{"id":12546,"date":"2026-07-27T08:36:45","date_gmt":"2026-07-27T00:36:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/longzhuplatform.com\/?p=12546"},"modified":"2026-07-27T08:36:45","modified_gmt":"2026-07-27T00:36:45","slug":"how-to-prepare-for-googles-dsa-sunset-and-move-to-ai-max","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/longzhuplatform.com\/?p=12546","title":{"rendered":"How to prepare for Google\u2019s DSA sunset and move to AI Max"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>

Google has been hinting at the demise of standalone Dynamic Search Ads (DSA) campaigns. At first, Performance Max seemed likely to replace DSA. However, as AI Max gained traction, Google\u2019s final URL expansion across Search emerged as the nail in DSA\u2019s coffin.\u00a0<\/p>

We were initially told that Google would automatically migrate all DSA campaigns to AI Max in September. After considering advertiser feedback, Google announced that users can still create DSA campaigns until January 2027, with automatic migration now beginning in February 2027.<\/p>

DSA is a lifesaver for accounts with little non-brand search term data. It also does a fantastic job of breaking the site into manageable chunks. When I\u2019m setting a dynamic ad target, I can see how Google has categorized the site and how much of it falls into each category.\u00a0<\/p>

This helps me determine how to organize non-brand search. DSA search term performance has historically helped determine which keywords to focus on.<\/p>

How AI Max is different<\/h2>

AI Max has a different setup and targeting model from Dynamic Search Ads. Here are a few examples:<\/p>

  • Core targeting signals:<\/strong> In standalone DSA, the website is the foundational targeting signal. In AI Max, the website is just one of many targeting signals, including existing keywords, ad copy, budget, and real-time user intent signals.<\/li>
  • Campaign architecture:<\/strong> Standalone DSA is a separate campaign type or ad group structure that sits parallel to keyword campaigns, whereas AI Max for Search is another layer on your existing Search campaign structure.<\/li>
  • Creative asset generation and copywriting:<\/strong> With standalone DSA, Google dynamically generates a headline and display URL based on text it crawls from your page, while the advertiser provides static description lines. AI Max for Search uses text customization, pulling from website copy, existing ad assets, and the context of the search query to write custom headlines and descriptions.<\/li>
  • Traffic redirection:<\/strong> DSA campaigns are bound by specific dynamic ad targets. AI Max for Search leverages final URL expansion, so it can dynamically route a user to any relevant page across your entire domain while taking URL exclusions into account.<\/li>
  • Steering guardrails and controls:<\/strong> While DSA campaign controls include negative keywords and URL exclusions, AI Max for Search has advanced features such as brand inclusion and exclusion lists at the ad group level, geographic intent targeting, and text guidelines.<\/li> <\/ul>

    See exactly how your competitors win<\/span>. <\/p>

    Uncover the keywords, ads, landing pages, and strategies driving your competitors\u2019 paid search success\u2014and find your next opportunity to outperform them. <\/p> <\/p><\/div>

    Analyze your competitors<\/span> <\/p> <\/p><\/div>

    What should you do to adapt?<\/h2>

    If you\u2019re running DSA campaigns, you have some time before you have to migrate. However, I recommend migrating before the deadline so you have control over the migration and post-migration period.<\/p>

    If you open your DSA campaign and go to settings, you\u2019ll find the option to manually upgrade within the Dynamic Search Ads setting.<\/p>

    \"Google\"Google<\/figure> <\/div>

    Once you click Upgrade campaign<\/em>, another pop-up box will appear:<\/p>

    \"Google\"Google<\/figure> <\/div>

    We aren\u2019t upgrading our accounts yet, so I haven\u2019t gone past this final step. Once you upgrade, however, your campaigns will behave very differently from the original DSA campaigns.<\/p>

    Review AI-generated ads and brand controls<\/h3>

    Check your automatically created responsive search ads to ensure they follow brand guidelines. AI Max offers a feature called Text Guidelines \u2014 or Guardrails \u2014 for this purpose. <\/p>

    These brand safety controls allow you to specify up to 25 search term exclusions and 40 messaging restrictions that Google will consider when automatically creating your ads using text customization.<\/p>

    You can review the assets Google creates automatically by going to Ads > Assets<\/em> and navigating to Performance<\/em>. Make sure you have the Added by<\/em> column selected so you can see which assets were added by Google AI.<\/p>

    <\/p>

    Get the newsletter search marketers rely on.<\/p> <\/p><\/div> <\/p><\/div> <\/div>

    <\/p>

    Monitor your search terms\u00a0<\/h3>

    DSA matches ads based on website crawling, while AI Max reads your website and factors in additional user intent signals.<\/p>

    AI Max also expands narrower keyword match types using broad match and keywordless technology. This can make you eligible to serve for more searches, but it also increases the chances of your ads appearing for irrelevant content.\u00a0<\/p>

    Watch where Final URL expansion sends traffic<\/h3>

    If you have Final URL expansion enabled, closely watch which landing pages your ads are directed to. DSA restricts traffic to your existing dynamic ad targets, while Final URL expansion can route users to any relevant landing page on your domain if it predicts a higher conversion likelihood. Use URL exclusion lists and Brand Controls to keep the AI in check.<\/p>

    Take control of the migration<\/h2>

    If you\u2019re running DSA, you\u2019ve got some breathing room before the mandatory migration, but don\u2019t wait for the deadline. Migrating early puts you in control rather than leaving the shift to Google\u2019s automation.<\/p>

    As Google expands its use of AI automation, paid search is becoming less about pushing buttons and more about guiding the technology toward your goals. Understanding how AI Max works is key to that shift.<\/p>

    Google\u2019s algorithms excel at finding patterns, but they lack the context of your commercial goals, inventory challenges, and brand voice. The role is evolving from campaign operator to business translator.<\/p> <\/div>

    Contributing authors are invited to create content for Search Engine Land and are chosen for their expertise and contribution to the search community. Our contributors work under the oversight of the editorial staff and contributions are checked for quality and relevance to our readers. Search Engine Land is owned by Semrush. Contributor was not asked to make any direct or indirect mentions of Semrush. The opinions they express are their own.<\/em> <\/p>

    \"Sarah\"Sarah <\/div>

    Sarah has been working with Google Ads since 2014 when she received the opportunity to work as a Google Ads contractor. After receiving extensive training from Google and working with hundreds of accounts and dozens of marketing agencies, she joined ZATO as a paid search strategist in 2020 where she serves as an account manager. She is active in the Google Ads Product Expert Community and has written numerous articles for the ZATO blog as well as appeared on Optmyzr Town Hall and has moderated for Hero Conf in San Diego. <\/p> <\/p><\/div> <\/p><\/div> <\/p><\/div> <\/div>

    <\/p>

    <\/p><\/div>

    Opinion#prepare #Googles #DSA #sunset #move #Max1785112605<\/p> ","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Google has been hinting at the demise of standalone Dynamic Search Ads (DSA) campaigns. At first, Performance Max seemed likely to replace DSA. However, as AI Max gained traction, Google\u2019s final URL expansion across Search emerged as the nail in DSA\u2019s coffin.\u00a0 We were initially told that Google would automatically migrate all DSA campaigns to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":12547,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[48958,179,701,1526,155,965,24032],"class_list":["post-12546","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-careers","tag-dsa","tag-googles","tag-max","tag-move","tag-opinion","tag-prepare","tag-sunset"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/longzhuplatform.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12546","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/longzhuplatform.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/longzhuplatform.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/longzhuplatform.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/longzhuplatform.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=12546"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/longzhuplatform.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12546\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/longzhuplatform.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/12547"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/longzhuplatform.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=12546"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/longzhuplatform.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=12546"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/longzhuplatform.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=12546"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}