In May 2025, Google introduced AI Max into its search campaigns in select geographical regions. The one-click tool has a comprehensive suite of enhancements such as final URL expansion, search term matching, and improved text customisation for Search campaigns.
With improved search term matching, advertisers get a broader audience match beyond current campaign keywords. Through URL expansion, AI Max redirects users to relevant landing pages based on their searches. Text customisation writes custom headlines and descriptions using AI as well as delivers creative and custom-made messaging at scale.
On September 10, 2025, Google rolled out AI Max globally. And here is what this means for businesses.
Audience targeting is changing
For years, Google Ads has utilised traditional keywords to target audiences. With traditional keyword targeting, advertisers bid on a specific keyword or phrase to attract users searching for those keywords. The introduction of AI Max shifts the process from just keywords to a kind of conversation-based targeting. That is, the AI system matches advertisers with audiences who have high intent towards the advertiser’s products, services, or a location of interest to the advertisers. As a result, everyday users who conduct search queries also get broader product offerings. This means more relevant and effective advertising for businesses. Advertisers remain in control of their campaigns and can indicate specific brands whose offerings should or should not appear alongside theirs.
Another setting advertisers can also use with AI Max search campaigns is ‘Location of Interest’. It helps advertisers reach people who are not in a physical location but are interested in that location. This setting is an ad group setting, so advertisers can have more than one ad group, with different locations of interest within a search campaign.
According to a 2025 TC Insights report on the future of African e-commerce, cross-border e-commerce is set to grow at a CAGR (Compound Annual Growth Rate) of 13% from 2023 to 2028. Google’s new updates can help businesses target customers outside of local markets.
How to position your business for the Google AI updates
AI Max will target your audience based on the data you feed the system. You can set up AI Max with a new search campaign or an existing one. To set up AI Max with a new campaign:
- Click the create button to create a new search campaign.
- On the ‘AI Max’ page, toggle to opt into the AI Max settings.
- Choose the AI Max features you want to use in your campaign: search term matching, asset optimisation (for text customisation and final URL expansion)
- To launch AI Max for an existing search campaign, go to settings in the Campaigns menu. Choose the search campaign you want to update, and select AI Max in the section menu. Toggle to opt-in to AI Max settings, and select the AI Max features you want to use in your search campaign.
More Google AI updates
Beyond advertising in search results, Google is also introducing ads in its AI mode. If you have ever searched through the AI mode on Google, then you are already in the conversation. The AI mode, powered by Google’s Gemini, enables users to engage in richer, multi-layered discussions when querying the search engine. You can now ask AI Mode to recommend restaurants in an area offering cuisine within a budget and the AI mode will provide a list of restaurants. The AI Mode will function as an automated bridge, combing through reviews, social posts, and brand websites to present options to users.
This feature is still in beta mode and available in select regions.
As Google includes more of these ads into conversations with AI Mode, a clear and robust online business profile will enable the system find relevant information about your business to show users even when you are not running an ad. For example, restaurants with updated menus online or service providers publishing their catalogs are more likely to be picked up by the AI Mode.
At the moment, these agentic capabilities are only available to Google AI Ultra subscribers in the U.S. through the “Agentic capabilities in AI Mode” experiment in Labs.
However, Google AI Max is now available in beta mode for business owners, startups, and advertisers globally across Google Ads, Google Ads Editor, Search Ads 360, and through the Google Ads API.
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