According to Google’s blog, AI Max has three features: search term matching (widens the searches the ad may appear on), text customisation (adapts headlines and descriptions) and final URL expansion (may send the click to another page of your site). There are brand, location and text guideline controls. Google’s recommendation is to turn all on and test; the prudent recommendation is to switch them on one by one, with measurement.
Feature 1: search term matching
Instead of relying only on the keywords you chose, the system uses the ad’s and landing page’s content to find relevant searches, even if they don’t match keywords. It can widen reach and discover demand you didn’t cover. It can also bring weak or irrelevant searches if the site’s content is vague.
The essential control is the search terms report and negative keywords. The clearer your offer and pages, the better the matching. If you sell “health insurance for companies”, the site should say it clearly, without detours, so the system doesn’t scatter.
Feature 2: text customisation
The system adapts headlines and descriptions to the search and context, based on your assets and the site. The benefit is greater relevance; the risk is the text stating what the company wouldn’t: a deadline, a price, a guarantee, a different tone.
Text guidelines are the main control: you can indicate tone, words to avoid and rules. In Portugal, insist on European Portuguese and avoid Brazilian expressions or odd automatic translations. In regulated sectors, turn off or limit, and check published ads.
AI Max's three features
What they do
- Term matching: widens searches
- Text customisation: adapts headlines
- URL expansion: picks the page
How you control them
- Negatives and terms report
- Text guidelines and European Portuguese
- URL exclusions and site clean-up
Feature 3: final URL expansion
The system may send the click to a page on your site different from the one you chose, if it thinks it matches the search better. It may improve relevance (the visitor goes straight to the right product) or harm it (goes to a page with no offer, an archive or a legal page).
The control is to exclude URLs or sections of the site that shouldn’t receive traffic, and ensure the rest have correct information and a clear call to action. If your site has outdated pages, expansion may expose them. Clean up before turning on.
Brand, location and text controls
Brand: you can include or exclude brands, to avoid the ad appearing on competitors’ searches or to limit to searches for your brand. Location: defines where people are or show interest; in Portugal, be clear whether you serve only the country or also customers in other markets. Text guidelines: tone, words and rules.
Use all three. Automation works better within clear limits than without. And document choices: six months from now nobody will remember what was decided without a note.
Automation works better within clear limits than without them.
Switching on all or one by one
Google recommends enabling all features and testing impact with one-click experiments, and cites, with internal data, an average increase of 7% in conversions or value for non-retail advertisers. It’s a vendor figure.
A prudent approach is to switch on one feature at a time in test campaigns, with the same budget, and measure real cost per result. It takes longer, but gives you information on what each does in your account. If you’re short of time, switch on term matching with negatives and watch, and leave URL expansion until after cleaning the site.
Which businesses benefit most
In theory, businesses with lots of offer variety and a well-structured site, where covering all searches manually is hard. Businesses with few products or services, and very specific offers, may prefer to keep more manual control. B2B with few leads and long cycles needs care: low volume makes it hard for the system to learn.
There’s no universal rule. What gives the answer is a test with measurement in your account.
How to explain this to your client or boss
One sentence per feature: “Google looks for searches for us, beyond keywords”; “Google adapts ad texts”; “Google may choose the site page to take the person to”. And a final sentence: “we set limits and check the result”.
When people understand that automation has limits and supervision, they distrust less and decide better. If you want help explaining these changes to your team or testing them in your account, I can do it with you.
An illustrative example of well-defined limits
A dental clinic in Porto defines: term matching on, with negatives for “job”, “course” and “free”; location restricted to people in the Greater Porto area; text guidelines in European Portuguese, with no promises of clinical results or prices without a consultation; URL expansion off until the site is reviewed. Each limit answers a concrete risk. The example is illustrative, but shows how to move from “switching AI on” to “using AI with rules”.
Frequently asked questions
Does AI Max replace keywords?
No: it complements them. Search term matching widens reach beyond keywords. Negatives remain essential.
Can I turn off text customisation?
According to sources, AI Max settings can be adjusted after conversion. Confirm in your Google Ads.
Is AI Max suited to online shops?
It depends. Google’s +7% figure is from non-retail advertisers. In shops, test and measure with your feed and your margin.