AI Max for Search in Google Ads: a practical guide for trades and local firms

For years Google has been taking more of the day-to-day decisions away from advertisers. Smart Bidding came first, then broad match got smarter, then Performance Max arrived. AI Max for Search is the newest piece, and Google now positions automated bidding, Performance Max and AI Max together as its recommended way to run search advertising.

For a plumber, electrician or roofer paying for every click, that raises a fair question: will it bring in more jobs, or just burn budget on the wrong searches? Handled carefully it can catch searches you would never have added as keywords, such as the long, chatty questions people now type after getting used to AI assistants. Handled carelessly it can waste money fast. Below is how we set it up for local businesses.

The three parts of AI Max explained

Searches that AI Max finds are tagged separately in the search terms report. That lets you see exactly what it is adding on top of the searches your keywords were already picking up.

Is your account ready for AI Max?

We would only think about switching it on when:

• Conversion tracking is accurate and Consent Mode v2 is in place, which UK advertisers rely on to measure results and show personalised ads.
• The campaign already produces a regular stream of conversions, such as calls and quote requests, so Google has something to learn from.
• Bidding uses Smart Bidding, aiming at a target CPA (cost per acquisition) or a target return on ad spend.
• Your service pages spell out clearly what you do and where. AI Max reads your website, so a vague page about “all your property needs” leads to vague matching.

We would wait if the account is brand new with hardly any data, if the budget is very tight, or if you work in a regulated area where every word of an ad has to be approved.

As an example, a heating engineer covering Dundee and Angus with a few months of tracked boiler repair enquiries is a reasonable candidate. A one-person cleaning business spending a small amount each month, with no tracked calls yet, is not.

Setting AI Max up step by step

1. Check your tracking before anything else. Make sure each conversion action fires properly and that weak actions, such as someone viewing a page, are not set as primary goals.
2. Test it on a single campaign. Pick a non-brand campaign that already performs, so there is a clear before and after.
3. Set brand controls. Brand inclusions and exclusions stop AI Max bidding on rival firms’ names, or on searches for your own business name, unless that is what you want.
4. Exclude pages that should not get ads. Typical ones are vacancies, blog articles and policy pages.
5. Read the generated ad text in week one. Remove anything inaccurate, such as a service you do not offer or an area you do not cover.
6. Look at search terms every week. Add negatives for anything irrelevant.
7. Be patient. Give it two to four weeks of learning before deciding whether it works.

How to tell if AI Max is paying off

Compare an equal period before and after you switched it on, and avoid your busiest season if you can. A boiler firm comparing a quiet September with a freezing December will learn nothing useful. Check:

• Return on ad spend, or cost per conversion.
• Conversions that came from AI Max matched searches compared with those from your keywords.
• How good the leads are, not only how many. Ask whoever answers the phone or books the jobs.
• How much spend went on searches that are genuinely new, versus searches your keywords would have caught anyway.

If cost per conversion climbs and the new searches are not turning into enquiries, turn AI Max off for that campaign. You can try again once you have better data.

Where AI Max fits with AI search

Searches are getting longer and more conversational, partly because people have got used to talking to AI tools. Someone might type “who can fix a combi boiler losing pressure near Forfar this week” rather than “boiler repair Forfar”. Fixed keyword lists struggle with that kind of search. On the paid side, Google’s response to the shift is AI Max. On the organic side, the same change is why we build content around the real questions customers ask.

Frequently asked questions

Is AI Max just Performance Max under another name?

No. Performance Max is its own campaign type that runs across all of Google’s channels. AI Max is a setting you switch on inside a Search campaign.

Does AI Max work alongside exact match keywords?

Yes. Your keywords keep running as usual, with AI Max layering further matching over them. Where an exact match keyword matches a search, it still takes priority.

Will AI Max write my ads?

It can create headlines and descriptions from your website and current ads. You are free to review or delete them, and it is worth checking them regularly.

Should a small local business with a small budget use it?

Usually not straight away. With a small budget and only a handful of conversions, there is not much data for Google to learn from. Get your tracking and keyword campaigns in order first, then run a test.

Sources and further reading

• Google’s official Ads help pages
• Claire Jarrett on the Google Ads changes of 2026
• Visionary Marketing’s 2026 round-up of AI and Google Ads stats

Want help with this? We set up and manage Google Ads for trades and local service businesses, and we can tell you honestly whether AI Max is worth testing on your account. Get in touch.