AI Max for search campaigns: Google’s first AI feature that truly guarantees conversion?

A promise too good not to investigate

Automated switching to alternative campaign types or target groups, smart keyword recommendations, responsive ads, … Google has been trying for years to integrate artificial intelligence into the workflow of many a marketer.

Options that we have extensively viewed, researched, and tested at Expliciet. The conclusion was often the same: (still) too irregular in terms of success rates to let loose on our clients’ marketing budgets, and furthermore, we felt Google was sometimes given too much freedom.

AI Max for Search Campaigns, the beta version of which went live in the summer of 2025, still made us raise an extra eyebrow. Google came with a bold promise: 14% more conversions at a similar cost per conversion as with the classic search ad. And a greater chance of appearing among the AI Overviews.

Double test: instant success figures

So we immediately selected a number of relevant clients on whose advertising budgets we could unleash this new feature. And it must be said: the first results did not disappoint. After barely two weeks of extensive testing, monitoring, adjusting, and checking, we achieved the following figures:

• For a veranda builder in B2C with a focus on lead generation: +82% conversions, -55% cost per conversion

• For a B2C and B2B specialist in sustainable energy, with a focus on lead generation: +250% conversions, -71% cost per conversion

After a thorough check of the AI-generated keywords, we also found that we could label the vast majority as highly relevant.

From keyword search to contextual targeting

The big engine behind this conversion gain: the reach of search queries has increased enormously. Search queries that also turn out to be extremely relevant. Classic keywords have long since ceased to be the main driver here. More than ever, Google looks at search context, user profiles, and conversion opportunities rather than the search term itself.

And let that remain the great danger: the more AI involves the broader context in a search campaign, the greater the chance of irrelevant search queries and a lower return on investment in principle. Although the figures above seem to contradict this.

Human interpretation remains crucial

But at the same time, Google’s AI Max for Search Campaigns shows why the knowledge and experience of a search ad expert are indispensable:

• Above all, the quality of strategy and tracking determines success: AI Max only reaches its full potential within the ideal campaign context and can only build on data that is clean, fully captured, and remains clean.

• Not every case is ripe for success: sharply rising conversion rates are not a given for everyone. Factors such as minimum daily budget, type of sector, whether or not it is a niche activity, … play an important role. The invested amount must be able to yield a full return.

• Not every feature adds value: AI Max consists of different layers that you can enable separately, from having custom ad copy created by letting the application crawl a website to automatically suggesting target URLs (see screenshot). Here too: following blindly can be detrimental to the quality of search traffic.

In the right hands, AI Max can become a powerful conversion weapon

The first results after just a few weeks don’t lie: more conversions, a lower cost per conversion, and a broader, relevant search reach. AI Max for Search Campaigns has also enriched the way we look at search queries in the short term.

That is why we are continuing to roll out AI Max in a controlled manner — always under the guidance of our search specialists who set the course, validate the data, and guard the strategy. And we use all insights to also strengthen other divisions within Expliciet, such as our content teams who can in turn translate the relevant search queries into interesting content themes and topics.

Is there an AI conversion boost in it for your company too?

As we stated above: to achieve outstanding conversion figures using Google’s AI Max, everything must be right. Starting with a marketing agency that not only masters its own expertise through and through but also knows its clients inside out. Only then is a long-term success trajectory possible.

Would you like to sit down with us soon to look at your options? Let us know and we would be happy to invite you to our new offices in Diepenbeek!