Google Ads AI Max 2026: what’s changing in Search campaigns and what’s coming in September
In 2026, Google Ads is accelerating the shift from manually maintained Search campaigns to AI Max. April brought the expansion of AI Max along with new options for Shopping and travel, May introduced new AI ad formats, and June adjusted the timeline for Dynamic Search Ads. The most important practical takeaway for a company is simple: automation has more room to grow, but the quality of measurement, landing pages, goals, and inputs is even more important than before.
AI Max is no longer a fringe experiment
On April 30, 2026, Google announced a further expansion of AI Max and new performance management options. AI Max for Search combines advanced query matching, text customization and final URL expansion with controls designed to give advertisers greater control over brand, location and text rules.
For a business, this means the account looks less like a static list of keywords and ads and more like a system that works with goals, creative inputs, the website, conversions and other signals. This can reduce manual routine, but at the same time it increases the cost of bad inputs. If the system optimizes for the wrong conversion, it can scale the wrong objective very efficiently.
What AI Max for Shopping brings
The April announcement extended AI Max to Shopping campaigns as well. Google introduces text customization, final URL expansion, and automatic selection of the most suitable format between text and Shopping formats based on user intent. For products, the system also relies on data from the Merchant Center feed.
In practice, this highlights the importance of feed quality. An incomplete product name, weak attributes, inconsistent pricing, or a poor-quality landing page are not details that AI will “fix.” They are inputs on which automation is based. For an online store, PPC strategy is therefore increasingly interconnected with product data, the website, and measurement.
Google Marketing Live showed that Search advertising is evolving along with search
On May 20, Google introduced new ad formats built on Gemini and the testing of ads in more conversational Search experiences. This is important context: as the organic part of the results changes through AI Overviews and AI Mode, the paid part is also adapting to longer and more contextual interactions.
For an advertiser, this does not mean stopping the use of classic Search campaigns. It implies the need for a higher-quality creative foundation, a clear offer, and a landing page that can handle a wider range of queries without losing relevance.
Attention to the June change in the DSA schedule
On April 15, Google originally announced an automatic transition of legacy features, including Dynamic Search Ads, to AI Max starting in September 2026. However, on June 11 the announcement was updated: the sunset and auto-upgrade of DSA is being postponed and is now scheduled to begin in February 2027.
At the same time, Google explicitly stated that campaigns using Automatically Created Assets and the campaign-level broad match setting are still set to continue with automatic upgrades from September 2026. This is exactly the kind of detail where it does not pay off to rely on an older screenshot or an April article that has not been updated.
Automation does not eliminate the need for strategy
AI can greatly expand reach and adapt copy or landing pages, but it cannot decide which lead is commercially valuable, what margin is needed, or whether it makes sense to invest in a segment that converts but ultimately does not close.
That is why every PPC account should start with a business objective. For a lead generation company, it pays off to distinguish between submitting a relevant form and a cheap micro-action. For an online store, the focus should be on value and margin, not just the number of orders. Automation deserves more freedom only once measurement is reliable.
The landing page is part of the Google Ads system
Final URL expansion gives the system the option to find a more relevant landing page. If a website has a logical structure and each page has a clear offer, this can be useful. If pages are duplicated, weak in content, or have unclear CTAs, automation will only expose the problem on a larger scale.
For SKCompanies, PPC is therefore naturally connected with SEO and copywriting. An audit of the campaign can be carried out, conversion tracking checked, and at the same time it can be identified where the landing page is holding back the result. A higher budget is not always the best answer.
Checklist until September 2026
- Check whether ACA or campaign-level broad match is used in Search campaigns and monitor notifications directly in the Google Ads account.
- If DSA is used, do not rely on the old April deadline. According to the June update, the DSA sunset and auto-upgrade have been postponed to February 2027.
- Review primary and secondary conversions. Automation must not be trained on an action that has no business value.
- Check landing pages, forms, mobile UX, and speed. AI Max will not compensate for an unclear offer.
- For e-commerce, clean up the Merchant Center feed, prices, availability, and product attributes.
- Introduce an experiment or controlled comparison wherever new functionality is to be tested; do not make five major changes at once.
What small and medium-sized businesses should take away from this
Google Ads will not return to purely manual management of every detail. A company therefore needs a partner or an in-house team that understands not only the buttons in the interface, but also the data, the offer, the landing page, and what happens in the business after the conversion.
On this website, PPC is already communicated correctly through relevant traffic, conversions, and outcomes. This principle has become even stronger in 2026. Campaigns are set up and optimized according to goals, but no fixed CPA or ROAS is promised – these are influenced by demand, competition, creatives, the website, the offer, and the quality of measurement.
Questions and Answers | FAQ
1. Are Dynamic Search Ads ending in September 2026?
According to the Google update from June 11, the sunset and auto-upgrade of DSA is being postponed and is now scheduled to begin in February 2027. However, campaigns with Automatically Created Assets and campaign-level broad match are still expected, according to the same update, to continue with auto-upgrade from September 2026.
2. Do I have to turn on AI Max right away?
Not every campaign needs the same approach. First, check the goals, conversion tracking, landing pages, and legacy settings. When making changes, it is advisable to maintain a controlled test and a clear baseline.
3. Will AI Max replace the PPC manager?
It automates more decisions in auctions and in working with demand or creatives, but it does not replace business strategy, data quality, goal monitoring, lead interpretation, or budget decisions.
4. Is the advertising credit included in the price of the SKCompanies campaign management service?
No. According to the price list, the advertising budget for the platform is separate from the fee for setting up or managing PPC.
5. Is Google Ads suitable for a smaller budget?
Yes, if the campaign is built on priority queries and a meaningful structure.
6. Do you also audit existing Google Ads accounts?
Yes. It is possible to check the account structure, targeting, search queries, conversions, and budget efficiency.
7. What happens after submitting a non-binding order?
After sending the non-binding order, all necessary information and instructions will be sent by e-mail. Depending on the nature of the request, a phone call may also be made to go through everything together. Once all the necessary details are received, all documents will be prepared and sent by e-mail along with instructions.
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Fill in all the required details and a response will be provided as soon as possible.
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