Google's AI Max launched in May 2025. It's essentially an upgrade for your existing search campaigns that helps you reach more relevant customers without having to rebuild everything from scratch. We've been looking at this new tool, so let's break down what it actually does and whether it's worth your time.

What is AI Max?

AI Max is essentially an add-on you can switch on for your existing search campaigns. Rather than forcing you to start over (we're looking at you, Performance Max), it works alongside your current keywords to help you capture more relevant searches.

It rolled out globally in May 2025, and everyone should have access by September.

How does AI Max work?

There are three main features:

• Search term matching - This looks at your website content and ads to find relevant searches that your keywords might be missing. So if you're selling running shoes but someone searches for "best trainers for jogging," it might show your ad even though you don't have that exact keyword.
• Text customisation - Instead of showing the same ad to everyone, it creates different headlines and descriptions based on what people are actually searching for.
• Final URL expansion - This one's quite clever. Rather than always sending people to your main landing page, it can direct them to the most relevant page on your site. Someone searching for "red running shoes" might go straight to your red shoes page.

The good news is that your existing keywords still take priority, so you're not losing control.

Why should you consider it?

If you want more conversions from your current search campaigns without the hassle of setting up something completely new, AI Max is definitely worth testing. According to Nielsen's research, businesses typically see around 14% more conversions when using AI Max, with early case studies showing promising results across different business types and sizes.

We think it's particularly worth considering if you've got well-performing search campaigns that you'd like to expand.

What you need to get started

• Existing search campaigns with Smart Bidding turned on
• Proper conversion tracking (this is crucial)
• A decent website with good content for the AI to work with
• There are no minimum spend requirements, which is nice

How's it different from Performance Max?

This is the question everyone's asking.

AI Max only works with search campaigns, and you can see exactly what it's doing. You keep control of your keywords and get proper reporting. Performance Max runs across all of Google's platforms but operates more like a black box - you get less visibility into what's actually happening.

We think AI Max strikes a better balance between automation and control.

Our tips for getting started

• Start with one feature - We'd recommend beginning with text customisation. It's the least risky way to test the waters.
• Watch your search terms like a hawk during the first few weeks. The AI will try new things, and you'll want to add negative keywords if it starts going off-track.
• Be patient - Give it 2-3 weeks to learn about your business. Don't panic if things look a bit chaotic initially.
• Double-check your conversion tracking - If the AI’s optimisation is targeting the wrong goals, you won't get the results you're hoping for.

Things to keep an eye on

A few things to watch out for:

• Like all of Google's AI tools, it needs time to learn what works for your business
• You'll need to monitor it regularly, especially if you're in a regulated industry
• Your budget might fluctuate during the learning period
• API and bulk editing support isn't available yet (it’s coming later in 2025)

Our take

AI Max feels like a sensible evolution of search campaigns rather than a complete revolution. It improves what you're already doing without forcing you to abandon your existing strategy. The early results look promising, and the fact that it maintains transparency whilst adding AI capabilities addresses our main concerns with previous Google automation tools.

We think it's worth testing for most businesses running search campaigns, especially as search behaviour continues evolving towards more conversational, AI-powered queries.