Google’s blog, updated on 11 June 2026, indicates automatic migration of Dynamic Search Ads (DSA) to AI Max begins in February 2027. One source mentions reminders on 15 January 2027 and migration between 1 and 28 February. It will no longer be possible to create new DSA. Those using DSA have a few months to test voluntary migration, write guidelines and prepare controls, instead of waiting for automatic conversion.
The dates, according to sources
Google’s blog indicates, in the update of 11 June 2026, that DSA migration “will begin in February 2027”, after advertiser criticism of the original schedule, which foresaw September 2026. Another source mentions reminders on 15 January 2027 and automatic migration between 1 and 28 February 2027, but it’s a secondary source, and dates from third-party blogs diverge.
What Google confirms: voluntary upgrade is already possible (phase 1), upgrade tools exist for DSA and it will no longer be possible to create new DSA campaigns in Google Ads, the Editor and the API.
What changes in a migrated DSA
According to Google’s blog, DSA dynamic ad groups become standard ad groups, with settings and data transferred to AI Max. All three features are on: search term matching, text customisation and final URL expansion. Legacy URL controls remain.
A classic DSA used the site’s content to choose searches and create headlines. AI Max does something equivalent but with a broader AI layer. For the advertiser, the practical difference is that there are more control points (brand, location, text guidelines) and more automation by default.
Preparing the DSA migration
- November: inventory DSA campaigns
- December: voluntary test and controls
- January: review, adjust, 15 January notice
- February: complete and watch closely
Why postponement is an opportunity
The postponement gives a few months to prepare the transition deliberately. Those who wait for automatic migration get all features switched on and must react. Those who do it voluntarily can test with experiments, choose when and in which campaigns, and configure controls beforehand.
It’s the same principle that applies to any platform change: deciding beforehand is cheaper than fixing afterwards. And in February 2027 there will probably be more public data on AI Max performance to compare with your account’s.
A four-phase preparation plan
November: inventory DSA campaigns and what they do (spend, conversions, pages, terms). December: test voluntary migration on a small DSA, with an experiment, and configure brand and text controls. January: review results, adjust and prepare the rest; keep the 15 January notice in mind. February: complete migration and watch closely the first weeks.
Avoid launching everything on Black Friday or at Christmas, when volume and pressure are high. The post-holiday period is calmer for making decisions and measuring.
Deciding beforehand is cheaper than fixing afterwards.
Which businesses use DSA most
DSA are common on large sites with lots of catalogue, in shops with thousands of pages and in service businesses with many local pages. They serve to cover searches that keywords don’t. If your site changes often, make sure each page’s information is correct before letting it be chosen as destination.
If you have few pages, migration’s effect will probably be small. If you have many, site quality becomes part of ad quality.
Risks to watch after migration
Searches too broad, landing pages that shouldn’t receive traffic (legal, archive, sold-out product pages), generated text promising what it can’t, and loss of control over what appears. Each risk has an answer: negatives, URL exclusions, text guidelines, frequent reports.
The first fortnight after migration is the most important. Check spend, terms and pages daily during the first week. If something is wrong, turn off the feature and fix it.
What to ask your manager
Which DSA campaigns do we have and how much do they spend? Who decides when to migrate? Will we test in December? Which controls will we configure? How do we protect pages that shouldn’t receive traffic? And which metric decides whether we keep AI Max?
An attentive manager already has a calendar for these changes. If yours hasn’t thought about it, it’s a good time to help them get ahead. If you prefer a second opinion on the plan, I can analyse it with you.
Summary: three decisions by February
First: when to migrate your DSA (voluntarily, in test, or waiting for automatic conversion). Second: which controls to configure (brand, location, text, URL exclusion). Third: which metric decides whether AI Max stays. With these three decisions written down, February 2027 stops being a surprise and becomes a calendar date.
Frequently asked questions
Will DSA disappear?
It will no longer be possible to create new ones, and existing ones migrate to AI Max from February 2027, according to Google’s blog.
Can I migrate earlier?
Yes, there’s voluntary upgrade (phase 1), with tools for DSA and banners in the interface.
Are the dates certain?
Google confirms February 2027. The exact dates (15 January and 1 to 28 February) come from secondary sources; confirm in Google Ads Help.