AI Max Search Terms and Ad Combinations Report Explained
If you run AI Max for Search, you can now see the whole chain behind a click in a single row: the query someone typed, the headlines and descriptions Google assembled for it, and the page the click landed on. The Search terms and ad combinations view has started appearing in some Google Ads accounts, and it lets you exclude a bad query or a bad landing page directly from the report. In short, AI Max is still automated, but it is no longer a black box.
The short version
- What it is: an expanded view of the search terms report for AI Max campaigns, formerly called Search terms and landing pages from AI Max.
- What is new: the ad copy shown for each query, plus two source labels – where the query came from and whether the copy was written by you or generated by Google.
- Timing: announced by Google on September 23, 2026; spotted in individual accounts in mid-October. No date for a full rollout yet.
- Why it matters: it tells you which link in the chain failed – query, copy or page – so you pull the right lever.
Why this report lands at the right moment
September 2026 was the month Google automatically upgraded Search campaigns that used campaign-level broad match or automatically created assets to AI Max. Plenty of advertisers ended up running AI Max without ever switching it on themselves.
AI Max changes three things at once. It expands the queries you show for, it customizes the ad text, and it can pick a different final URL. Until now, checking all three for one query meant opening three reports – search terms, assets and landing pages – and joining them by hand. Google’s own announcement describes the new report as a single, unified view of the Search ads journey, which is exactly the gap advertisers kept pointing to.
What each row contains
According to Google Ads Help and early screenshots shared by PPC specialists, the view lists:
- the search term that triggered the ad;
- the headlines and descriptions served for that term;
- the landing page the user reached;
- the campaign and ad group;
- the match source – an AI Max expanded match based on your keywords, or a match driven by your landing pages and URL inclusions;
- the asset source – provided by you or generated by Google.
From the same table you can tick a row and add the query as a negative keyword or the page as a negative URL.
How to open it
- Go to Insights and reports → Search terms at the account level or inside an AI Max campaign.
- Above the table, open the Search terms drop-down and choose Search terms and ad combinations.
- Not there yet? The rollout is gradual. In the meantime, add the Source column to the standard search terms report and filter the match type by AI Max to isolate automated traffic.
Before and after
| Question | Before | Now |
|---|---|---|
| What copy did the user see? | Asset report only, with no link to the query | Shown next to the query |
| Where did the click go? | Separate expanded URL report | Same row as the query |
| Was the headline mine or Google’s? | “Google AI” label in the asset report | Visible in the combination |
| Why did this query match? | Source column had to be added manually | Shown alongside the ad |
Reading the report like a diagnosis
The fastest way to get value is to take an expensive row with no conversions and test each link in turn.
| What you see | Where it broke | Lever |
|---|---|---|
| The query has nothing to do with your offer | Query matching | Negative keyword, review the ad group’s keywords |
| Right query, wrong promise in the headline | Text customization | Stronger own assets, limit generated text |
| Right query and copy, wrong page | Final URL expansion | Negative URL, exclude site sections |
| Everything fits, still no sales | Not AI Max | Offer, price, landing page or bids |
That last row is underrated. It lets you rule automation out quickly instead of spending a week tuning AI Max when the real issue is the offer.
Expert tip. Sort by cost, not by impressions. In most accounts the top 20–30 rows by spend explain the bulk of wasted budget. Leave the long tail of rare queries for a monthly review, once there is enough data to judge.
Who gets the most out of it
- Ecommerce stores with large catalogs. AI Max often picks the page itself, and a product query landing on a category or blog post is a common, expensive mismatch.
- Campaigns that were upgraded automatically in September. These are the ones nobody has looked at closely since the switch.
- Regulated verticals such as healthcare, finance and education, where a generated headline with an inaccurate claim can trigger disapprovals, not just poor conversion rates.
- Agencies and freelancers who need to show clients exactly what the automation served instead of saying “the algorithm decided”.
If your Search campaigns run exact and phrase match without AI Max, you will not see new data here. Small campaigns with a few dozen clicks a week will get limited value too – single rows are too noisy to act on.
A note for anyone piping data into BI
The Google Ads API exposes the same data through ai_max_search_term_ad_combination_view, which returns the search term, headline and landing page with impressions, clicks and conversions. Google’s documentation warns that this view overlaps with the classic search term view: many queries appear in both, so never add their metrics together or you will double-count spend and conversions. Reconcile against campaign totals instead. We explain why mismatched numbers lead to bad budget decisions in our article on attribution in Google Ads.
Our take
The report has only been in accounts for a few days, so we have no results from our own campaigns yet and will not present first impressions as test data. A few things are already clear, though.
The report adds no new controls. Negative keywords, negative URLs and your own assets existed before. What changes is that you can now see which control a specific row needs. For AI Max, that matters more than any new setting, because the main objection to it has always been the lack of transparency.
It also explains the path to a click, not the profit behind it. Decide whether to scale AI Max or switch off individual features based on cost per conversion and conversion value. The fundamentals from our guide on lowering CPA in Google Ads still apply.
A worked example
A hypothetical scenario. A furniture store runs an AI Max Search campaign with a “Sofas” ad group. Among its most expensive rows:
- Query “sofa reupholstery cost” – headline “Factory-direct sofas on sale” – sofa category page. The store does not offer reupholstery, so “reupholstery” becomes a negative keyword.
- Query “grey corner sofa” – headline from the advertiser’s own assets – a blog post titled “How to choose a sofa”. Query and copy are fine, but commercial traffic lands on an article. The fix is a negative URL for the blog section.
Both changes are made from the same screen, without hunting through three separate reports.
Your checklist for this week
- List every campaign running AI Max, especially those upgraded automatically in September.
- Open Search terms and ad combinations in each. If it is not available yet, use the standard report with the Source column and the AI Max match type filter.
- Sort by cost and review the top 20–30 rows using the query – copy – page sequence.
- Read every Google AI headline for accuracy: prices, delivery times, guarantees, discounts.
- Export your top combinations as a baseline to compare next month.
- If the data feeds a dashboard, make sure the new API view is not summed with the classic search term view.
Watch out. Do not add negatives in bulk based on a handful of rows. AI Max learns from a wide pool of queries, and aggressive exclusions on thin data can cut profitable variants too. The same goes for negative URLs: excluding a whole section removes pages that may convert on other queries. Base decisions on at least 2–4 weeks of data.
FAQ
What is the Search terms and ad combinations report in Google Ads?
It is a view of the search terms report for AI Max campaigns. For each query it shows the headlines and descriptions served, the landing page, the campaign and ad group, plus where the query and the ad copy came from. It replaces the earlier view called Search terms and landing pages from AI Max.
Why can’t I see it in my account?
The updated report is rolling out gradually and has only been spotted in some accounts so far. Google has not given a date for full availability. It also only applies to campaigns with AI Max turned on.
Can I add negative keywords directly from this report?
Yes. Google Ads Help confirms you can select a row and add the search term as a negative keyword or the landing page as a negative URL without leaving the report.
How do I tell my headlines from the ones Google generated?
The report shows the asset source – advertiser-provided or generated by the system. In the asset report, text created by AI Max is labeled “Google AI” in the Added by column.
Can I add these numbers to my regular search terms report?
No. Google states the two views overlap and many queries appear in both. Summing them double-counts cost and conversions. Compare against campaign-level totals.
Should I turn AI Max off if the report shows bad combinations?
Not straight away. Use the report to find the failing link – query, copy or page – and fix that specific lever. Switching off individual AI Max features makes sense only if the same problem keeps coming back after your changes.
Bottom line
The Search terms and ad combinations report does not make AI Max smarter, but it makes it auditable row by row: query, copy and landing page sit side by side, and fixes are one click away. If your campaigns moved to AI Max, spend this week on the most expensive combinations. If you would like a second pair of eyes, request an audit. You can also see how we run Google Ads management and what our ad account audit covers.