In September 2026, Google Ads began automatically moving Search campaigns that use the campaign-level broad match setting or automatically created assets to AI Max, and in the same month it removed campaign-level language targeting from Search and Performance Max campaigns. In many accounts today, Google's AI systems largely decide which searches an ad appears on, which text it uses and in which language; the advertiser's job is to feed that system the right signals.
For businesses in Türkiye that run both Turkish and English campaigns, export, or try to reach customers abroad, these two changes should be considered together. Below is a plain-language summary of what changed, the timeline, and what to check in your account now.
What is AI Max, and is it a new campaign type?
No. According to Google's help page, AI Max is not a separate campaign type but an optimization layer that runs inside existing Search campaigns. It has three core features:
- Search term matching: Shows your ad on relevant searches beyond your keywords.
- Text customization: Generates new headlines and descriptions using your website, landing pages and existing ads.
- Final URL expansion: Sends users to the page on your site it considers most relevant to the search.
Google says campaigns using all three features see on average 7% more conversions or conversion value at a similar CPA/ROAS compared with search term matching alone. This is Google's own internal data for non-retail advertisers, so it shouldn't be read as a guaranteed result before you test it in your own account.
The automatic upgrade timeline
The timeline published on the Google Ads Developer Blog is as follows:
- August 3, 2026: Creating new campaign-level broad match and legacy automatically created assets setups was blocked.
- September 1–30, 2026: Search campaigns using these settings were gradually upgraded to AI Max.
- January 15, 2027: Accounts using Dynamic Search Ads (DSA) will receive a reminder notification.
- February 1–28, 2027: DSA campaigns will be automatically upgraded to AI Max; after that, new DSA ad groups can no longer be created.
How settings were switched on during the upgrade matters. Campaigns using campaign-level broad match only got search term matching; text customization and URL expansion stayed off. Campaigns using automatically created assets got text customization turned on along with search term matching. In other words, since September some of the ad text in your account may be written by Google.
Why was language targeting removed, and what replaced it?
Google removed the campaign-level language setting from Search campaigns as of September 2026. In Performance Max, the setting no longer applies to Search Network inventory; it still applies to YouTube, Display, Discover and Gmail, and Shopping ads are not affected.
To determine language, Google now looks at these signals:
- The language of the ad text and the landing page,
- The language of the user's search,
- The user's language settings and preferences.
If the account has eligible ads in different languages, the system prioritizes the ad group in the most relevant language for the search context. Language exclusions weren't supported before and still aren't. The good news: if you set up separate campaigns for Turkish and English, that structure keeps working and you don't need to rebuild it.
The real risk for Turkish businesses: mixed language signals
With the language setting gone, the strongest signal for an ad's language becomes the text and the page itself. Some situations common on websites in Türkiye can cause problems here:
- An English campaign sending traffic to a Turkish homepage or a half-translated page,
- Turkish ad copy dominated by English product names and slogans,
- The foreign-language version offered through an on-page language toggle rather than a separate URL.
When text customization and URL expansion are on, AI Max uses your site content to generate text and may send traffic to different pages. If your site's languages are mixed up, the generated text and the chosen page can carry the same confusion.
What to check in your account now
- See which campaigns were upgraded: Check whether AI Max is on in your Search campaign settings and which features are active.
- Review search terms: Compare search terms before and after September and add negative keywords for irrelevant queries.
- Use the controls: Set boundaries with brand inclusion and exclusion lists, URL exclusions and text guidelines (limiting specific terms and tone). If you don't want sections such as careers, blog or out-of-stock product pages to appear in ads, URL exclusions are a must.
- Review pinned assets: According to Google, pinned assets in responsive search ads aren't used when URL expansion or URL inclusions are on. Keep this in mind if you have wording, such as legal disclaimers, that must always appear.
- Strengthen conversion tracking: AI Max features work best with conversion-based Smart Bidding. A wrong or incomplete conversion setup points the AI at the wrong goal.
- Separate your language versions: Make sure each language's ads lead to a fully translated landing page in the same language.
- Don't wait until February for DSA: If you use DSA, upgrading voluntarily now, through an experiment, keeps the results of the automatic migration from being a surprise.
What to expect on reporting
On September 23, Google announced a reporting view for AI Max that brings the search term, the creative asset shown and the landing page together on a single screen. The company said more details will be shared later in 2026. Until this report rolls out widely, the healthiest approach is to monitor the search terms, asset and landing page reports separately on a regular schedule.
Conclusion
The move to AI Max and the removal of language targeting show that control in Google Ads is shifting from settings to content. A clearly structured website, linguistically consistent ad copy and accurate conversion tracking now matter as much as campaign settings. If you'd like to assess together how your campaigns are affected by this transition, you can get in touch with Emirhan Koç.
Sources
- Google Ads Developer Blog – Migrating campaign-level broad match and ACA (August 2026)
- Google Blog – Dynamic Search Ads are upgrading to AI Max
- Google Ads Help – AI Max for Search campaigns
- Search Engine Roundtable – Google Ads language targeting update
- MediaPost – Google Ads to eliminate language targeting
- TechWyse – Unified reporting for AI Max
