September 2026: your Google Ads campaign will stop working automatically. And nobody tells you.

"What is DSA and why is your campaign running on it?" Probably Up

DSA stands for Dynamic Search Ads. It's a type of Google Ads campaign where, as a business owner, you don't have to specify keywords. Google reads your website, determines which search queries are relevant itself, and automatically writes the ad titles. Sounds handy, and it is. That's why marketing agencies have widely used it for years.

For companies with a wide range of services or products, DSA was the ideal solution. Your agency set it up, Google did the work, and you paid for the clicks. It was the easiest way to become quickly discoverable without anyone having to manually figure out, test, and optimise dozens of keywords. Many agencies use DSA to supplement regular campaigns; some run their entire strategy on it.

The problem is that most entrepreneurs don't know what's under the bonnet of their campaign. You get a monthly report with clicks, impressions, and perhaps some conversions. But whether that campaign is running on DSA, on manually set keywords, or a combination of both? That's usually not stated. And your desk won't tell you on its own, because it's working. Until it stops.

And that shutdown is now approaching. September 2026 is the date Google has announced. Not as a suggestion, not as an optional upgrade. As a hard deadline. All existing DSA campaigns will be automatically switched off. There is no gradual phase-out, no six-month warning period where everything slowly winds down. It goes from on to off.

Why Google DSA is turning off and What AI Max is

Google is replacing DSA with something they’re calling AI Max. It's not a simple name change or an interface update. AI Max is a fundamentally different campaign structure that uses large language models, the same technology behind ChatGPT and Google Gemini, to drive your ads.

While DSA scanned your website and matched search queries based on it, AI Max goes a step further. It reads your website live, understands the context of your offerings, and decides in real-time which search query is commercially valuable and which is not. It can dynamically adjust ad copy to the search query. It can even decide whether or not to target certain audiences based on expected conversion behaviour.

Sounds better than DSA, and in many cases, it is. But it's not free and it's not risk-free. Click prices change. Sometimes up, sometimes down, but always different to what you're used to. The searches your ad appears for change. And the conversion patterns, how people go from click to customer, change along with them. This means that a campaign that is currently running stably on DSA may need weeks after migration to reach the same level again. Or a better level. But that interim period is unpredictable.

The reason Google is doing this is simple: AI Max makes Google more money. Smarter targeting means higher click prices for more relevant searches. For you as a business owner, this can work out well, as you'll be paying for higher-quality clicks. However, it could also mean your monthly budget is depleted faster than you're used to. Without guidance, you'll be walking into this blind.

Hoe weet je of it's about you

The honest truth is, if you're not sure whether your campaign is running on DSA, then the chances are it is. DSA has been the standard for years for agencies that wanted to achieve quick results without a lot of manual work. It was the path of least resistance, and there's nothing wrong with that in itself. Until now.

There is precisely one thing you need to do, and it will take you two minutes. This week, send an email or call your marketing agency and ask them literally this question: ”Is my Google Ads campaign running on DSA, and if so, what is your plan for the AI Max migration?”

It doesn't matter how big or small your business is. Whether you spend €500 a month on Google Ads or €5,000. If your campaign is running on DSA and nobody converts, your ad will stop in September. Silently. No error message, no email from Google, no warning in your dashboard. Your ad will simply stop appearing. And you'll only notice when the phone stops ringing.

What's changing concrete for your campaign

Let's be honest about what AI Max is and isn't. It's not a magic upgrade that makes everything better. It's a different system with different rules. And the faster you understand those rules, the better you can adapt to them.

Click prices

AI Max determines in real-time what a click is worth, based on the expected conversion chance. This means you will pay more for some search terms, but you will also acquire a customer more often. For other search terms, you will pay less, but you will also get fewer clicks. Your average cost per acquisition may rise or fall, depending on your market. In the first few weeks after migration, there is almost always a period of instability.

Search queries

With DSA, Google determined relevant search queries based on your website. AI Max does the same, but smarter. It not only looks at your page, but also at searcher behaviour, the context of the search query, and the probability of a conversion. That sounds good, and usually it is. But it also means that your campaign can appear for search queries you don't expect, or conversely, may no longer appear for terms you've always relied on.

Conversion patterns

The route from click to customer is changing. AI Max doesn't just optimise for clicks, but for the action you've set as your goal. This could be a phone call, a form, a purchase. If your conversion tracking isn't set up correctly, AI Max will optimise for the wrong things. Then you'll be paying for clicks that never lead to anything. This is the point where many migrations go wrong: the technical foundation isn't right, and then the new system works worse than the old one.

The timetable: What needs to happen when

The migration doesn't have to be complicated, but you need to start in good time. Below is a realistic timetable that works for most small and medium-sized businesses. Whether you do it yourself or Let the office do it, Here are the steps.

Do it yourself or Let it be

Can you do the migration yourself? Yes. But be honest with yourself about how much time you want to invest. AI Max is not a switch you flip. It's a different system with different settings, different bidding strategies, and different optimisation possibilities. Allow for at least four weeks of learning time before you understand your market in the new system.

If you wish to migrate yourself, you will need: a working Google Ads account with accurate conversion tracking, access to your Google Analytics, and the willingness to look at your campaign daily for two to three weeks. Not a quick check, but a real analysis of what is happening. What searches are coming in, what are the costs per conversion, where is the budget disappearing.

Don't you have time for that, or do you not feel comfortable with the technical side? Then outsource to an agency The wise choice. Not because you can't, but because an error in the migration could cost you weeks in revenue. And those weeks areirretrievable.

Whatever you choose: do it before August. After August, it's a race against the clock, and then you'll make mistakes that you wouldn't make in June.

Common mistakes when Migration

Starting too late

The most common mistake. Entrepreneurs think September is a long way off and then it's suddenly August. Your agency will then have other clients all wanting to migrate at the same time. Waiting times increase, quality decreases, and you're left with a campaign that's halfway through its transition when the deadline hits.

Transfer everything at once

The second biggest mistake. You have five campaigns, you move them all to AI Max at once, and then you don't know which campaign is performing well and which isn't. Start with your most important campaign. Test that. Learn from it. Then move the next one over. It costs an extra week but saves you weeks of troubleshooting.

Do not check conversion tracking

AI Max optimises based on your conversion goals. If these are not set up correctly, or if you've set the wrong conversion as your main goal, the system will optimise for nonsense. Before you migrate, check that your tracking is still up to date. Is it still tracking form submissions? Is the phone number tracking working? This is the foundation everything relies on.

Blind trust in your desk

Your agency knows what it's doing, probably. But it's your money and your business. Ask for a migration plan. Ask for interim results. Ask what the expected impact is on your cost per conversion. A good agency will have those answers ready. An agency that evades or remains vague warrants extra attention. Also read the knowledge base So that you can ask the right questions yourself.

Frequently asked questions about DSA and AI Max