The Keywordless Shift: Is September 1 Really the “AI Max for Search” Auto-Upgrade Date?

What is actually changing in September 2026?

The September migration applies to two specific legacy Search settings, not to every Search campaign or every campaign containing broad-match keywords.

Google's announcement, updated June 11, 2026, keeps Automatically Created Assets and the campaign-level broad match setting on the September path while moving DSA auto-upgrades to February 2027. The current feature mapping is:

A campaign containing broad-match keywords is not necessarily using the campaign-level broad match setting. Google's campaign-setting documentation says campaigns whose keywords happen to be broad match, without that setting enabled, are not affected by this upgrade.

Google says advertisers will receive in-account notifications before eligible campaigns transition. Migrated settings will mirror the relevant legacy setup, which means the auto-upgrade does not activate the full AI Max suite in every affected campaign.

What AI Max for Search is—and is not

AI Max is a suite of targeting and asset-optimization controls inside Search campaigns; it is not a new campaign type and does not add Performance Max's cross-channel delivery.

AI Max keeps the Search campaign and ad-group model. Existing negative keywords are respected, while brand, location and URL controls remain available at their documented levels. The later DSA transition is the structural exception: dynamic ad groups will convert to standard ad groups and Dynamic Search Ads to responsive search ads.

Search campaign inventory also needs precise language. AI Max stays within the campaign's existing network settings. If Search Partners are enabled, Search campaigns can already appear on partner placements—including YouTube search results and Watch pages—and partner sites may host image or video ads. AI Max itself adds no Performance-Max-style channel expansion.

Standard Search vs. AI Max for Search vs. Performance Max

AI Max occupies the operating middle ground between manually governed Search and goal-led, cross-channel Performance Max.

Google describes AI Max as a Search optimization layer, while Performance Max is a campaign type designed for Google's broader advertising inventory. Performance Max now also supports campaign-level negative keywords and brand exclusions on eligible search-related inventory, so “PMax has no negatives” is no longer an accurate comparison.

How AI Max makes matching, creative and landing-page decisions

AI Max evaluates keywords, existing creative and website content together, then applies campaign controls before an eligible Search ad candidate enters the auction.

Keywordless matching expands keywords; it does not erase them

Keywordless search targeting identifies relevant queries outside direct advertiser-keyword mappings by learning from campaign keywords, creative, assets, URLs and landing-page content.

Google treats broad-match expansion and keywordless matching as distinct attribution sources. In the Google Ads API, segments.search_term_match_source can identify values such as ADVERTISER_PROVIDED_KEYWORD, AI_MAX_BROAD_MATCH and AI_MAX_KEYWORDLESS. In the web interface, the column is labelled Source, not “Search term match source.”

Search term matching is enabled at campaign level when AI Max is turned on and can then be switched off for individual ad groups. Keywords, match types and standard ad groups remain usable; “keywordless” describes incremental reach, not a keyword purge.

Text customization turns site copy into a media input

Text customization can use the advertiser's domain, landing page, existing ads, keywords and assets to generate additional responsive-search-ad headlines and descriptions.

Google says the feature uses extractive techniques and generative AI. Generated assets can be reviewed and removed individually. That makes website governance part of paid-media governance: obsolete claims, inconsistent product names, expired offers and weak page headings can influence automated copy.

Final URL expansion changes the destination, not the campaign type

Final URL expansion can replace the supplied URL with another query-relevant page on the same domain when Google predicts that page will perform better.

The feature is optional, campaign-level and requires text customization. It is selected by default with a full AI Max opt-in, but it is not listed as automatically enabled for the September ACA or campaign-level broad-match migrations. Use URL exclusions at campaign level to block unsuitable pages and URL inclusions at ad-group level to guide eligible destinations.

RSA pinning follows two distinct rules. With Final URL expansion alone, pinned assets are not used when Google chooses a more relevant URL. When URL inclusions are enabled, pinned assets are not respected whether Final URL expansion is on or off. To guarantee pinned-asset serving, turn off both controls.

Tracking templates also require testing. Google recommends compatible {lpurl} handling because a static or malformed template can override a dynamic destination or produce a 404.

AI Max for Search architecture

AI Max combines advertiser inputs with automated matching and asset optimization, while negatives, brand controls and URL rules remain the practical governance layer.

+-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
|                           AI MAX FOR SEARCH ARCHITECTURE                          |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
|                                                                                   |
|  INPUT 1: Seed keywords and match types  ---+                                     |
|  INPUT 2: Landing-page content and URLs  ---+-->  [ AI MAX ENGINE ]               |
|  INPUT 3: Ad assets and creative text    ---+      Broad + keywordless logic      |
|                                                       |                           |
+-------------------------------------------------------|---------------------------+
                                                        |
                                                        v
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
|                            CAMPAIGN CONTROL GUARDRAILS                             |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
|  1. NEGATIVE KEYWORDS : Filter low-intent, irrelevant or unsafe queries           |
|  2. BRAND CONTROLS    : Include or exclude defined brand traffic                  |
|  3. URL CONTROLS      : Include eligible pages or exclude unsuitable destinations |
+-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------+
                                                        |
                                                        v
                              [ SEARCH CAMPAIGN DELIVERY ]
                    Google Search surfaces + configured Search Partners
                         Not a cross-channel Performance Max campaign

Read the Source column before judging performance

The Search terms report's Source column is the fastest way to separate advertiser-provided keyword delivery from AI Max expansion.

Google instructs advertisers to add the Source column, filter Match type for AI Max, and use the Search terms and landing pages from AI Max view to connect query, headline and destination. The API field is segments.search_term_match_source.

Evaluate sources separately before making exclusions. A blended campaign CPA can look stable while one expansion source creates low-quality leads, brand cannibalization or landing-page leakage.

Four-step pre-upgrade audit

Complete this audit before the account-specific date in Google Ads—including September 1 if that is the date shown in your notice.

1. Confirm eligibility and capture the baseline

   Identify campaigns using ACA/text customization or the campaign-level broad match setting; keep DSA on a separate February 2027 workstream. Record the in-account notice and export current settings, negative lists, brand lists, URL rules, RSA assets and tracking templates.

   Save a pre-change baseline by campaign, search term, landing page, CPA, ROAS, conversion rate and downstream lead quality.

2. Lock query and brand boundaries

   Consolidate supported account, shared-list, campaign and ad-group negative keywords. Apply appropriate campaign-level brand exclusions and review campaign- or ad-group-level brand inclusions separately.

   Block durable business exclusions—not every query with weak short-term performance.

3. Constrain landing-page and creative inputs

   Decide explicitly whether Text customization and Final URL expansion should be on. Exclude privacy, legal, careers, support, internal-search, staging, expired, out-of-stock and low-value editorial URLs.

   Test {lpurl}, query parameters, redirects, consent behaviour and analytics attribution against dynamically selected pages. Confirm whether mandatory pinned RSA messaging is compatible with the chosen URL settings.

4. Instrument the rollout and define action thresholds

   Add Match type, Source, served headline, landing page and Selected by fields to reporting. Segment keywordless and broad-match expansion by spend, conversion quality, CPA or ROAS.

   Predefine thresholds for irrelevant-query spend, low-quality leads, unapproved URLs, 404s and policy-sensitive copy. Where available, use an AI Max experiment instead of relying only on before-and-after totals.

Frequently asked questions

AI Max stays within the Search campaign environment, respects negative keywords and has a rolling—not universally fixed—September 2026 migration timeline.

The operational takeaway

Treat the September rollout as a settings-governance event, not as a conversion to Performance Max or the end of keywords.

The immediate work is to verify scope, encode query and brand boundaries, constrain eligible URLs, test tracking and monitor the Source column. AI Max can widen relevant Search reach, but the quality of that expansion will depend on the conversion signals, website content and exclusions your team gives it.

Related reading and tools

The strongest rollout plan connects the September settings change to the separate DSA timeline, query-quality controls and disciplined change measurement.