If you work on Google Ads in your day-to-day, then you’ve probably come across AI Max. Initially introduced in May 2025, AI Max was introduced as a new AI powered, automated feature for Search campaigns – positioned as an upgrade to Dynamic Search Ads. As with most automated tools, Google Ads heavily recommends users to utilise AI Max. Here at Pretty Pragmatic, we’ve popped this guide together to demystify what it is and help you to identify when you should use it – based on our experiences of working with a broad range of brands in Google Ads.
What is AI Max?
Think of AI Max as a step further than Dynamic Search Ads with broad match and an automated bidding strategy enabled. With AI Max, Google takes full control over your keywords, ad headlines, descriptions, and even landing pages (though landing page control can be retained if you switch off ‘Final URL Expansion’ – which is switched on by default when enabling AI Max).
We’ve found that AI Max can be beneficial in some cases and can negatively impact results in others. So, how exactly do you know if AI Max is right for you?
When to use AI Max?
We’ve found that there are a handful of core considerations that you need to make before rolling out AI Max, we’ve listed these below:
How rich is your account data?
Google Ads has a habit of recommending automated strategies to its clients, even when the conditions aren’t ideal for it – and AI Max is no exception. Just like automated bidding or broad match, AI Max succeeds when an ad account has maturity, rich conversion data and higher spend levels.
A campaign should spend around a minimum of £50 per day and have over 100 conversions in a month before AI Max is introduced.
Always A/B Test
Rolling out AI Max is a significant change to your campaigns, and anything of this nature should be introduced gradually. Google now allows you to run an Experiment with AI Max on campaigns to test out its performance - so make sure to trial this for 4-6 weeks and monitor the results.
How complex are your products/services?
If you couldn’t explain what you’re selling to a 10-year-old, then it’s likely that AI Max may struggle to fully grasp it too. While Google’s automation is getting more sophisticated every day, it still performs best when your value proposition is clear, with strong audience signals. We also tend to see that B2C offerings outperform B2B, as consumer offerings are usually easier to define and generate more conversion data, helping to feed the algorithm.
How is your website structured?
This primarily applies to Final URL Expansion, which can be toggled on or off independently of AI Max. You should only consider enabling Final URL Expansion if your website is clearly signposted and centred around one core product type or service. If your site spans multiple product categories, audiences, or service lines without a clean structure, you risk sending traffic to less relevant pages which can dilute performance.
However, Final URL Expansion does allow advertisers to exclude specific pages from being selected. If you’re experimenting with this feature, exclusions should always be implemented to retain control and prevent the algorithm from directing traffic to irrelevant or low-intent areas of your site.
AI Max Checklist: Is it right for you?
We’ve created a checklist to help you identify if AI Max is actually right for you, or if you’d be better off sticking to a more manual account strategy. If you can tick off all of the below, consider running an Experiment with AI Max. If not – avoid it for now (but keep an eye on how it evolves over time, as the algorithm will undoubtedly become more sophisticated in future).
I have Search campaigns that spend more than £50 per day
I’ve had over 100 conversions in Google Ads over the last 30-days
I could easily explain my products/services and audiences to a 10-year-old
If you can also tick off the points below, then consider rolling our AI Max with Final URL Expansion. If not – you can still trial it, but use caution and ensure that you heavily specify which landing pages Google Ads chooses to direct traffic towards.
My website has a clear service offering and audience, and my website is consistent with this
Several of my website pages convert well
In summary
We hope that this guide was useful for you, but if you have any further questions around AI Max, or any other Google Ad features – feel free to reach out to us. We’d love to hear more about your experiences and challenges.