Google has set a deadline for advertisers. Starting in February 2027, Dynamic Search Ads will be automatically upgraded to AI Max for Search campaigns.
This gives you time to test the change before it happens automatically. Right now, focus on these steps: find where DSA is still active, save important controls and exclusions, benchmark current performance, and compare results while you still can.
If you already manage Google Ads campaigns, the main challenge is not just swapping one ad type for another. AI Max changes how Google handles queries, picks landing pages, and uses campaign data.
What advertisers need to know
- Automatic DSA upgrades are scheduled to begin in February 2027.
- Dynamic ad groups will move to standard ad groups.
- Existing Dynamic Search Ads will transition to Responsive Search Ads.
- Advertisers can test and upgrade to AI Max before the automatic transition.
- Some legacy DSA URL rules may become read-only after migration.
Google recommends transitioning before the deadline rather than leaving the entire change to the automatic upgrade.
What is Happening to Dynamic Search Ads?
DSA has been useful for a specific reason: it can use website content to match ads with queries that may not be covered neatly by an advertiser’s keyword list. Google can also generate a headline and choose a relevant landing page based on that content.
AI Max carries some of that logic forward but gives Google more signals and more flexibility. It can use advertiser inputs, existing ads, website content, search-term matching, text customization, and Final URL Expansion.
This is not a simple one-for-one replacement. Google is folding DSA functionality into the broader AI Max framework for Search campaigns.
| Question | Answer |
| Is DSA being retired? | Its functionality is moving into AI Max |
| When does auto-migration begin? | February 2027 |
| What replaces it? | AI Max for Search campaigns |
| Can advertisers migrate early? | Yes |
DSA vs. AI Max: What Actually Changes?
The difference is the amount of latitude Google has when deciding which searches to match and which page to send a user to.
| Dynamic Search Ads | AI Max |
| Relies heavily on website content | Uses website, ad, and additional intent signals |
| Dynamic headlines | Text customization |
| Dynamic landing-page selection | Final URL Expansion |
| Dynamic ad targets | AI Max search-term matching and controls |
| DSA reporting | Search-term, keyword, asset, and landing-page reporting |
During an upgrade, Google says dynamic ad groups become standard ad groups and existing DSAs transition to Responsive Search Ads. Certain legacy URL inclusion and exclusion rules may remain available but become read-only.
For accounts that rely heavily on page-level targeting, review existing URL rules before migrating. That makes it easier to identify which controls need to be preserved, adjusted, or documented before they become read-only.
What Advertisers Should Do Before February 2027
1. Audit campaigns that still use DSA
Start with the campaigns and ad groups where DSA is contributing conversions.
Record conversion rate, CPA, ROAS, useful search terms, landing pages, exclusions, and page feeds. That gives you a reliable baseline for judging how performance changes after the move to AI Max.
Landing-page review matters more in businesses with several distinct conversion paths. An event venue marketing account, for example, may separate wedding, corporate, and private-event pages. If those pages serve different intent, that distinction should be documented before Google receives more freedom to choose URLs.
2. Save the controls you rely on
Export dynamic targets, negative keywords, page feeds, exclusions, and URL rules.
Google says some legacy rules, including conditions based on page titles or page content, may become read-only after migration. Know what is controlling traffic today before the account structure changes.
3. Test AI Max while DSA still gives you a comparison
Waiting until February 2027 removes some of the value of testing.
Where the account is eligible, use an experiment and compare business outcomes rather than clicks alone. A useful AI Max migration test should examine CPA, ROAS, conversion volume, search-term relevance, landing-page selection, and lead quality.
If the business already has comparable historical results, those can help establish what “normal” looks like.
4. Check the pages Google may start choosing
Final URL Expansion can send traffic beyond the page an advertiser might otherwise have selected manually.
That makes weak site architecture harder to ignore. Old service pages, near-duplicate pages, unclear location pages, or pages built around the wrong intent can affect paid search performance as well as organic visibility.
For geographically targeted campaigns, such as Manhattan digital marketing campaigns, location pages should accurately describe the services available in that market rather than existing primarily to capture a location keyword.
5. Establish a pre-migration benchmark
Save enough comparable data to judge the change against something real:
- Conversions and conversion rate
- CPA or ROAS
- Search-term quality
- Landing-page performance
- Lead quality
The useful question is not whether AI Max produces more activity. It is whether the Google Ads DSA migration benchmark improves on the outcomes the business values.
6. Watch what changes after migration
AI Max provides reporting across search terms, keywords, assets, and landing pages.
Use it. Increased automation makes monitoring more valuable, not less. Search terms that drift, unexpected URLs, and weak asset combinations still require intervention as part of routine Google Ads optimization.
What this Change Means for PPC Strategy
The work inside Search campaigns is shifting.
As Google takes on more of the targeting and landing-page decisions, advertisers need to pay closer attention to the parts they can control. That includes conversion tracking, exclusions, website content, landing pages, and what counts as a valuable conversion.
Google says advertisers using all AI Max features saw an average 7% increase in conversions or conversion value at a similar CPA or ROAS compared with search-term matching alone. This result comes from Google’s internal data for non-retail advertisers, so individual results may be different.
That is why it makes sense to test AI Max before the migration. Your own campaign data will tell you more than the 7% average alone.
Pre-2027 DSA Migration Checklist
Before the automatic upgrade:
- Identify DSA campaigns and ad groups.
- Export historical performance and useful search terms.
- Save negative keywords, exclusions, page feeds, and URL rules.
- Verify conversion tracking.
- Test AI Max where eligible.
- Compare CPA, ROAS, landing pages, and lead quality.
- Review Final URL Expansion.
- Check performance again after migration.
If your account still relies on Dynamic Search Ads, now is a good time to review how those campaigns are structured and tested. A careful transition to AI Max can give you a clearer performance baseline before automatic upgrades begin. Talk to the PPC experts for assistance.
Frequently Asked Questions
When will Google Dynamic Search Ads be replaced?
Google says automatic upgrades for campaigns using Dynamic Search Ads will begin in February 2027. The previously announced timetable was extended.
What is replacing Dynamic Search Ads?
DSA functionality is moving into AI Max for Search campaigns, including search-term matching, text customization, Final URL Expansion, and additional controls.
Do advertisers have to migrate Dynamic Search Ads manually?
Not necessarily. Google plans to upgrade eligible campaigns automatically, but advertisers can move earlier and test the effect before the February 2027 transition.
What happens to existing Dynamic Search Ads after an AI Max upgrade?
Google says dynamic ad groups will become standard ad groups, and existing Dynamic Search Ads will transition to Responsive Search Ads.
How should an AI Max migration be measured?
Use the metrics that determine whether the campaign is producing useful business results: conversions, CPA, ROAS, lead quality, search-term relevance, and landing-page performance. Clicks and impressions can provide context, but they do not show whether the migration improved the account.