If you are managing Google Ads campaigns, you may have noticed that there are fewer settings you can control manually. And two more changes are arriving in September 2026.

From September, certain Search campaigns using campaign-level broad match or automatically created assets will move to AI Max. Later in the month, Google will also remove campaign-level language targeting from Search campaigns.

These may appear to be separate product updates, but they point to the same commercial issue.

Where automated features are active, Google is increasingly using the content of your adverts and website to help decide which searches are relevant, what message to show and, when Final URL Expansion is enabled, which page someone should visit.

That means website content is no longer just an SEO or conversion-rate consideration. It is becoming a direct input into paid search delivery.

What is changing with AI Max?

From 1 September 2026, Google will begin migrating Search campaigns that use the campaign-level broad-match setting or standalone automatically created assets into AI Max.

The migration will take place progressively throughout September.

Campaigns using campaign-level broad match will move across with:

• Search Term Matching turned on
• Text Customisation turned off
• Final URL Expansion turned off

Campaigns using automatically created assets will move across with:

• Search Term Matching turned on
• Text Customisation turned on
• Final URL Expansion turned off

Existing brand inclusions and exclusions should be retained.

This doesn’t mean Google will force every Search campaign into every AI Max feature. What it means is that more campaigns are moving into Google’s newer automated structure.

If you’re using automatically created assets for your campaigns, Google may continue generating headlines and descriptions using information taken from your website.

What if you have AI Max switched off?

The removal of language targeting will still affect your Search campaigns, even if you keep AI Max switched off. That is a separate change, which we will look at shortly.

However, the September AI Max migration does not apply to every Search campaign. It applies to campaigns using the legacy campaign-level broad-match setting or standalone automatically created assets.

Using individual broad-match keywords is not necessarily the same as having campaign-level broad match enabled.

If your campaign does not use either of the affected settings and AI Max is switched off, it should not be automatically migrated as part of the September change.

Will Final URL Expansion be switched on?

Google says Final URL Expansion will remain switched off during these automatic migrations.

That is important because Final URL Expansion allows Google to send visitors to a different page from the one supplied in your advert.

We have previously seen this cause problems in a client account when Google selected pages that were not suitable for the campaign. This does not mean Final URL Expansion can never be useful, but it should be tested carefully and only after the website has been reviewed and unsuitable URLs have been excluded.

If you turn on AI Max manually, Text Customisation and Final URL Expansion are normally enabled by default. You can switch them off separately, so check each setting rather than relying only on the main AI Max switch.

What is changing with language targeting?

Google confirmed that campaign-level language targeting will be removed from Search and AI Max campaigns in late September.

So, instead of you selecting a campaign language, Google will use signals including:

• The language of the advert
• The language and content of the landing page
• The wording of the user’s search
• The user’s language preferences

For Performance Max, your selected language setting will continue to apply to channels such as YouTube, Display, Discover and Gmail. It will no longer control the Search portion of your campaign in the same way.

If you’re advertising only in English, this may not produce a dramatic immediate change. However, it removes another manual control and gives Google greater responsibility for interpreting your content.

What about campaigns already targeting All languages?

Most UK advertisers select English when setting up a campaign. However, I have sometimes chosen All languages because someone can live in the UK and search in English while having Google or their device set to another language.

In that situation, location and the meaning of the search can be more commercially relevant than the language associated with the user.

If this applies to your campaign, the incoming change is unlikely to cause a major expansion in your potential audience. Your campaign is already eligible to reach users across different language preferences.

The more noticeable change is likely to affect campaigns currently restricted to English. Google will no longer use that selection as a campaign-level filter. Instead, it will match Search ads primarily according to the language of the advert, alongside the search, landing page and other signals.

This could help you reach UK residents who search in English but use Google in another language. However, it also gives you less direct control, making it important that you monitor search terms, locations and the quality of resulting enquiries.

Why does the website now have more influence over advertising?

Google’s automated advertising systems need information to make decisions.

They can draw that information from:

• Page titles
• Meta descriptions
• Main page headings
• Product and service descriptions
• Prices and offers
• Calls to action
• Existing adverts
• Keywords
• Structured information on the site
• Other relevant landing pages

When the information is accurate and clearly organised, Google has a better chance of matching an advert with the right search and producing an appropriate message.

When the information is vague, outdated or contradictory, automation can magnify the problem.

For example, imagine that a vehicle leasing website contains:

• An expired monthly price
• A page title referring to a discontinued model
• Generic wording that does not distinguish personal and business leasing
• Conflicting delivery information
• An offer that is no longer available

An automated system may use these details to decide which searches are relevant or to create advertising text. The result could be an advert that attracts the wrong customer or makes a claim the business can no longer support.

The same risk applies to event advertising. If a parking page contains an old event date, incorrect opening time or previous price, automated text could repeat it.

For regulated services, an outdated or loosely worded page could create an even more serious compliance concern.

Landing-page maintenance is becoming part of PPC management

Paid search has traditionally been treated as work that happens mainly inside the advertising account.

Campaign managers review search terms, bids, keywords, adverts, audiences and budgets. Website work is sometimes treated as a separate SEO or development responsibility.

That division is becoming less practical.

If Google is using your website content to create adverts, match searches and select landing pages, maintaining those pages becomes part of protecting your campaign performance.

This does not mean you need to rebuild the website. It means you need to include regular checks of the content feeding the automated system in your advertising decisions.

Your paid search review should now include questions such as:

• Does the landing page accurately describe the service being advertised?
• Are prices and time-sensitive offers current?
• Is it clear who the service is intended for?
• Does the page distinguish between similar products or services?
• Are geographical service areas stated correctly?
• Does the page contain claims that should not appear in advertising?
• Is the desired action obvious?
• Are outdated pages still available for Google to select or interpret?

Accurate content matters more than polished content

You don’t need to fill a page with marketing language to support automated advertising. In many cases, clear and specific wording is more useful.

Consider the difference between these two descriptions:

“Discover exceptional vehicle solutions created around your needs.”

And:

“Compare personal and business car lease options with fixed monthly payments and free UK delivery.”

The second version gives Google and the customer more useful information. It states what the service is, who it serves and what is included.

This principle applies across different sectors.

A business service provider should explain what the service includes, what it excludes and which type of client it is intended for.

Clarity helps customers make decisions. It also gives automated advertising systems better source material.

What should you do before September?

You do not need to abandon automation, but you should know what Google is using as its source.

A practical preparation checklist includes the following.

1. Audit affected campaigns

Identify Search campaigns using campaign-level broad match or automatically created assets. Record which campaigns are likely to be migrated to AI Max.

2. Record the existing setup

Export or document campaign settings before migration. Note recent spend, conversions, cost per conversion and conversion value so later changes can be assessed properly.

3. Review important landing pages

Check titles, headings, descriptions, prices, offers, availability and calls to action. Remove or update information that should not be used in an advert.

4. Check automated assets

Where Text Customisation is active, review the asset report after migration to see which headlines and descriptions Google has generated. Do not assume automated text is accurate simply because it has been approved by the platform.

5. Protect sensitive wording

Pay particular attention to financial claims, guarantees, prices, deadlines and availability.

If a statement would require human approval before being used in a manually written advert, it should receive the same scrutiny when created automatically.

6. Monitor search terms after the language change

Once campaign-level language targeting is removed, monitor actual search terms, locations and lead quality.

A user having a non-English device setting is not automatically irrelevant if they search in English. The concern should be whether the person’s search and location match the commercial offer.

7. Keep a change record

Record migration dates and major website amendments alongside campaign reporting. This makes it easier to explain whether performance movements followed a bid change, an automated migration or an alteration to the landing page.

Automation still needs marketing judgement

As Google removes more individual campaign controls, you need to pay closer attention to the inputs you still control:

• The commercial offer
• The conversion being measured
• The quality of the website
• The accuracy of the content
• The customer information supplied
• The exclusions applied
• The way results are assessed

The website is becoming one of the most important of those inputs.

Keeping your pages current, specific and commercially accurate puts you in a stronger position to benefit from automated advertising.

If you have outdated offers and vague service descriptions online, you may find that Google’s automation distributes those weaknesses more efficiently.