Summary
Roll targeting into exact match campaigns and reduce redundancy. AI Max needs consolidated campaigns with clean keyword coverage so search term matching and URL expansion can find new converting queries without competing against duplicate ad groups. Keep Smart Bidding on and manage expansion with negatives and brand controls.
Nitin Batra is Google Ads Search certified and manages live Search campaigns and Smart Bidding strategies, including AI Max rollouts and account restructures, on a daily basis.
Last updated: August 22, 2026
For optimal performance with AI Max, a practitioner should roll targeting into exact match campaigns and reduce redundancy, consolidating fragmented ad groups and duplicate keywords so search term matching and broader expansion have room to work.
- Deactivate all automated bidding strategies.
- Fragment targeting into as many ad groups as possible.
- Roll targeting into exact match campaigns and reduce redundancy.
- Use only one headline and one description per ad.
The correct answer is: Roll targeting into exact match campaigns and reduce redundancy.
Key Takeaways
- – To get optimal performance with AI Max, roll targeting into exact match campaigns and reduce redundancy across the account.
- – AI Max is enabled per campaign under Settings, and it layers search term matching, final URL expansion and automatically created assets on top of your existing keywords.
- – Consolidated structures give automated bidding more conversion data per campaign, which improves how accurately Smart Bidding values each auction.
- – The common mistake is keeping legacy single keyword ad groups and duplicate match type campaigns after switching AI Max on, which causes overlap in the Search terms report and muddies performance reads.
Why does AI Max prefer consolidated campaigns instead of many granular ad groups?
AI Max expands reach through search term matching, so it needs room to find queries your keyword list does not contain. When the account is split into dozens of tiny ad groups covering the same intent, the same query can be eligible in several places and the system has to resolve that overlap first. Consolidating into fewer exact match campaigns gives cleaner signals and more conversion volume per campaign for bidding.
Where do I turn AI Max on in the Google Ads interface?
Open the Search campaign, go to Settings, and look for the AI Max section where you can switch on search term matching and the URL expansion controls. You can also apply it from the Campaigns table using the AI Max column or the recommendation card if Google has surfaced one. Turn it on for one campaign, let it run through a full conversion cycle, then compare against the pre-change period before rolling it out wider.
Do my exact match keywords still control targeting after AI Max is enabled?
Your keywords remain the core signal and they still serve, but search term matching allows the campaign to reach relevant queries outside that list. Negative keywords, brand inclusions and brand exclusions are the controls you use to keep expansion in line. Check the Search terms report regularly in the first few weeks and add negatives at the account or campaign level rather than rebuilding granular ad groups.
What happens if I disable automated bidding before enabling AI Max?
You lose most of the value. AI Max relies on Smart Bidding strategies such as Maximise conversions or Target ROAS to price the newly discovered queries correctly. Moving to manual CPC or switching bidding off leaves the campaign expanding into new search terms without any auction level valuation behind it, which is why deactivating automated bidding is the wrong approach here.