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Google is moving older Search campaign settings into Google Ads AI Max whether advertisers act or not. Campaign-level broad match and automatically created assets began migrating in September 2026, and Dynamic Search Ads follow in February 2027. For most small advertisers, the first sign will be a change in what they spend or in the pages people land on.
Here is what AI Max actually changes, what gets moved and when, and the checks worth making before Google makes the decisions for you.
AI Max is a set of features, switched on at campaign level in a Search campaign, that lets Google decide more of what used to be your job: which searches you appear for, what the ad says, and which page people are sent to. It has three parts.
Google reports that campaigns using all three features see on average 7% more conversions or conversion value at a similar cost per acquisition or return on ad spend. That is an average across its advertisers, not a promise for a villa in Kamala with a modest monthly budget. Whether it works for you depends almost entirely on the checks below.
Three legacy features are being folded into AI Max on a fixed timetable, announced by Google and reported by Search Engine Land in August:
Brand inclusions and exclusions carry across in the migration. Most other judgement calls are made using defaults, which is the reason to review your settings now.
Because final URL expansion lets Google pick any suitable page on your site as a landing page, including pages you would never have chosen. Every page that can be indexed is now a potential destination for paid traffic.
In Phuket accounts that often means an out-of-date low season rate page, a job advert, an old promotion that ended two years ago, or a blog post with no way to enquire. You pay for the click either way.
There are two fixes, and you need both. Use URL exclusions to keep ads away from pages that should never receive paid traffic. Then make sure every page that remains has a clear next step, such as a booking button, an enquiry form or a WhatsApp link. That second part is a website design job as much as an advertising one, and it improves organic conversions too.
Six things, most of which take less than an hour each.
For most small accounts, upgrading voluntarily and deliberately is better than waiting, because you choose the settings and the timing instead of inheriting defaults. The timing matters in Phuket more than most places.
Nobody wants a major change to campaign behaviour landing in the first weeks of high season, when budgets are highest and every wasted click costs the most. Test AI Max on one campaign first, ideally a non-brand campaign with steady conversion volume, and compare it against your baseline before rolling it out further.
Accounts with only a handful of conversions each month give the system very little to learn from. If that is you, keep a much closer eye on the search terms report for the first month, and expect to add negatives weekly.
By cost per enquiry and conversion value compared with your baseline, over at least four to six weeks, adjusted for season. Clicks and impressions will almost certainly rise, and they tell you very little on their own.
Review the search terms report weekly during the first month and add negatives for anything irrelevant. Check which landing pages Google is choosing and exclude the poor ones. Google documents the features and controls in its Google Ads Help Centre, and its announcement on the Dynamic Search Ads upgrade sets out the official timeline.
Our guide to measuring marketing results explains which numbers deserve your attention, and narrow audience targeting is worth reading alongside this, because the same principle applies: more reach is not the goal.
Open your Google Ads account and look for AI Max notices in the recommendations and notifications. List every campaign using broad match, Dynamic Search Ads or automatically created assets, and pull ninety days of cost per enquiry for each. That list, and those numbers, are all you need to plan the change properly.
If you would rather have it handled, our Google and Microsoft Ads management team can audit your account and manage the move, and tidy up the landing pages Google is likely to choose. Request a free audit and we will show you where the risks are.
We will audit what you are running now and hand back a written roadmap, whether or not you work with us.
