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Google Ads Will Upgrade Broad Match Campaigns to AI Max in September

BySplinternet Marketing

Google Ads plans to automatically upgrade eligible Search campaigns using the campaign-level broad match setting to AI Max beginning in September 2026. Google expects the upgrades for eligible campaigns to conclude by the end of September.

This is a campaign-configuration change, not evidence that every advertiser will receive better leads or lower costs. For local-service businesses and lead-generation accounts, the practical risk is losing measurement clarity or allowing automated matching and landing-page selection to send traffic toward pages that do not support qualified inquiries.

Need help checking this on your WordPress, Google Ads, Analytics, local SEO, or website setup? Splinternet Marketing can review the issue and help you prioritize the next fix.

What is changing

According to Google Ads Help: About the broad match keywords campaign setting, the campaign-level broad match setting is available to Search campaigns using conversion-based Smart Bidding. Google says campaigns using that setting will be automatically upgraded to AI Max beginning in September.

After the upgrade, search-term matching will be enabled by default. AI Max can use broad match and keywordless technology, along with asset optimization features such as text customization and Final URL expansion. The available controls and reporting will be organized within the AI Max framework.

Do not confuse this Search campaign change with Performance Max search themes. Google Ads Help: About search themes describes search themes as signals that provide Performance Max with additional business context. They are not Search campaign keywords and are not a substitute for reviewing Search campaign settings.

Why landing pages and lead quality matter

Final URL expansion can replace an advertiser-provided final URL with another relevant page from the same website. Google’s Google Ads Help: About Final URL expansion recommends URL controls when advertisers need to guide which sections of a site can serve as landing pages.

An eligible page is not automatically a commercially useful page. Careers, privacy, blog, support, thin utility, or outdated location pages can create poor user journeys and weaken lead-quality analysis. Review URL inclusions and exclusions before the upgrade, then test the pages Google may select.

Tracking templates also deserve a technical review. Test templates that use {lpurl} with dynamically selected landing pages. Check parameter handling, redirects, analytics persistence, canonical destinations, and 404 monitoring. Google specifically warns that incompatible tracking templates can cause dynamic landing pages to fail or send users to an unintended static URL.

Before the change, export or baseline search terms, selected landing pages, conversion actions, cost per qualified lead, booked appointments, revenue where available, and imported offline conversion outcomes. Form volume alone is not a sufficient success metric. Duplicate leads, spam submissions, low-value calls, and unqualified inquiries can make a broad-match change appear stronger than it is.

What to do next

  1. Find affected campaigns. Check for the campaign-level broad match setting. Confirm Smart Bidding, primary conversion actions, conversion goals, and any new-customer or offline-conversion configuration.
  2. Record the current setup. Save match types, search-term reports, tracking templates, Final URL expansion status, URL inclusions and exclusions, brand controls, negative keywords, and conversion settings.
  3. Restrict landing-page selection. Use URL inclusions and exclusions to keep automated selection focused on pages built for commercial intent. Test redirects, query parameters, form tracking, and 404 behavior.
  4. Review brand governance. Separate branded and non-branded reporting where possible. Check brand inclusions and exclusions across Search and Performance Max so overlap does not obscure lead quality.
  5. Define the evaluation window. Compare qualified leads, booked jobs, revenue, and imported offline conversions—not only online form submissions—before and after the transition.
  6. Prepare a rollback. Google documents a process for turning off the campaign-level broad match setting. If the campaign previously used only broad match, the setting can be turned off. If it used exact, phrase, or mixed match types, review historical keywords and manually restore the intended match types.

After the upgrade, use the AI Max search-term, landing-page, and asset reporting views to inspect query sources, selected URLs, generated assets, and downstream conversion outcomes. Treat September as Google’s documented rollout window, not as a promise that every account will change on the same day.

Sources

Need help checking this on your WordPress, Google Ads, Analytics, local SEO, or website setup? Splinternet Marketing can review the issue and help you prioritize the next fix.

This article is for informational purposes only and reflects general marketing, technology, website, and small-business guidance. Platform features, policies, search behavior, pricing, and security conditions can change. Verify current requirements with the relevant platform, provider, or professional advisor before acting. Nothing in this article should be treated as legal, tax, financial, cybersecurity, or other professional advice.

Editorial note: Splinternet Marketing articles are researched from cited platform, documentation, regulatory, and industry sources. AI may assist with drafting and review; final content is checked for source support, practical usefulness, and platform/date accuracy before publication.

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