This post was first published in May 2026, when DSA was due to upgrade in September. Google has since changed the timeline, and this version reflects that change. It covers what changed, what happens to a campaign when it upgrades, and what to do now depending on where your account stands.
What changed: the timeline as of October 2026
Google originally planned to upgrade DSA, automatically created assets (ACA) and campaign-level broad match together from September 2026. On June 11, 2026 it split DSA out and moved it to February 2027.
| Date | What happened or is scheduled | Source |
|---|---|---|
| April 15, 2026 | Google announces that DSA, ACA and the campaign-level broad match setting will upgrade to AI Max, with automatic upgrades from September 2026 | Google Ads & Commerce Blog |
| June 11, 2026 | Google extends the DSA sunset and auto-upgrade to February 2027. ACA and broad match campaigns stay on the September 2026 schedule | Google Ads & Commerce Blog (update note) |
| June 11, 2026 | Google's Ads Developer Blog announces the DSA automigration delay, with DSA campaign creation restored from June 15, 2026 | Google Ads Developer Blog |
| September 2026 | Automatic upgrades begin for campaigns using ACA or campaign-level broad match | Google Ads & Commerce Blog |
| January 2027 | Ability to create new DSA campaigns is removed again | Google Ads Developer Blog |
| February 2027 | Campaigns using DSA start upgrading to AI Max automatically | Google Ads Help: About Dynamic Search Ads |
Sources: Google's Dynamic Search Ads are upgrading to AI Max (Brandon Ervin, Google, updated June 11, 2026), About Dynamic Search Ads (Google Ads Help), DSA automigration delayed to February 2027 and campaign creation restored (Google Ads Developer Blog) and PPC Land's report on the delay.
Google's update note explains the delay: "We heard your feedback: you need more time to complete the transition from Dynamic Search Ads (DSA) to AI Max." Note that the delay applies only to DSA. If your Search campaigns used automatically created assets or the campaign-level broad match setting, Google expected their automatic upgrades to finish by the end of September 2026, so eligible campaigns should already be on AI Max. Check that they have.
What happens to a campaign when it upgrades
The upgrade changes how a campaign finds queries and picks landing pages, not just what the feature is called. Google describes it like this:
| Legacy feature | After the upgrade to AI Max |
|---|---|
| Dynamic Search Ads | Dynamic ad groups become standard ad groups. Search term matching, text customization and final URL expansion are all enabled, with legacy URL controls preserved |
| Automatically created assets | Upgraded with search term matching and text customization on by default |
| Campaign-level broad match | Upgraded with search term matching on by default |
Google also publishes a performance figure: advertisers using the full AI Max feature set "see an average of 7% more conversions or conversion value at a similar CPA/ROAS" compared with search term matching alone (Google internal data, 2026, non-retail advertisers). Keep two things in mind. It is Google's own data, and it measures conversions as your account defines them. If your conversions include junk leads, "7% more conversions" can mean 7% more junk.
The Google pages we checked do not describe a way to opt out of the automatic upgrade.
Why traffic quality matters more after the upgrade
DSA already relied on Google to match queries to your site. AI Max goes further: it matches more queries, can rewrite ad text, and with final URL expansion can choose which page each visitor lands on. Each of those decisions is guided by your conversion data.
That is where the risk lies. Smart Bidding and AI Max optimize toward whatever you count as a conversion. If a bot form fill, a spam call or a lead your sales team rejects counts the same as a real enquiry, the system will look for more of that traffic, and a wider reach gives it more places to find it. Our guide to how fake leads train Smart Bidding explains this in detail.
| Risk | Why it happens | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| Low-intent query expansion | Search term matching reaches queries you would not have chosen yourself | Search terms, query themes, branded vs non-branded split |
| Poor landing-page matching | Final URL expansion can send traffic to support, blog or outdated pages | Final URL report, URL exclusions, lead quality by page |
| Fake or weak leads | Soft conversion events make weak traffic look successful | Qualified lead rate, sales acceptance, converted lead rate |
| Noisy bidding signals | Fake conversions push bidding toward the traffic that produced them | Primary vs secondary conversion actions, revenue per lead |
| Harder diagnosis | More automation means more reasons for volume to change | Before and after baselines, search term and URL reporting |
What to do now if you still run DSA
If DSA matters to your account, you now have until February 2027 to upgrade on your own schedule instead of Google's. Use that time:
- Export your best DSA search terms from the last 90 to 180 days and add proven high-intent terms as keywords where you want tighter control.
- Prune the pages DSA can reach. Exclude support, careers, blog and outdated pages that never produce leads. Google says legacy URL controls carry over, so cleaning them up now pays off after the upgrade.
- Fix conversion signals first. Set raw form fills and soft events as secondary actions, and import qualified leads as the primary conversion where you can. Google Ads does not accept negative conversion values, so the way to remove a fake lead is to retract it with a conversion adjustment.
- Record a baseline: qualified lead rate, cost per qualified lead, branded vs non-branded share, invalid clicks and suspicious-click rate for at least four weeks.
- Test with an experiment. Google's About Dynamic Search Ads page describes running a custom experiment where you "expand the Dynamic Search Ads settings in your draft campaign and select 'Upgrade campaign'." Campaigns made up entirely of dynamic ad groups can't use templated experiments, and in mixed campaigns the treatment arm upgrades only the non-DSA ad groups.
- Decide on a date yourself based on the experiment, rather than waiting for February 2027.
What to check now if campaigns already upgraded in September
If you had campaigns using automatically created assets or the campaign-level broad match setting, Google expected their automatic upgrades to finish by the end of September 2026, so eligible campaigns should already be on AI Max. Check:
- Which campaigns now show AI Max settings, and which features are on (search term matching, text customization).
- Search terms since the switch compared with the four weeks before, especially new non-branded themes.
- Qualified lead rate and cost per qualified lead compared with before the switch. If conversions went up and qualified leads did not, the extra volume is not helping.
- Invalid clicks and suspicious-click patterns by campaign, since wider matching can bring in new traffic sources.
Where ClickFortify fits
AI Max decides which queries and pages your ads reach. ClickFortify checks the clicks that come in as a result. ClickFortify for Google Search scores every click on dozens of behavioral, device and network signals in real time, adds fraudulent IPs to your Google Ads IP exclusions automatically, and keeps an evidence trail for every block. It covers Search and Performance Max through Google's native API, so you can record a traffic-quality baseline before you upgrade DSA and see whether the extra reach brings in suspicious clicks afterwards.
It doesn't replace the conversion clean-up above. Blocking a suspicious source stops future clicks from it. Keeping fake leads out of your primary conversions is what stops AI Max learning from them.
For the broader picture of how traffic quality differs between Search, Performance Max and other campaign types, see Google Ads invalid traffic by campaign type. For AI Max itself, read AI Max for Search and traffic quality.
Related guides
FAQ
Are Dynamic Search Ads being replaced by AI Max?
Yes, but later than first announced. Google's June 11, 2026 update moved the Dynamic Search Ads sunset and automatic upgrade to February 2027. Google expected automatic upgrades of campaigns using automatically created assets or campaign-level broad match to finish by the end of September 2026, so eligible campaigns should already be on AI Max.
When will DSA campaigns upgrade to AI Max?
Google's Dynamic Search Ads help page says that starting in February 2027, campaigns using Dynamic Search Ads will automatically be upgraded to AI Max. You can upgrade earlier yourself, and Google offers experiments so you can test the change before committing.
Can I still create new Dynamic Search Ads campaigns?
Yes, for now. Google's Ads Developer Blog says DSA creation was restored on June 15, 2026 and will be removed again in January 2027.
What happens to a DSA campaign when it upgrades?
Google says dynamic ad groups become standard ad groups and all three AI Max features (search term matching, text customization and final URL expansion) are turned on, with your legacy URL controls preserved.
Can AI Max hurt traffic quality?
It can if the account's conversion data is weak. AI Max broadens matching and lets Google choose landing pages, so if raw form fills or fake leads count as conversions, the system will look for more traffic like that. Clean conversion signals before or right after the upgrade.
How does ClickFortify help during the DSA to AI Max transition?
ClickFortify scores every Google Ads click on dozens of behavioral, device and network signals in real time, adds fraudulent IPs to your Google Ads IP exclusions automatically, and keeps an evidence trail for every block. That gives you a traffic-quality baseline before the upgrade and a way to see whether the extra reach brings in suspicious clicks afterwards.
