Digital Pulse TEST Sept. This is a live article on ven.com.au.
Through 30 September 2026, Google Ads auto-upgraded eligible Search campaigns that used campaign-level broad match or standalone Automatically Created Assets onto AI Max.
That window is closing or closed. If you run Search ads, the useful question is no longer whether the upgrade is coming. It is what Google switched on, and whether those settings still match how you want the account to work.
What moved, and what did not
Two kinds of Search campaign were in the September wave:
- Campaign-level broad match. These typically move to AI Max with search term matching on. Text customisation and Final URL expansion stay off.
- Standalone Automatically Created Assets (ACA). These typically move with search term matching and text customisation on. Final URL expansion stays off.
Ordinary broad match keywords, on their own, are not the same thing as the old campaign-level broad match setting. Campaigns that used neither of those legacy settings were not forced across.
Dynamic Search Ads were not in the September wave. Google moved their auto-upgrade to February 2027, after advertisers asked for more time. Legacy DSA campaigns can keep serving in the meantime. Google has been using in-account notices to encourage a voluntary upgrade, with a reminder planned for January 2027 and the automatic move running through February.
Why the defaults matter
Search term matching widens the queries that can trigger your ads beyond the keywords you typed in. Text customisation lets Google rewrite headlines and descriptions. Final URL expansion can send people to a different page on your site than the one you chose.
For the September cohorts, Final URL expansion stays off, which limits one of the bigger surprises. Text customisation is the setting to check twice if the campaign came from ACA. Auto-written lines can drift from your brand, your offer, or a claim you are not allowed to make.
On 23 September Google also previewed a unified AI Max Search ads journey report. It is meant to show the search term, the creative the person saw, and the landing page, in one view. Google said it would share more on availability later in the year, so treat it as coming, not as a report every account can open today.
What to do
- List your Search campaigns and check the AI Max columns, so you can see which ones Google already upgraded.
- Confirm which toggles are on. Search term matching, text customisation, and Final URL expansion do not move together.
- Review search terms and auto-generated copy for brand fit, and for anything you would not want a customer or a regulator to read.
- Tighten negatives and brand exclusions where the wider matching is pulling in the wrong queries.
- Plan a controlled DSA path before February 2027 if you still rely on Dynamic Search Ads. A voluntary test now is calmer than an automatic switch later.
If Ven runs your Google Ads
If Ven runs your Google Ads, this audit is already in scope. If you manage Search yourself or with another partner, treat late September into early October as the check window.
From Ven
Want the Search account checked?
We can review which AI Max settings Google switched on, and where the guardrails need tightening.
The bottom line
The September upgrade is about settings, not a new campaign you have to build from scratch. Look at what Google turned on, keep the guardrails that protect your brand, and give Dynamic Search Ads their own plan before February 2027.
Related reading: social media ads: how to create winning campaigns.
Also this week: Google's September 2026 spam update and Meta's Creator Marketing Hub and Instagram Live ads.