Advertisers are beginning to address gaps in AI Max’s capabilities – particularly in terms of landing page management – as Google continues to move away from legacy Dynamic Search Ads (DSA).
What’s going on. In a LinkedIn exchange, digital marketing expert Gabriele Benedetti raised concerns about AI Max not having the same level of URL targeting control that DSA campaigns provide.
His point: DSA allowed advertisers to plan campaigns around website architecture – using categories, URL paths and page rules to direct where traffic is coming from. That level of control, he argued, has yet to be fully replicated in AI Max.
Why do we care. For many marketers – especially those who run large or structured websites – aligning campaign structure and site structure is key to performance. Losing granular control over landing pages can affect relevance, user experience and ultimately conversion rates.
This highlights a broad tension in Google ads today: automation vs control.
Google respondsd.s. Google Ads Liaison, Ginny Marvin responded, clarifying that AI Max supports several URL-based controls, including:
- URL rules and combinations
- Page feeds with custom labels
- URL inclusion at the ad group level and exclusion at the campaign level
However, he acknowledged that not all DSA targeting rules are currently supported – such as “page contains” conditions.
Between the lines. Google isn’t removing control entirely — but it’s reshaping how that control works. Instead of building granular rules, advertisers are pushed to structured inputs like page feeds and labels that AI can interpret.
Practical migration assessment. For advertisers moving from DSA to AI Max, the existing URL rules will prevail – but with limitations. Unsupported rules will remain read-only, meaning they will continue to run but cannot be edited.
That is a temporary bridge, not a long-term solution.
What’s next. Google says it plans to expand controls further, including bringing content and topic-based exclusions to the account level later this year.
This will complement AI Max’s existing “inventory intelligence” features, which already automatically exclude out-of-stock items.
Bottom line. AI Max is improving, but it hasn’t fully replaced DSA when it comes to granular control – and advertisers are making that clear.
Celebrate deeply. Full interview on LinkedIn.
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