Direct answer

Google moved the Dynamic Search Ads deadline. The original September 2026 transition is no longer the full story: DSA sunset and auto-upgrade now begin in February 2027, while two other legacy AI Max features still move in September.

What to remember
  • Google moved the Dynamic Search Ads deadline. The original September 2026 transition is no longer the full story: DSA sunset and auto-upgrade now begin in February 2027, while two other legacy AI Max features still move in September.
  • Google updated its Dynamic Search Ads transition timeline on June 11, 2026.
  • The current headline dates are: Dynamic Search Ads Google says the DSA sunset and auto-upgrade will begin in February 2027.

01

Preconditions

Google moved the Dynamic Search Ads deadline. The original September 2026 transition is no longer the full story: DSA sunset and auto-upgrade now begin in February 2027, while two other legacy AI Max features still move in September.

Google updated its Dynamic Search Ads transition timeline on June 11, 2026.[1]

The current headline dates are:

Dynamic Search Ads.

Google says the DSA sunset and auto-upgrade will begin in February 2027.

Automatically Created Assets.

Campaigns using ACA continue to be auto-upgraded to AI Max starting in September 2026.

Campaign-level broad match.

Campaigns using the campaign-level broad match setting also continue to be auto-upgraded starting in September 2026.

That distinction matters because the original April announcement described a broader September transition.

The June update extends the DSA portion.

Why this topic belongs on RankBuilder.

Dynamic Search Ads use website content and landing pages to match ads with searches.

AI Max expands that model with:

  • broader intent signals;
  • search-term matching;
  • text customization;
  • Final URL Expansion;
  • brand controls;
  • location controls;
  • text guidelines.

Paid search and technical SEO teams therefore share a dependency:

the website has to communicate what each page is actually about.

A weak landing-page architecture harms both.

What AI Max changes.

Google describes AI Max as the next generation of Dynamic Search Ads.

DSA historically used landing-page content to:

  • discover query opportunities;
  • create relevant headlines;
  • choose landing pages.

AI Max combines advertiser inputs such as ads and website content with broader signals.

Google says the full AI Max feature suite averaged 7% more conversions or conversion value at similar CPA/ROAS compared with using search-term matching alone in its reported advertiser data.[1]

That is an aggregate Google result, not a campaign guarantee.

Sources reviewed.

  1. We’re upgrading Dynamic Search Ads to AI Max — Google Ads; accessed 2026-08-06. [1]
  2. AI Max turns 1 with new ways to steer performance — Google Ads; accessed 2026-08-06. [2]

02

Ordered process

Use the article in this order:

  1. Why this topic belongs on RankBuilder
  2. What AI Max changes
  3. Final URL Expansion
  4. Build a landing-page allowlist mindset
  5. Text customization
  6. Brand controls
  7. Location controls
  8. DSA migration inventory
  9. Separate September and February work
  10. Run a side-by-side test
  11. SEO team responsibilities
  12. Conversion tracking first

Final URL Expansion.

Final URL Expansion can choose a relevant landing page beyond the URL you supplied when Google predicts another destination better matches the user’s intent.

This increases the importance of:

  • page quality;
  • URL architecture;
  • product accuracy;
  • page titles;
  • business relevance;
  • conversion readiness.

If your site contains:

old landing page
staging page
thin category
obsolete product
internal search

do not hand an automated system broader URL choice before fixing the inventory.

Build a landing-page allowlist mindset.

Even when the product exposes automated URL expansion, the advertiser should know which sections are acceptable destinations.

Classify site areas:

GOOD FOR ADS
REVIEW
EXCLUDE

Good:

  • live products;
  • current service pages;
  • strong category pages;
  • relevant comparison pages.

Exclude or review:

  • legal pages;
  • support-only content;
  • old campaign pages;
  • sold-out inventory;
  • account pages;
  • search results;
  • careers;
  • irrelevant blog posts.

Use Google Ads controls available in the campaign rather than assuming the crawler will infer your business policy.

Text customization.

AI Max can adapt ad copy to better match search intent.

That requires accurate source information.

Review the website for claims that should not be generalized into ads.

Examples:

up to 50% off
available in Chicago only
free for existing customers
FDA cleared for one specific indication

A claim can be true on one page and misleading when extracted into another context.

Use text guidelines and compliance controls.

Brand controls.

Google highlights brand controls as one of AI Max’s steering mechanisms.

Advertisers should decide:

  • which competitor brands can be targeted;
  • which brands must be excluded;
  • whether resellers can use manufacturer names;
  • how trademarks are handled.

Do not outsource brand policy to automated query expansion.

Location controls.

A local service company can have:

nationwide blog
five-city service area

The website may be globally crawlable while the business can serve only five locations.

Campaign location controls need to reflect service reality.

Do not assume page geography automatically limits ad delivery.

DSA migration inventory.

Before February 2027, export every DSA campaign.

Record:

CAMPAIGN
AD GROUP
TARGETS
EXCLUSIONS
LANDING PAGES
CONVERSIONS
CPA
ROAS
SEARCH TERMS
BUDGET
BID STRATEGY

Preserve the historical baseline.

You cannot evaluate AI Max if you forget what DSA was doing.

Separate September and February work.

Before September 2026.

Review campaigns using:

  • automatically created assets;
  • campaign-level broad match.

Understand the AI Max mapping.

Before February 2027.

Complete the DSA-specific migration.

Do not wait until January.

Use the extra time for controlled testing.

Run a side-by-side test.

Where account structure permits, compare:

legacy DSA behavior
AI Max configuration

Track:

  • search terms;
  • landing pages;
  • conversion volume;
  • CPA;
  • ROAS;
  • lead quality;
  • brand leakage;
  • irrelevant query rate.

Do not evaluate only conversion count.

More conversions at lower lead quality can be worse.

SEO team responsibilities.

The organic team can help audit:

  • crawlable landing pages;
  • page taxonomy;
  • canonical URLs;
  • obsolete pages;
  • duplicate categories;
  • product metadata;
  • service-area accuracy.

The paid team owns:

  • campaign settings;
  • bidding;
  • budgets;
  • exclusions;
  • ad policy;
  • conversion actions.

Shared infrastructure does not mean shared accountability becomes nobody’s accountability.

Conversion tracking first.

Do not migrate into more automation with broken measurement.

Audit:

  • primary conversion;
  • secondary conversion;
  • duplicate tags;
  • enhanced conversions;
  • CRM import;
  • lead qualification;
  • revenue values.

AI optimization follows the signals you provide.

A form submission from a spam bot should not be treated like closed revenue.

03

Failure cases

FAQ.

When does DSA auto-upgrade now?

Google’s June 11 update says DSA sunset and auto-upgrade begin in February 2027.

What still changes in September 2026?

Automatically created assets and campaign-level broad match continue to auto-upgrade starting in September 2026.

Is AI Max the same as DSA?

No. Google calls it the next generation of DSA with broader intent signals, creative features, URL expansion, and additional controls.

Does Google guarantee 7% more conversions?

No. That is Google’s reported aggregate result, not a guarantee.

Should SEOs care?

Yes, because website content, URLs, and landing-page quality feed automated ad matching.

Migration checklist.

  • DSA campaigns exported.
  • September features identified.
  • February DSA deadline recorded.
  • Conversion tracking audited.
  • Landing-page inventory classified.
  • Final URL Expansion policy set.
  • Brand controls set.
  • Location controls set.
  • Text claims reviewed.
  • Search terms benchmarked.
  • Lead quality measured.
  • Test period defined.
  • Owners assigned.

Verdict.

Google gave DSA advertisers more time.

Use it.

The worst migration plan is to let February 2027 arrive, accept the automatic configuration, and discover afterward that your website contains 400 technically crawlable pages you never intended to advertise.

Verification record.

  • Google’s June 11, 2026 update was checked on 2026-08-06.
  • The extended DSA date is separated from ACA and campaign-level broad-match timing.
  • The 7% performance figure is attributed to Google and is not a guarantee.

Duplication and search-intent record.

No prior RankBuilder package targets the revised February 2027 DSA sunset after Google changed its original schedule.

References

Sources behind this record

  1. We’re upgrading Dynamic Search Ads to AI Max — Google Ads (accessed August 6, 2026)
  2. AI Max turns 1 with new ways to steer performance — Google Ads (accessed August 6, 2026)

Corrections

Correction history

No corrections recorded.

To report an error, use the public corrections path.

Claim limit

The cited sources supporting this Dynamic Search Ads AI Max review were checked through 2026-08-06.

Dynamic Search Ads AI Max documentation, interfaces, measurement methods, policies, and availability can change after publication.

Correct handling of Dynamic Search Ads AI Max does not guarantee rankings, traffic, citations, advertising delivery, or commercial outcomes.