AI Max Pre-Launch Checklist: What to Set Before You Turn It On

Before you turn on AI Max for Search, set your bidding, budget, tracking templates, URL exclusions, brand settings and text guidelines. AI Max changes which searches you match, what your ads say and where visitors land, so each of these needs a decision first.

This checklist uses the setting names in Google's help pages, so you can find each one in your account. It is part of our AI ads hub and was checked against Google's documentation on 9 November 2026.

Before you start: know what turns on

Google's AI Max setup page says "New Search campaigns have the AI Max feature turned on by default." For existing campaigns, you turn it on under Settings, then "AI Max" in the section menu.

Google's How AI Max works page says turning it on "will turn on search term matching for your campaign." It also says it "will turn on text customization and Final URL expansions for the campaign." You can turn these off individually. For a plain overview, read what AI Max for Search is first.

The checklist

Bidding and budget

• [ ] Use conversion-based Smart Bidding. The setup page says search term matching, Final URL expansion and text customization "require conversion-based Smart Bidding strategies in order to function effectively."
• [ ] Do not pair AI Max with Manual CPC. Google's AI Max FAQ says "The Search Term Matching feature in AI Max will not work with manual CPC bidding."
• [ ] Check that the campaign is not limited by budget. Google says "AI Max won't be effective if campaigns are limited by budget."
• [ ] Confirm conversion tracking is accurate. Smart Bidding learns from your conversions, so bad data steers it badly. See our conversion tracking guide.

Tracking templates

• [ ] Check your tracking template uses {lpurl}. Google warns that dynamic URLs from Final URL expansion "can sometimes lead to broken expanded landing pages with a 404 error" if templates are not compatible.
• [ ] Remove any static URL from the template. Google says a template with a static URL and no {lpurl} tag may send users to that static URL instead.
• [ ] Test one expanded page before launch. Google says to "verify that a dynamic landing page from AI Max's Final URL expansion works on your landing page before turning on AI Max."

Asset optimization panel

• [ ] Decide on "Text customization." It uses your ads, landing pages and assets with generative AI to write ad copy. Google's FAQ says these assets "will fully be automated."
• [ ] Decide on "Final URL expansion." It requires text customization. The setup page says "Deactivating text customization automatically disables Final URL expansion."
• [ ] Decide whether you need pinning. The setup page says that with Final URL expansion on, "pinned Responsive search ad assets aren't used if a more relevant URL is chosen." The same applies when URL inclusions are on.

Text guidelines (beta)

• [ ] Add term exclusions. Google's text guidelines page allows "up to 25 term exclusions per campaign." Exclude words such as "cheap" or "guaranteed" if they do not fit your brand or industry.
• [ ] Add messaging restrictions. The page allows "up to 40 restrictions per campaign." Write them as direct rules, such as "Don't imply our products are discounted."
• [ ] Use the price restriction if you need one. Google says a "$" term exclusion will not stop price assets, and to use the restriction "Don't generate assets with prices."
• [ ] Remember it is a beta. Google calls text guidelines "an experimental beta," and it only works with Text customization on.

URL exclusions and inclusions

• [ ] List pages that must never get paid traffic. Think careers, login, thank-you, out-of-stock and old promotion pages.
• [ ] Add them under "Add URL exclusions." On the setup page this sits under "Final URL expansion" in the AI Max section. Rules go in the "Rules" tab.
• [ ] Write "URL contains" rules carefully. Google's URL exclusions page says rules use whole tokens, so "auto" will not exclude "automation."
• [ ] Use URL inclusions if you want to limit pages. These are an ad group control. Google says you can use them "to limit your ad delivery to only serve on the URLs you choose." If Final URL expansion is also on, Google says its own chosen URLs can be used as well.

Brand settings

• [ ] Create brand lists first. Google's reporting page says brand lists live under "Tools" > "Shared library" > "Brand lists."
• [ ] Add brand exclusions at campaign level. The setup page says to open Campaign settings, select AI Max, then scroll to the "Brands" section.
• [ ] Add brand inclusions if this is a brand campaign. These work at campaign or ad group level, and ad group inclusions override campaign ones.
• [ ] Know what turning AI Max off does. The FAQ says that if you turn AI Max off, "brand exclusions will be disabled."

Targeting

• [ ] Review your negative keyword lists. The FAQ says negatives "will be respected even with AI Max turned on."
• [ ] Set "Locations of interest" if place matters. Google describes it as an ad group control to reach people "based on their geographical intent even in keywordless matches."
• [ ] Decide on search term matching by ad group. It can be turned off per ad group, but must be on at campaign level to use it at ad group level.
• [ ] Check exact match priority. Google says that when moving to AI Max, "broad keywords are not treated as exact match keywords in prioritization." Add exact copies of key terms if you want to keep that priority.

Account-level settings

• [ ] Check dynamic business information. Google says when it is on at account level, "AI Max will automatically source brand logos or generate them using AI."
• [ ] Warn anyone using the API or Editor. The AI Max FAQ says activating or deactivating AI Max "may cause errors for API requests managing text customization and brand settings." Ask your developer to check before you switch.

Before you press save

• [ ] Export current ads, keywords and settings. You want a record to compare against.
• [ ] Decide how you will test. An experiment gives a fairer read than a before-and-after chart. See our AI Max experiment guide.
• [ ] Book your first review. Google's reporting page advises waiting at least 2 weeks before changes like adding negatives. Our AI Max search terms report guide covers what to read.

If your campaign was upgraded automatically

Some campaigns already run AI Max without anyone choosing it. Google's June 2026 update says campaigns using automatically created assets and campaign-level broad match "will continue to be auto-upgraded starting in September 2026."

Run this checklist on those campaigns too. Dynamic Search Ads follow a later timeline, beginning in February 2027. Our AI Max migration plan covers DSA.

What this checklist cannot control

AI Max settings shape where you serve. They do not let you opt out of AI Overviews or AI Mode separately from Search, and Google reports those placements in aggregate. Our guide on controlling ads in AI Mode explains the limits.

Google's results figures for AI Max are its own internal data. We have not tested AI Max in your account, so treat any lift claim as a reason to test, not a forecast.

Next step

Work through the list on one campaign before you roll it out. If you want a second pair of eyes on the setup, see our paid search management.

Frequently asked questions