What the AI Max match source column means in Google Ads

Published September 30, 2026

AI Max for Search campaigns lets Google match ads to searches beyond your keywords. In the Search terms report, AI Max matches show "AI Max" in the Match type column, and the Source column says whether a match came from broad match expansion or keywordless matching. Add Source before you download.

What AI Max for Search campaigns is

AI Max is a set of features Google adds to a Search campaign. Google describes three parts:

• Search term matching. Google uses broad match and keywordless technology to show ads on searches your keywords don't cover, learning from your keywords, ads and landing pages.
• Text customization. Google writes headlines and descriptions from your existing ads, landing pages and assets.
• Final URL expansion. Google sends a click to the page on your domain it predicts will perform best, which may not be the page you set.

AI Max is controlled at the campaign level. When it is on, search term matching is on for every ad group by default and can be switched off for individual ad groups. Text customization and final URL expansion can be switched off separately in the campaign settings.

Add the Source column, step by step

1. In Google Ads, open the Campaigns menu, then Insights and reports, then Search terms.
2. Choose the date range in the upper right corner.
3. Select the Columns icon above the table and add the Source column. Keep Search term, Campaign, Impr., Clicks, Cost and Conversions in the view as well.
4. Select the download icon above the table, then Download, then a CSV format. Use the English interface.

What the values mean

Two columns tell you how a search was matched:

• Match type. For searches found by AI Max, Google shows "AI Max" here instead of broad, phrase or exact.
• Source. For AI Max matches, Google says this column shows whether the match came from broad match expansion of your keywords or from keywordless matching based on your landing pages and assets.

The Google Ads API reports the same split in a field called search term match source, with these values:

• AI_MAX_BROAD_MATCH: the search expanded on one of your keywords using AI-driven broad match.
• AI_MAX_KEYWORDLESS: the search was matched from your website content or landing pages, with no keyword needed.
• VERTICAL_ADS_DATA_FEED: the search was matched from a linked feed such as Hotels, Flights, Rental Cars or Things to Do.

One caveat from Google: filtering the report to Match type = "AI Max" can show lower AI Max numbers, because that filter leaves out the "Other search terms" row. Google also offers a separate view, Search terms and ad combinations, from the Search terms dropdown, which shows the headline and landing page used with each search.

How the AI Max check reads the column

The AI Max check looks for a column headed Source, Match source or Search term match source. Google's help names the column Source, so that is the header to expect in a current download. The check counts a row as an AI Max match when its value contains "AI Max" or "Landing pages and URL inclusions". It does not read the Match type column.

It then shows:

• What AI Max spent and the leads it brought, next to the same figures for your keywords, and which was cheaper per lead.
• How much went on searches with clicks and no leads, and how much of that came from AI Max.
• The costliest searches with no leads, and the AI Max searches worth keeping because they brought leads.
• A Google Ads Editor negatives file, when there are terms worth excluding.

When the column is missing

If the file has no Source column, or none of its rows carry one of the values above, the check counts every row as a keyword match. The page says plainly that there are no AI Max searches in the file and asks you to add the match source column and export again. The no-lead spend, the costliest searches and the negatives file are still built from the whole file, so you get something useful either way.

What this can't tell you

• It only sees the date range and campaigns in the file, and can't tell whether a search converted later or offline.
• Google leaves low-volume searches out of the report for privacy, so AI Max's spend can be higher than the file shows.
• Below 10 AI Max leads, the comparison is too early to trust.
• If conversion tracking is broken, every search looks like it brought no leads.

Run the check

Upload the CSV to the AI Max check to see what AI Max is buying, with no sign-in. The file is read in memory and not kept. To follow AI Max over time, connect Google Ads: Solimarketer keeps a change ledger that includes what AI Max and auto-apply did, and sends a weekly digest. It never changes anything in the account.