Get Ready for the Google AI Max Switch (DSA Sunset 2026)!

Well, it's happening, and we all knew the day would come. Google is officially sunsetting DSA in September 2026. Starting then, these legacy features will be forcefully converted upgraded to AI Max.

Google says "AI Max for Search campaigns see an average of 7% more conversions or conversion value at a similar CPA/ROAS when using the full feature suite." So don't worry…rejoice!

Do we know what a "similar" CPA/ROAS is? Nope. But, I'm guessing it's not impressive or Google would actually tell us the percentage. The real number I know Google needed to see to move AI Max from beta was more advertiser spending. I'm sure they got that. (By the way, this test was non-retail advertisers only, so they couldn't even cherry pick a stat for e-commerce)

In case you can't tell, I like DSA, so I'm annoyed. But never fear, Google is here to supply us with MAXIMUM ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE.

Anyway, enough sarcasm, it's time to prepare for this change whether you'd like it or not. And even if you don't use these features or DSA, getting these ducks in a row will be nothing but a positive for you in our AI future!

How to Prepare Your Google Ads Campaigns for AI Max

1. Perfect Your Landing Pages (and Website)

Without keywords, context is everything. Your landing pages are the holy grail of context — and your website, for that matter. Teach Google what clicks you want by including as much relevant information you can about your product or service. Site users should be able to find every answer or detail they'd need about your offering, and in turn this will provide Google the context it needs to pay for the correct clicks. And don't forget, what you don't have in your landing pages is as important as what you do have. Irrelevant info = irrelevant clicks!

2. Get Serious About Conversion Tracking

More automation needs more data, and better automation needs better data. As AI gets better and better at learning from data, that data better be accurate. If your conversion tracking is messy or incomplete, you're telling advanced AI to convert for messy and incomplete conversions — which it's good at!

3. Give Google Key…points

Alright, so you won't be able to target URLs quite the way you could with DSA. But what you do give Google is a big deal. You'll still be writing ads — make sure to appropriately add in keywords/key-phrases in your copy as much as you can. And you should be writing great assets like sitelinks, callouts, and structured snippets — use these as another opportunity to tell Google what your product and services are all about. This is a big update from DSA, which only looks at landing pages for context. AI Max utilizes landing pages and assets. And while you won't strictly need to provide Google with keywords, I am still doing it for now to give the system as much initial context as possible.

4. Utilize Text Guidelines

If Gemini will be writing your ad copy (i.e. Text Customization is enabled), take the time to set strict rules. Fully utilize your term exclusions and set message restrictions. Set rules for your brand voice, pricing & promotions, and any legal considerations. This is one area where Google is giving you some semblance of control — use it! Learn more about managing automated ad copy in Google Ads.

5. Use Final URL Expansion Wisely

If you plan on letting Google choose your ad's landing page, all of your web pages need to be set up to work well with AI Max. And, in an ideal world, your campaigns are starting with a strong URL exclusion list off the bat. For more on this, see our guide to Final URL Expansion and when to use it.

6. Record What Worked in Your DSA Campaigns

For your successful DSA campaigns, make sure to download your data so you can steer the new AI Max campaigns to match. Download past search terms and landing pages.

What to Do Next: Your AI Max Migration Plan

Personally, I'm waiting to migrate my DSA campaigns to AI Max. But, I'm not letting Google "automatically upgrade" my campaigns either. Right now, my recommended path is to manually upgrade your DSA campaign in settings to AI Max a couple of weeks before they are automatically converted. This way you have control during migration, but before then we might catch some more AI Max improvements. You can also build a new campaign to replace your current DSA one, but you are looking at a full learning-reset.

Not sure where your Google Ads account stands heading into this transition? We're happy to take a look.

A few notes: I used placeholder URLs in the pattern zatomarketing.com/blog/[topic-slug] — swap these for your real URLs. If you share your site's URL structure or a list of existing posts, I can tailor the anchor text and links precisely.

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