Google made it official: Dynamic Search Ads are going away. Starting in September, advertisers will no longer be able to create new DSA campaigns. Every eligible DSA campaign will be automatically migrated to AI Max for Search by the end of that same month. This was not a surprise to anyone paying close attention, but the formal announcement crystallizes a shift that has been building for years.
For advertisers who have leaned on DSA as a reliable discovery layer, this requires a real strategic response. For those who have already been watching AI Max’s rollout with skepticism, it raises legitimate questions worth examining. At Brawn Media, we think both reactions are valid. What we don’t think is useful is treating this as either a non-event or a crisis. The smarter move is to understand what is actually changing, what it means operationally, and how to stay in front of it.
What DSA Was Built to Do
Dynamic Search Ads launched as a solution to a practical problem: keyword lists are finite, but search behavior is not. By crawling an advertiser’s website and using that content to match search queries, generate headlines, and route users to the most relevant landing page, DSA gave campaigns a way to capture demand that traditional keyword structures missed. It was a coverage tool, a long-tail discovery mechanism, and for many accounts, a meaningful source of incremental volume.
That core function did not disappear. Google is folding it into AI Max for Search, describing AI Max as the next generation of what DSA started. The difference is that the new system bundles matching, creative generation, and landing page optimization under a single automated layer rather than operating as a discrete campaign type advertisers could manage separately.
What AI Max Actually Does
AI Max for Search operates across three main capabilities. Search term matching expands beyond a campaign’s existing keyword list to reach queries that signal relevant intent, similar to what DSA did via website crawling but using broader AI-driven signals. Text customization allows the system to write additional headlines and descriptions, supplementing the assets advertisers have already provided in their responsive search ads. Final URL expansion lets Google route users to the landing page it determines is most relevant, rather than the URL an advertiser explicitly specified.
Each of those features gives Google’s systems more room to make decisions. That autonomy is the central tension in how AI Max has been received since its beta launch. Google’s aggregate data points to positive outcomes, including claims of up to 7% more conversions compared to standard search campaigns. Independent analysis has told a more complicated story.
The Performance Questions That Need Honest Answers
The gap between platform-level performance claims and individual advertiser experiences has followed AI Max since it entered testing. In August 2025, early analysis showed that an overwhelming share of search terms activated by AI Max features generated no conversions at all. Independent testing published later that fall, covering more than 250 retail campaigns, found AI Max delivering conversions at significantly lower return on ad spend compared to traditional match types. A separate four-month test comparing AI Max to phrase match showed a cost per conversion more than double what phrase match produced.
These numbers circulated widely in the professional PPC community, and they matter. They don’t necessarily mean AI Max won’t work in your account. They do mean that automated migration without active oversight is a risk. Aggregate performance across hundreds of thousands of advertisers can look strong even when a significant portion of individual accounts are underperforming. Google’s scale smooths out a lot of variation. This is why the distinction between a voluntary, prepared migration and an automatic one matters so much heading into September.
What the Migration Actually Changes in Your Account
The shift from DSA to AI Max is not a one-to-one swap of settings. Several things change structurally.
Targeting logic changes. DSA matched to relevant search queries based on website content it could crawl. AI Max uses a broader set of intent signals that extend beyond your site. That means your campaign may start appearing for queries you would not have anticipated or approved in a traditional keyword-based structure.
Text Customization. AI Max can write new ad copy using your existing assets as reference. Advertisers have the ability to disable text customization at the campaign level if message control is a priority. For those who leave it on, reviewing generated copy and establishing text guidelines is a smart safeguard.
Final URL Expansion. Final URL expansion can be turned off at the campaign level for accounts with strict landing page strategies. For those who keep it enabled, setting URL exclusions is essential to prevent traffic from landing on irrelevant or low-value pages.
API integrations may break. Large accounts and agencies that manage campaigns programmatically through the Google Ads API will need to audit their automation workflows before new DSA creation is blocked. Scripts, rules, and bidding automations built around DSA campaign structures may not transfer cleanly.
The Broader Pattern Behind This Change
DSA’s retirement follows a pattern Google has been executing for years. Universal App Campaigns in 2015. Performance Max in 2020. Responsive Search Ads becoming the default. Call-only ad deprecation announced in late 2025. Each step in this sequence moves more targeting, bidding, and creative decisions away from manual control and into automated systems. Each one also narrows the options available to advertisers who want to operate with more precision.
This is not a neutral product evolution. It reflects a business model in which Google earns more when its systems control more of the auction. That doesn’t mean the automation is always wrong. It means the incentives that shape these decisions are not perfectly aligned with advertiser performance. Understanding that is not cynicism. It is how sophisticated advertisers protect their accounts.
In January 2026, Google’s GM of Ads outlined a future in which AI agents take on an increasing share of campaign creation, optimization, and even commerce interactions. The DSA deprecation is one more step in building that infrastructure. Advertisers who adapt strategically will find ways to work within it. Those who let changes happen passively will find their account structures shaped entirely by platform defaults.
How to Get Ready Before September
Google has already begun rolling out voluntary upgrade tools this week for some advertisers. Waiting for the automatic migration in September hands over control of the process. Here is how to use the time between now and then effectively.
Audit your DSA campaigns now. Identify which campaigns are using DSA, automatically created assets, and campaign-level broad match. Understand which of those are driving meaningful volume so you can give them appropriate attention during migration.
Strengthen your negative keyword lists. AI Max’s expanded matching means broader query exposure. A thorough set of negative keywords is your primary tool for containing irrelevant traffic. Build these out before migration, not after.
Set URL exclusions. If there are pages on your site that should not receive paid traffic, exclude them explicitly. Blog posts, careers pages, and thin content pages are common culprits that surface in automated campaigns.
Review your RSA asset quality. AI Max uses your existing responsive search ad assets as a foundation for text customization. Campaigns with weak or sparse assets give the AI less to work with and less to constrain its outputs. More distinct, brand-aligned headlines and descriptions give the system better inputs and you better coverage over what gets served.
Check your API and script dependencies. If any automated workflows reference DSA campaign types, update them now.
Monitor incrementality after migration. Don’t just watch conversion volume. Track cost per conversion and return on ad spend at the campaign level against your baselines. Give the migration a reasonable window to stabilize, but set clear performance thresholds that will trigger a review.
What Brawn Media Is Doing for Clients
Our team has been tracking AI Max since its beta, and we started preparing client accounts for this transition well before the April announcement made it official. For accounts where DSA has been a meaningful contributor, we are conducting campaign-by-campaign audits, tightening exclusion architecture, and managing voluntary migrations with monitoring built in from day one.
We are also being direct with our clients about what the independent performance data shows. AI Max can work well under the right conditions. It requires more governance than DSA did, not less. Handing over account decisions to platform defaults and hoping for the best is not a strategy. Controlling inputs, monitoring outputs, and iterating quickly is.
Google’s automation will keep expanding. The advertisers and agencies that stay ahead of it are the ones who treat each platform shift as a moment to restructure, not just reconfigure. If you have questions about how this change affects your specific campaigns or want to talk through a migration plan, reach out to the Brawn Media team.
