Google Ads Introduces AI Max (Search Max): My First Impressions and Early Results

Update: The Search Max feature has been renamed to AI Max now.

Google Ads has quietly rolled out a new beta feature for Search campaigns called Search Max, and after testing it over the past few weeks, I wanted to share what it does, how it works, and my early observations on its performance.

If you’d rather watch the full walkthrough and see my demo, check out the video below:

What is Search Max?

Search Max is a new feature currently in beta, meaning it’s not available to all accounts yet. When enabled within a Search campaign, it enhances the campaign’s reach in two key ways:

1. Broadens Keyword Matching: Your keywords gain broad match behavior, allowing Google to match your ads with a wider variety of search queries.

2. Keywordless Targeting: The feature also taps into Google’s AI to serve ads even beyond your provided keyword list.

   
   

In essence, it works similarly to Performance Max, but is focused entirely on the Search network - your ads won’t appear on YouTube, Display, or other Google channels.

Key Differences from Performance Max

One thing I really like about Search Max is that it doesn’t require you to create a new campaign. Unlike Performance Max, which runs as a separate campaign and often overlaps with your Search campaigns, Search Max is just a toggle inside your existing Search campaign.

This keeps your campaign structure cleaner and avoids unnecessary competition between different campaign types for the same queries.

How to Enable Search Max

To activate Search Max in your campaign, head to your campaign settings and look for the option: “Optimize your campaign with Search Max”

You’ll then see two options:

• Search term matching: Expands keyword reach.

• Text and URL optimization: Automatically generates additional headlines, assets, and potentially directs traffic to more pages on your site.

• 
  

For my test, I only enabled search term matching - I wasn’t interested in automated assets or final URL expansion for this particular test.

What About Reporting?

The reporting for Search Max is integrated with your keyword data. You’ll be able to see performance metrics - like impressions, clicks, conversions, and revenue - at the keyword level, including how much came from Search Max.

However, one current limitation is the lack of visibility into the actual search terms that triggered your ads via Search Max. I hope Google adds more granular reporting here in the future.

My Early Results with Search Max

I ran Search Max on a few campaigns over a three-week period and observed that it:

• Captured a significant portion of spend across the selected keywords.

• Drove additional conversions and revenue beyond what I was previously capturing.

• Showed a lower cost per conversion and stronger ROAS compared to the standard keyword performance in those campaigns.

  
  

While you can see the exact figures in the video above, I can say that I was pleased with the efficiency and incremental value that Search Max brought in my test.

It’s also worth noting that I wasn’t running Performance Max or using broad match keywords in this particular account - so your spend may vary depending on your campaign setup.

Final Thoughts

Search Max is a promising feature for advertisers looking to unlock incremental reach without having to restructure their entire campaign strategy. It offers a less intrusive, more focused alternative to Performance Max for those primarily invested in Search.

Do you need help running your Google Ads campaigns? Connect with me through this form.