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Test Google Ads AI Max Against Dynamic Search Ads

Google added help documentation explaining how advertisers can test AI Max against Dynamic Search Ads (DSAs) using Google Ads experiments, offering two methods: custom experiments and an experiment template. Google stated advertisers can "evaluate how AI Max performs against an existing Dynamic Search Ads (DSA) campaign" by setting up an experiment, though campaigns made up entirely of dynamic ad groups (100% DSA) cannot use templated experiments. The documentation notes that Dynamic Search Ads are retiring in favor of AI Max.

by read2 min views1 publishedSep 23, 2026
Test Google Ads AI Max Against Dynamic Search Ads
Image: Seroundtable (auto-discovered)

Google Ads added new help documentation on how to test AI Max against Dynamic Search Ads (DSAs) by using experiments. Google posted two options within Google Ads experiments including (1) custom experiments and (2) the experiment template.

Google added this to the second section of the about Dynamic Search Ads help document and it is named "Testing AI Max against Dynamic Search Ads using experiments."

Google worte, "To evaluate how AI Max performs against an existing Dynamic Search Ads (DSA) campaign, set up a Google Ads experiment using one of 2 methods." Here is what Google posted:

Option 1: Custom experiments

  • Setup : When configuring your custom experiment at the "Make Changes" stage, expand the Dynamic Search Ads settings in your draft campaign and select “Upgrade campaign”. This ensures your test campaign upgrades to AI Max when the experiment launches.
  • Applying results : If the AI Max treatment arm of your trial outperforms the control and you want to implement the changes, open the completed experiment, select “Apply Experiment”. From here, you can choose either “Update your original campaign” or “Convert experiment to a new campaign.” If you choose “Update your original campaign”, then this will change the original campaign to AI Max. If you choose “Convert experiment to a new campaign”, then the treatment arm’s campaign will be changed to AI Max and your original campaign will be d. If auto-apply is enabled, winning variations will upgrade to the base campaign automatically.

Option 2: Use an experiment template

  • To use an experiment template:
    • Go to Experiments in theCampaigns menu.
    • Select Campaigns features and settings .
    • Select AI Max for Search campaigns .
  • Go to
  • Eligibility : Campaigns made up entirely of dynamic ad groups (100% DSA) can’t use templated experiments.
  • Mixed campaigns : If a campaign contains a combination of dynamic and standard ad groups (under 100% dynamic), the experiment's treatment arm will upgrade only the non-DSA ad groups to AI Max. The dynamic ad groups will remain as dynamic in the treatment arm.

Here is a screenshot of the addition to the help document:

I should note, [dynamic search ads are retiring](https://www.seroundtable.com/google-ads-dsa-ai-max-41170.html) in favor of AI Max.

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