Over a week ago, Google announced they’re killing Dynamic Search Ads and replacing them with AI Max.

For those who don’t know…

AI Max is a Search Ads feature Google rolled out last year.

This tool gives you 2 main benefits:

By September, all DSA campaigns will automatically convert to AI Max.

This is how Google’s adapting to the new way people search online.

AI chatbots and AI Overview have trained people to type longer, more specific questions.

And to keep up with this shift, Google needs a smarter algorithm.

That's what they’re building with AI Max.

Instead of just scanning your landing page content like DSAs, AI Max goes deeper.

It pulls from your website content & existing ads.

AND combines that with signals like user behavior, search patterns, browsing history.

THEN it interprets the subtle meaning behind search queries:

Based on that, it decides if the query fits your products and tailors the ad to match.

Let's say you sell pet carriers.

Someone searches "do I need to bring something to carry my dog on a plane?"

They never mentioned "pet carrier."

But according to Google, AI Max picks up on the intent behind that question.

It recognizes this person needs a pet carrier and customizes your ad to match that context.

As a result, they’ll see a headline like "TSA-Approved Dog Carriers for Air Travel - Fits Under Seat"

So what do I think about all this?

Well…

I think this is great news for ecommerce brands.

I like that Google is expanding search reach based on these deeper signals and user intent.

It’s exciting, really.

I've noticed search queries get longer and more specific over the past year.

There’re a lot of new searches emerging that aren’t easy to capture with traditional keyword targeting.

And here's the thing...

Longer search queries usually signal higher buying intent, which translates into higher conversion rates.

So we’re getting more of them and now… we have a tool designed to convert them.

Think about it this way…

If your ads reach more high-value searches… using ad copy and landing pages perfectly matched to what people want…

Do you think you’d make more profits?

We've been seeing this across client accounts as well.

AI Max has helped us scale spend on Search campaigns way further than we could before.

Now of course…

Every AI-powered feature comes with its own set of challenges.

Take PMax, which Google has refined over time and considers their most powerful campaign type…

It can still mess up if you don’t run it properly:

AI Max works the same way.

There's enormous potential for revenue here... but also enormous potential for wasted spend if you don't know what you're doing.

Since AI Max launched, we've tried every setting, monitored every metric, and pushed it to see where it breaks.

In our experience, AI Max can perform extremely well.

But to keep it from running wild, you need to:

If you haven’t tried AI Max yet, now is the time to start testing.

Users are going beyond traditional “keyword” searches…

And Google is moving in the same direction… away from manual keyword targeting and toward AI-driven targeting.

Which means they’ll only double down on these features going forward.

It’s not a matter of if they’ll push harder on this.

The question is how fast you’ll adapt to it.

So test it out, get familiar with it, and develop a strategy around it.

Or if you'd rather have us implement our proven AI Max strategies in your accounts and scale your brand…

Grab a call with us here.

Jackson

Founder and CEO of Echelonn.

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