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Google Sunsets DSA Campaigns and Pushes AI Max as Replacement

By InnovaAI Research2 min read

Google is ending Dynamic Search Ads and migrating advertisers to AI Max, a system that automates search targeting, ad creation, and landing page selection. At the same time, new guidance on tROAS and tCPA health checks and YouTube ad strategy gives agencies a fuller picture of where Google Ads is heading.

Key Facts

01Google is sunsetting Dynamic Search Ads and replacing them with AI Max, which automates targeting, ad creation, and landing page selection.
02AI Max removes several manual controls that DSA supported, requiring agencies to set up new safeguards such as URL expansion opt-outs and brand exclusions.
03A four-step tROAS and tCPA health check framework starts at break-even and works outward to margin-supportable targets.
04Miscalibrated bid targets carry more risk under AI Max because the system operates with greater autonomy than DSA.
05YouTube ad campaigns can produce results without seven-figure budgets by focusing on skippable in-stream formats and tight audience segments.

Why It Matters

▶Automated migration to AI Max will happen with or without agency preparation, and accounts that arrive with stale bid targets or unreviewed URL rules will lose performance before the problem is visible in the data.
▶The shift of control from keyword lists to AI model decisions means search term monitoring must become a standing process rather than an occasional check.
▶Clients who have ruled out YouTube on budget grounds may be leaving a viable paid channel unused, and mid-market guidance gives agencies a concrete way to reopen that conversation.

Agency Actions

Audit every DSA campaign across client accounts, document active URL targets and page feeds, and create a migration plan for AI Max before Google initiates the transition automatically.

high effort

Run a break-even tROAS or tCPA calculation for each client account currently on Smart Bidding, using actual margin data, and update any target that has not been reviewed in the past 90 days.

medium effort

Set up weekly search term reports for all AI Max campaigns post-migration and establish a review cadence to catch off-brand or irrelevant queries early.

low effort

Pitch a YouTube skippable in-stream test campaign to at least one mid-market client, scoped to a budget proportional to their current search spend rather than enterprise benchmarks.

medium effort