Dynamic Search Ads to AI Max Migration: How to Prepare for the New Google Ads Deadlines

What you need to know about the DSA to AI Max migration

• Google Ads has two AI Max deadlines: September 2026 for ACA and broad match, and February 2027 for DSA.
• AI Max mirrors your legacy settings automatically, so unresolved gaps like missing brand exclusions carry over untouched.
• DSA campaign creation reopened through January 2027, giving you a real window to test AI Max first.
• Prep the closer September 2026 deadline first, then apply those lessons to your DSA side-by-side test.

Google Ads has two separate deadlines for moving your account into AI Max. If you’re only tracking one, the other can still catch you off guard. Automatically created assets (ACA) and campaign-level broad match settings start auto-upgrading in September 2026. Dynamic Search Ads (DSA) has its own sunset, running through February 2027.

Each half of this Dynamic Search Ads to AI Max migration needs its own prep plan, since Google treats them as two distinct transitions with two distinct timelines. Here’s the good news: DSA campaign creation is open again right now, through January 2027. That gives you a real window to test AI Max on your own terms instead of getting auto-upgraded into it.

Below, you’ll find the Two-Path Migration Map: A separate, sequenced checklist for each deadline, plus what to do if your account runs into both at once.

What does the DSA to AI Max migration include?

AI Max is Google’s AI-powered optimization layer, and it’s absorbing three legacy Search features on two different clocks. Automatically Created Assets (ACA) and campaign-level broad match settings move over first, in the September 2026 AI Max upgrade. Dynamic Search Ads follows with its own Google Ads DSA sunset in February 2027.

That gap wasn’t the original plan. Google initially set both dates for September 2026, then pushed the DSA sunset back to February 2027 after advertiser feedback. The extra runway is useful, but it’s not a reason to wait until the deadline to think about it.

If you’re not sure which path applies to your account, start with the feature you’re actually running today.

• Does your account use automatically created assets or campaign-level broad match settings?
  • Yes → You’re on the September 2026 path. Start with the ACA and broad match prep checklist below.
  • No → Continue to the next question.
• Does your account run Dynamic Search Ads campaigns?
  • Yes → You’re on the February 2027 path. Jump to the DSA prep checklist below.
  • No → Neither auto-upgrade applies to your account yet.
• Running more than one of these features? See the section on sequencing both migrations below.

Why waiting until the deadline is the wrong move for either migration

Google has been direct about what happens during the automatic transition. Its own documentation states that AI Max is “enabled with settings configured to mirror your legacy setup.” That’s Google preserving continuity, not auditing your account.

Here’s what that means in practice. If your account is missing a brand exclusion or has an untested Final URL expansion setting today, that gap carries forward into AI Max exactly as it is. Google isn’t flagging it for you, and the migration won’t fix it on your behalf.

Google also points to an average 7% conversion lift when advertisers use the full Google Ads AI Max feature suite compared to search term matching alone, based on the company’s own internal data for non-retail advertisers. Treat that as a directional data point tied to a specific advertiser segment, not a universal guarantee for every account.

Before either migration hits, know your own numbers. WebFX’s 2027 PPC Benchmarks report puts the average click-through rate for Google Search ads at roughly 6.66% across industries, with a median return on ad spend near 3.5:1. Pull your account’s current CTR and ROAS against those benchmarks now, so you have a clean baseline to compare against once AI Max takes over. 

How to prepare for the ACA and broad match settings migration

This is the closer deadline, and it comes with no extra runway once the AI Max auto-upgrade hits in September 2026. Work through these five steps before then, in this order.

1. Brand exclusions: Set these first, so AI Max doesn’t start competing for branded traffic that would have converted through your existing campaigns anyway.
2. Negative keyword lists: Enforce these before AI Max broadens your reach, since a gap here gets amplified once the AI starts expanding your targeting.
3. Final URL expansion: Make a deliberate decision, on or off, for each campaign. Turning it on means Google can override your Final URLs, and any assets you’ve pinned to specific pages get ignored.
4. Text guidelines: Set guardrails on what the AI can say in your ads, especially if you operate in a regulated or brand-sensitive category where wording matters.
5. Incrementality test: Run a controlled test on one campaign with performance history, using Google’s one-click experiments, before letting AI Max manage your account at scale.

How to prepare for the Dynamic Search Ads migration

You have more runway here, but February 2027 isn’t indefinite. Knowing how to prepare for the AI Max upgrade on this path means running your DSA and AI Max test side by side now, not just a mental note to deal with it later.

1. Pull a 90-day performance baseline: Export your search term reports, landing page reports, and conversion data now, while it’s simple to do. Google hasn’t confirmed whether historical DSA reporting will be harder to access once your campaigns move to AI Max, but pulling this baseline now costs you nothing and protects you either way.
2. Audit your conversion tracking accuracy: AI Max leans heavily on Smart Bidding and conversion signals, so any gaps in your tracking will distort your test results before you even start comparing performance.
3. Check your landing page quality and coverage: AI Max pulls from your site content for targeting and creative the same way DSA does, so outdated or thin pages reduce relevance and waste spend during your test.
4. Run a genuine side-by-side test: DSA campaign creation is reopened now through January 2027. Migrate a small, controlled percentage of spend to AI Max and run it alongside your existing DSA campaigns rather than switching everything at once.

Trusting the results of that test means defining your test window and your 90-day baseline before you start, not judging performance from a gut check partway through.

What to do if you’re running both AI Max migrations at once

Some accounts will need to hit both deadlines. If that’s you, prepare the September 2026 path first, since it’s closer and gives you less room to react.

Carry what you learn forward. The guardrails that mattered, the settings that caused issues, and the gaps you caught during the ACA and broad match prep all become useful input for your DSA side-by-side test ahead of February 2027.

Here’s a checklist you can follow over the next 30 days to prepare for both migrations: 

1. Identify which legacy feature(s) your account runs today.
2. Set brand exclusions and negative keyword lists if you’re on the September 2026 path.
3. Pull your 90-day DSA baseline if you’re on the February 2027 path.
4. Compare your CTR and ROAS against the 2027 PPC Benchmarks.
5. Schedule your incrementality test or side-by-side test before the relevant deadline.

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Start prepping for the AI Max migration today

A Dynamic Search Ads to AI Max migration doesn’t have to mean losing control of your account settings to an automatic upgrade. With a clear prep checklist for whichever deadline applies to you, you can walk into AI Max with your brand exclusions, negative keywords, and tracking already in place instead of hoping Google’s defaults match what your account actually needs. 

WebFX’s PPC management services build this kind of migration prep directly into ongoing account management, backed by RevenueCloudFX’s closed-loop reporting so you can see exactly how your AI Max transition performs against your pre-migration baseline. 

Contact our team or explore our PPC management services to get your account ready for both deadlines.