet, Google offers AI Max experiments, which split traffic inside one campaign between a control with AI Max off and a trial with it on. That gives the client a side-by-side answer instead of a before-and-after argument, and it fits naturally into automated monthly PDF reports as a running section until the test ends.

How to explain query shifts and new landing pages to clients

Explain AI Max as an expansion Google switched on, show exactly what it added, and list the controls the agency is using to keep it on brand. Clients react badly to surprises, not to change, so the goal is to make every new query and page feel accounted for.

For new search terms: show the top AI Max queries by spend with their conversions next to them. Flag the irrelevant ones and say which were added as negatives or excluded. A short table of "kept" and "excluded" terms shows judgment, which is what the client pays the agency for.

For new landing pages: list the pages AI Max selected, with conversion rate against the original final URLs. If a blog post or support page is getting paid clicks, say whether you plan to exclude it. Those same pages often show up in organic search performance reports too, which helps the client see why Google rated them relevant.

Be careful with Google's own numbers. Its help center says advertisers who activate AI Max typically see 14% more conversions or conversion value at a similar cost per action or ROAS, based on Google's internal data for non-retail advertisers. That is a useful context line, not a forecast for any single client, and the report should lead with the client's actual results.

AgencyReportr's Google Ads report already includes search terms, campaigns, conversions, impression share and wasted spend, and every report opens with an AI-written summary of the period, which gives you a place to note the upgrade. Delivered as reports under your brand, the AI Max story reads as the agency's analysis rather than a Google notification the client half understood.

AI Max for Search FAQ

What is AI Max for Search?

A set of Google Ads settings for Search campaigns that bundles search term matching, text customization (formerly automatically created assets) and final URL expansion, plus controls such as brand inclusions, brand exclusions and URL exclusions. It lets Google match more queries, write extra headlines and descriptions, and choose landing pages.

Which campaigns were upgraded to AI Max automatically?

Google said Search campaigns using automatically created assets or the campaign-level broad match setting would be upgraded automatically starting in September 2026. Dynamic Search Ads campaigns were given more time, with their automatic upgrade moved to February 2027.

Where do I see AI Max traffic in the search terms report?

Google added AI Max as a match type in the search terms report, with a source column that shows whether a match came from broad match expansion or keywordless matching. The keywords report also has AI Max summary rows, and the landing pages report has a Selected by column.

Why did my client's cost per conversion change after the upgrade?

The campaign is now matching a wider set of queries and may send people to different pages, so the mix of traffic changed. Compare the AI Max rows with the keyword-matched rows separately, and use a full period after the upgrade before you judge the result.

Can an agency turn AI Max features off?

Yes. Search term matching can be turned off at the ad group level, and text customization and final URL expansion can be turned off in campaign settings. Turning off text customization also turns off final URL expansion, because Google requires the first for the second.