How to Control Queries in AI Max: A Guide

AI Max, integrated into Google Ads campaigns, transforms the approach to managing search queries by offering automated optimization that can be both a powerful tool and a challenge for advertisers. Understanding how it works and how to control it is key to achieving your performance goals. The system works as an additional optimization layer, analyzing real-time signals to improve targeting and ad delivery, helping you achieve peak performance with less effort.

Understanding the mechanics of AI Max and search queries

AI Max uses a range of technologies to expand reach and improve campaign performance. The main components that affect search queries are Search term matching, Text customization, and Final URL expansion. When AI Max is enabled, these features are turned on by default to optimize the user experience and increase reach.

Search term matching allows the system to go beyond existing keywords by using broad match and keywordless technology. This means AI Max analyzes your keywords, creatives, and URLs to find relevant, high-performing search queries you might otherwise miss. The algorithm works using broad match, asset-based technology, and landing page-based technology.

Text customization (formerly Automatically created ads) uses copy from your existing ads, text from your landing page, and other assets, and enhances it with generative AI. This creates more relevant ad copy for specific user search queries.

Final URL expansion directs traffic to the most relevant URLs on your website when that is likely to produce better results. The system ensures that traffic is sent only to URLs that match the query and the theme of your ad group. This feature requires Text customization to be enabled so that the ad copy matches the landing page content.

It is important to understand that AI Max works as a layer of continuous optimization. It automatically adjusts targeting and ad serving to maximize results, while also providing additional control options such as Locations of interest for geographic targeting and Brand settings for including or excluding specific brands.

When AI Max may not be the best choice

Although AI Max offers significant benefits in automation and optimization, there are scenarios where using it may not be optimal or may even be counterproductive:

• Historically poor broad match performance: If broad match has previously delivered poor results in your account, AI Max, which relies heavily on similar mechanisms, may not produce the desired effect.
• Limited budget for key exact/phrase keywords: If your best-performing exact or phrase keywords are already significantly budget-constrained, AI Max may struggle for visibility and may not reach its full potential.
• Disabling Text customization or Final URL expansion: These features are built-in components of AI Max. If you do not want to use them, it is better to consider other campaign options where these settings are not required.

Reporting and its impact on control

One of the key issues associated with AI Max is its impact on search query reporting. AI Max can shift impressions and clicks from your exact and phrase keywords to its own mechanisms, creating the impression that AI Max is generating a large share of traffic that was previously under control. This can create blind spots for advertisers who rely on precise keyword control.

The Search terms report under AI Max may show unexpected matches, such as brand terms matching non-brand queries, or non-brand terms matching competitors. Sometimes even brand queries can match competitor terms. This makes it critically important to use strong negative keyword lists, even if the system provides Brand filters.

There is also the issue of the mystery bucket, where search queries generated by AI Max do not match any keyword in the account, are not tied to your landing page content, or are unrelated to past searches. This may be related to the keywordless technology used by Google.

Strategies for controlling search queries in AI Max

Despite the automation, there are practical steps that can help you better control search queries in AI Max campaigns.

1. Careful setup and monitoring of negative keywords

Negative keywords are your primary tool for filtering unwanted traffic. You should regularly review the Search terms report and add all terms that do not align with your business goals to your negative keyword lists, including:

• Competitor brands: If you do not want your ads to appear for queries containing competitors’ names.
• Non-target products/services: Terms that describe products or services you do not offer.
• Low-intent queries: Searches that indicate no commercial intent (for example, “free,” “download,” “how to make”).
• Regional or language variants: If your campaign targets a specific location or language.

Practical scenario: Suppose you sell only new cars from certain brands. In the Search terms report, you see queries like “buy used [car brand],” “repair [car brand],” or “parts [car brand].” These queries do not match your offer, so they should be added as negative keywords at the campaign or ad group level.

2. Using Brand settings

AI Max gives you the ability to control which brands your ads can be associated with, or conversely, which brands they should not appear alongside.

• Brand inclusions: Lets you specify particular brands that you want your ads to be associated with. This is useful if you sell products from specific manufacturers.
• Brand exclusions: Lets you prevent your ads from appearing alongside certain brands. This can be used to avoid associations with competitors or irrelevant brands.

These settings are available at both the campaign and ad group levels.

Practical scenario: You are an official dealer for “Brand A” and “Brand B.” You can add “Brand A” and “Brand B” to Brand inclusions at the campaign level to ensure that your ads are shown only for queries related to these brands. If you also want to avoid appearing alongside “Brand C” (for example, its car rental service), you can add “Brand C” to Brand exclusions.

3. Working with Locations of Interest

This feature allows you to target users based on their geographic interests, even if they are not directly searching for related terms. It can help you control reach, especially for local businesses.

Practical scenario: If your store is located in a specific shopping district or you are targeting residents of a particular city neighborhood, you can use Locations of Interest to reach users who frequently visit or show interest in that location.

4. Using URL Inclusions and URL Exclusions

• URL inclusions: Let you specify URLs that should be included for serving if they were not covered by Final URL expansion. This gives you additional control over which pages on your site traffic can land on.
• URL exclusions: Let you exclude specific URLs from being used as landing pages. This is useful for preventing ads from sending traffic to pages that are not ready for monetization or do not match the offer.

Practical scenario: You have a promo page, but you do not want AI Max to send traffic to it until you update the content. You can add that page’s URL to URL exclusions. Or, if you have a new, optimized product page that you want to promote but the system is not finding it, you can add its URL to URL inclusions.

5. Adding broad versions of keywords

Based on tests, when a campaign does not contain a broad version of a keyword, AI Max may behave as if it does, assigning impressions and clicks to your other keywords. To keep reporting clean and ensure traffic is attributed correctly, it is recommended to add broad versions of your core keywords.

Practical scenario: If your main keyword is “buy running shoes” (in exact or phrase match), also add “buy running shoes” in broad match. This helps maintain clarity in reporting and avoid impression misattribution.

6. Reviewing reports and making adjustments

AI Max introduces reporting updates that provide more transparency:

• Search terms report: Contains new match-type values such as “AI Max” for incremental search queries and a Source column that shows whether the match came from broad match expansion or keywordless search. A new view is also available that combines the search query, headlines, and URLs for a full understanding of the customer journey.
• Keywords report: New summary rows show “AI Max” to help understand the system’s overall contribution.
• Landing pages report: A new Selected by column shows the performance of landing pages chosen by AI Max.
• Assets report: Displays performance metrics for assets optimized by AI Max.

Regularly reviewing these reports will help you identify unexpected search queries, ineffective matches, and revise your negative keyword, URL exclusion, and other settings strategy.

7. Optimizing budget and bidding

AI Max will not be effective if campaigns are budget-constrained. If your campaign or portfolio budget is limited when AI Max is enabled, you will see a corresponding notification. That is why it is important to provide sufficient budget for the system to work.

Using conversion-based Smart Bidding strategies, such as Maximize conversions or Target CPA, is required for full use of features like search term matching, Final URL expansion, and Text customization.

Practical scenario: If you notice that your AI Max campaigns frequently hit the daily budget, this may limit their ability to find new high-performing queries. Increasing the budget can help the system reach its full potential.

Common mistakes and how to avoid them

• Ignoring the Search terms report: The biggest mistake is assuming AI Max will control everything on its own. Regular review of this report is essential.
• Not using enough negative keywords: Failing to add relevant negative keywords leads to ads showing for non-target queries, wasting budget and lowering CTR.
• Overreliance on automation: AI Max is a tool, not a complete replacement for strategic thinking. Ongoing intervention and adjustments are needed.
• Insufficient budget: If the budget is too small, AI Max will not be able to learn and optimize effectively.

When AI Max makes sense, and when it does not

AI Max makes sense when you want to:

• Expand reach beyond existing keywords.
• Automate part of the routine optimization work.
• Use AI to discover new relevant queries.
• Apply detailed control over brands and locations.

AI Max may not be suitable if:

• You have strict requirements for controlling every search query.
• You have a history of poor broad match results.
• Your budget is heavily limited and you cannot afford the system to “experiment.”
• You absolutely do not want to use Text customization and Final URL expansion.

Controlling search queries in AI Max requires a combination of understanding how the system works, proactively configuring control tools (negative keywords, brand and URL settings), and continuously analyzing reports. This lets you make the most of automation while maintaining the level of control needed for your ad campaign performance.