The Google Ads AI Max migration is a reason to review campaign configuration before interpreting your October results. A change in settings and a change in customer demand can appear in the same reporting period. A useful audit separates the two.
News reviewed on 2 October 2026. The migration scope below comes from Google’s published announcement; the campaign checklist is my recommendation.
What Google’s published migration plan covers
Google’s official migration announcement scheduled a progressive September 2026 upgrade for Search campaigns using campaign-level Broad Match or standalone Automatically Created Assets. It sets a separate February 2027 phase for Dynamic Search Ads.
The announcement describes different default settings: search-term matching on and final URL expansion off for both September groups, with text customisation off for the Broad Match group and on for the standalone asset group. Brand inclusions and exclusions are preserved for migrated campaign-level Broad Match campaigns.
This is a description of the published plan, not confirmation that every eligible campaign completed migration or that your account has these exact settings today. Inspect the individual campaign and its change history.
Why the migration matters for growth reporting
When a campaign’s configuration changes, the team needs a clear record of what changed and when. Otherwise, a new search pattern, different conversion mix or reporting movement may be attributed to creative quality without enough evidence.
My practical view is to make October a controlled review period. Establish the current setup, check the intent reaching your site and judge the business outcomes produced. Do not change every campaign variable at once merely because the product name has changed.
Start with an account inventory
List the campaigns that used either of the affected September configurations. Record their current settings, migration or change dates where visible, landing-page purpose, conversion goal and owner. Keep Dynamic Search Ads in a separate review group because the published timetable differs.
If an agency, script or external tool manages the account, ask its owner to confirm how the current configuration is handled. Use the relevant current documentation before editing an integration. A marketing checklist should not substitute for a technical migration review.
A six-point Google Ads AI Max migration audit
1. Verify the settings rather than assuming the defaults
Check search-term matching, text customisation, final URL expansion and relevant brand controls in each affected campaign. Record what is enabled and why it fits the intended campaign.
Default behaviour in an announcement is a useful starting reference. It is not evidence that no one edited the campaign afterward.
2. Review the conversion goal
Define what each counted conversion establishes. A signup, email-link click and completed qualified enquiry are different actions. An optimisation process can pursue the configured event while the business cares about a later outcome.
For an app, connect the early conversion with mature-cohort activation. For a service business, review enquiry quality alongside lead volume. Validate the event before judging whether the campaign’s new setup is helping.
3. Inspect the search intent reaching the offer
Group observed search terms by intent: a direct service need, early research, a comparison or an unrelated request. Review enough volume to identify a useful pattern and acknowledge where reporting provides an incomplete view.
Choose controls based on evidence of irrelevant intent, not simply because a query differs from the original keyword list. The question is whether the visit fits the offer and produces useful outcomes.
4. Check the landing-page promise
Review the actual page customers reach. Is the offer clear? Does the page answer the question the ad creates? Can someone complete the next step on mobile?
If text customisation is enabled, review the ad material visible in your account for accuracy and fit. Avoid unsupported claims, stale promotions and wording that promises an outcome the service does not deliver.
5. Check brand treatment in context
Document the intended role of brand and non-brand traffic. If reported conversions rise, inspect whether the mix changed before claiming the campaign created more new demand.
A business can benefit from capturing existing intent, but that is a different conclusion from demonstrating incremental acquisition. Keep the distinction visible in the review.
6. Compare periods with the change log attached
Use comparable periods and note other changes: budget, offer, website release, tracking and seasonality. Allow the conversion window to mature before comparing final outcomes.
A simple before-and-after chart can describe a movement. It does not isolate the migration’s causal effect when other conditions changed too. Use an appropriate experiment if the budget decision requires stronger evidence.
A hypothetical result that deserves investigation
Suppose a campaign moves from 100 to 140 recorded leads while spend rises from $2,000 to $2,800. Cost per recorded lead stays at $20. However, qualified enquiries move from 30 to 28, changing cost per qualified enquiry from about $67 to $100.
The top-line lead increase is real within this example, but it does not establish improved business value. Investigate the conversion definition, search intent and offer fit before celebrating or reversing the settings.
These figures illustrate a review method. They are not Google’s performance claims or an actual client result.
Connect paid acquisition with the rest of the funnel
Search advertising does not end at a click. An app may lose users during verification or between approval and its first-value action. My KYC drop-off guide and KYC to first transfer analysis explain why early acquisition outcomes can conceal later friction.
For content-led discovery, the AI search visibility framework takes a related approach: connect visibility with the information buyers need and the useful actions they take.
An October action plan
- Inventory affected campaigns and verify the actual settings.
- Validate the conversion goals that support budget decisions.
- Review search intent and the mobile landing-page journey.
- Choose one evidence-backed adjustment and record its review date.
If your team has campaign reports but no clear diagnosis, my Marketing Audit and 1-on-1 Consulting can help connect paid media, messaging and qualified demand before you commit to the next experiment.
Frequently asked questions
Did every Search campaign migrate in September?
The published September plan names specific legacy configurations. Check your own campaign rather than assuming all Search campaigns were affected.
Are Dynamic Search Ads on the same timetable?
Google’s cited announcement gives them a separate February 2027 phase. Confirm current guidance before planning a change.
Does migration guarantee better results?
No. Evaluate the actual settings, relevant traffic and business outcomes. A product update is not evidence of improved performance in your account.