Google Ads Editor 2.14 Turns On AI Max by Default. Check These Settings Before You Launch

What changed in Editor 2.14

Google’s Ads Editor 2.14 release notes include this line, under the heading “AI Max on by default for new Search campaigns”: “AI Max, text asset automation, and Final URL expansion are now activated by default when creating new Search campaigns.” Search Engine Roundtable reported the update on November 12, 2026.

The notes apply to new Search campaigns you create in Editor. They do not say that campaigns already running are rewritten. Leave those alone unless you choose to change them.

This is a different issue from the older Search-campaign defaults we covered earlier—Search Partners and location targeting set to “Presence or interest.” Those still matter; see Google Ads defaults that can waste a local budget. This post is only about the three Editor 2.14 starting settings.

One limit is worth stating up front: the 2.14 notes are about Editor. Google’s help pages for creating a Search campaign in the Google Ads website still describe opting in to AI Max during setup, after which Final URL expansion is on by default. Whether the website, the API, or a spreadsheet import now uses the same starting point is not stated in the 2.14 notes.

What each setting does

The official names in Editor and in Google Ads Help do not always match, so here is how they line up.

AI Max is the broader Search setting. Google’s guide, How AI Max for Search campaigns works, says turning it on also turns on text customization and Final URL expansion. You can switch those two off individually later in campaign settings. AI Max also includes search term matching, which is on by default at the ad-group level when AI Max is on. That matching can use broad match plus asset-based and landing-page-based technology to expand the searches your ads can show for. It is not the same as picking every keyword yourself.

Text asset automation is the phrase in the 2.14 notes. In Google Ads Help, the related setting is text customization (formerly “automatically created assets”). It can generate extra headlines and descriptions from your website, landing page, existing ads, and keywords, including with generative AI. Google says those extra lines are used together with the text you wrote, and that a generated line serves only if it is predicted to perform better than your uploaded text. Assets are reviewed and refreshed at least every 48 hours. After the setting is on, you can check accuracy in the ad-level asset report. You can also preview sample generated lines during setup.

Final URL expansion is described in About Final URL expansion in Search. When it is on, Google may replace the landing page you entered with another page on your website that it considers more relevant to the search and themed to your ad group. The help page is direct: Google may also generate a dynamic headline, description, and other assets to match that new page. This setting requires text customization. If you turn text customization off, Final URL expansion turns off too. If a different page is chosen, pinned responsive-search-ad lines are not used, because they may not match the new page.

Google recommends leaving both text customization and Final URL expansion on. That is Google’s guidance, not a rule that every local account must follow. If you need tight control over which service page a click opens, or over the exact wording in the ad, review the toggles before you launch.

Why this matters for a local campaign

A typical local Search campaign is built around a few service pages: one for drain cleaning, one for water-heater repair, one for a specific town. Final URL expansion is designed to pick a “more relevant” page on the same website. That can be helpful when the chosen page really is a better match. It can also send someone who searched for a specific service to a general homepage, a blog post, or a page for a different job—especially if those pages share similar language.

Text customization can pull phrases from titles, descriptions, and other page copy, or write new lines from that material. If a page is outdated, vague, or written for a service you no longer offer, that wording can show up in the ad. Google asks you to keep website content accurate and to monitor the asset report. That advice is the practical point: the setting is only as careful as the pages it reads.

None of this means you should avoid AI Max on principle. It means a new campaign in Editor 2.14 should not go live on autopilot. Check the settings, and check the pages they can use.

A short checklist before you launch

Use this after you create a new Search campaign in Editor 2.14, and before you post it:

Open the campaign’s AI Max settings. Confirm that AI Max, text customization (text asset automation), and Final URL expansion are in the state you want—not only the state Editor picked.

If clicks must land on specific service pages, turn Final URL expansion off—or add URL exclusions for pages you never want used as landing pages (old offers, hiring pages, or thin blog posts). Exclusions are available in the AI Max section when Final URL expansion is on.

If the ad must use only copy you approved, turn text customization off. Remember that this also turns off Final URL expansion. If you leave it on, preview the sample generated lines and plan to review the asset report after the campaign starts.

Read the pages Google might choose. Make sure names, service lists, towns, hours, and contact details are current. Generated ads and alternative landing pages will draw from what is actually on the site.

Glance at search term matching in the ad group if AI Max is on, so you know how far matching can expand beyond your keyword list.

Then check the older defaults that are easy to miss in any new Search campaign, including Search Partners and location targeting, as described in our earlier post.

After launch, use the reports. Help pages point to a landing-pages view (including a “Selected by” column for AI Max pages), an asset report, and an “Added by” column for generated text. Look at search terms too. If traffic is going to the wrong page, or the ad text is off, tighten exclusions or turn the setting off.

If you want to test rather than decide all at once, clone a setup you already trust: one version with the Editor defaults, one with Final URL expansion off (or with AI Max off). Compare qualified leads and booked jobs after you have enough activity to judge, not after a handful of clicks. There is no official “wait this many clicks” figure in the sources above; use a sample that is large enough for your budget and your sales cycle.

How Local Business Search can help

Local Business Search can set up and manage your Google Ads, including a review of AI Max and these Editor 2.14 defaults before a new Search campaign goes live. We also help with AI consulting, websites, Google listings, and small-business marketing.

We're also making done-for-you how-to videos that walk through checks like this step by step. They're coming soon.