Google introduces text guidelines for AI-powered advertising campaigns

Google announced text guidelines functionality for Performance Max and AI Max for Search campaigns, according to product liaison Ginny Marvin in a September 10, 2025 LinkedIn post. The feature introduces two distinct mechanisms for controlling AI-generated advertising text: term exclusions for specific words and messaging restrictions using natural language instructions.

Text guidelines operate exclusively within campaigns utilizing text customization functionality. According to Google's official documentation, advertisers must enable text customization before accessing the guidelines feature. "You must have text customization set to 'ON' to use text guidelines," the documentation states.

The term exclusion mechanism allows advertisers to block up to 25 specific words or phrases from appearing in generated text assets. According to the documentation, these exclusions are case-insensitive and prevent exact matches from appearing across all AI-generated advertising content. Examples include blocking terms like "cheap," "unlimited," "low cost," or competitive references such as "cheapest in Paris" or "a better choice than Competitor."

Messaging restrictions provide more sophisticated control through natural language instructions. Advertisers can specify up to 40 restrictions per campaign using conversational directives. According to Google's guidance, effective restrictions include statements like "Don't imply our products are discounted" or "Never mention any city names in my ads." The system interprets these natural language commands to avoid associated terms and concepts during text generation.

The feature addresses persistent advertiser concerns about brand safety in automated advertising systems. Performance Max campaigns, which serve advertisements across Google Search, Display, YouTube, Gmail, Maps, and Discover properties, have faced criticism for limited brand control since their widespread adoption. Over one million advertisers now utilize Performance Max campaigns, making brand safety controls increasingly critical for large-scale deployment.

Text guidelines implementation varies between campaign types and creation methods. For new Performance Max campaigns, advertisers access the feature through brand guidelines during the asset group configuration step. According to the documentation, campaigns without existing brand guidelines can access text guidelines through asset optimization settings or by upgrading to campaign-level brand guidelines.

Existing Performance Max campaigns require brand guidelines activation before accessing text guidelines. According to Google's implementation instructions, advertisers navigate to campaign settings and locate brand guidelines under brand identity to configure text restrictions. The company completed its brand guidelines rollout for all new Performance Max campaigns created through the Google Ads interface on July 14, 2025.

AI Max for Search campaigns follow different implementation procedures. According to the documentation, advertisers must first enable AI Max settings, which automatically activates text customization by default. Text guidelines appear beneath the customization toggle in the asset optimization panel during both new campaign creation and existing campaign modification.

The system's underlying technology combines generative artificial intelligence with brand safety protocols. According to Brandon Ervin, Director of Product Management at Google Ads, the feature helps advertisers "create even more brand-safe creative, steering Google AI to create high-performing text assets that meet your brand and business requirements." Text customization incorporates landing page content, existing advertisements, and keyword data to generate advertising-forward content with calls-to-action and unique selling propositions.

Google provides specific guidance for creating effective messaging restrictions. According to the documentation, successful restrictions include clear directives about tone, brand name spelling, and content themes. Examples of ineffective restrictions include vague descriptions like "My ads should bring joy" or overly complex multi-requirement statements that should be separated into distinct guidelines.

The feature includes built-in performance safeguards. According to Google's documentation, "Adding guidelines that are inefficient or are nonsensical may cause removal of a large number of good text customization assets, and lead to drop in campaign performance." The system evaluates restrictions against potential asset quality to prevent excessive filtering that could reduce campaign effectiveness.

Asset reporting functionality enables verification of text guidelines implementation. According to the documentation, advertisers can review Google-optimized text assets through Performance Max asset reporting to confirm guidelines are correctly applied. Similar verification exists for AI Max campaigns through search campaign text customization reporting.

Text guidelines deployment follows Google's phased rollout strategy. According to Marvin's announcement, the feature "will start rolling out to more advertisers this fall." The staged implementation allows Google to monitor performance impact and gather feedback before widespread availability across all eligible campaigns.

The announcement arrives during a period of significant automation expansion across Google's advertising platform. Google Ads API version 21 introduced AI Max support on August 6, 2025, enabling programmatic access to advanced automation features across search campaigns.

Industry professionals have expressed mixed reactions to increasing automation in Google Ads. AI Max adoption, some experts raise concerns about aggressive expansion onto Search Partner Network placements, while others welcome enhanced control mechanisms like text guidelines.

For marketing technology vendors and agencies, text guidelines represent another API integration requirement. According to Google's developer documentation, applications managing text customization must account for both campaign-level and asset group-level settings depending on brand guidelines activation status. The company provides migration guidance through official forums and documentation to assist developers implementing the enhanced functionality.

Text guidelines appear alongside other recent Google Ads innovations focused on balancing automation with advertiser control. Google Ads Editor version 2.10 introduced campaign-level negative keywords for Performance Max campaigns on July 8, 2025, addressing similar advertiser requests for precision targeting within automated systems.

The feature's technical specifications require careful consideration during implementation. According to the documentation, term exclusions operate as exact matches and do not support partial word blocking or complex pattern matching. Messaging restrictions rely on natural language processing to interpret intent, requiring clear and specific instruction formatting for optimal effectiveness.

Google emphasizes the experimental nature of text guidelines during the initial rollout period. According to the official documentation, "Text guidelines is an experimental beta. As such, there may be some limitations to its capabilities." The company requests advertiser feedback through established support channels to refine functionality based on real-world usage patterns.

Text guidelines integration extends beyond Performance Max to include AI Max for Search campaigns. According to Ervin's announcement, the feature works within both campaign types, providing consistent brand control mechanisms across Google's primary automation platforms. This unified approach addresses advertiser requests for standardized brand safety tools across different campaign formats.

The development reflects Google's ongoing response to advertiser demands for transparency and control within automated advertising systems. 2025 represented a maturation phase for automated advertising platforms, with Performance Max serving as the primary testing ground for balancing automation efficiency with advertiser oversight requirements.

Timeline

• December 2024: Google announces brand guidelines for Performance Max campaigns
• January 20, 2025: Google begins requiring brand guidelines for new Performance Max campaigns
• May 6, 2025: Google introduces AI Max for Search campaigns
• July 8, 2025: Google Ads Editor 2.10 introduces AI Max for Search support
• July 14, 2025: Google completes brand guidelines rollout for all UI campaigns
• August 6, 2025: Google Ads API v21 introduces AI Max programmatic support
• August 7, 2025: Google concludes Performance Max feature rollouts
• September 10, 2025: Google announces text guidelines for Performance Max and AI Max campaigns

Summary

Who: Google Ads product team, led by Brandon Ervin (Director of Product Management) and communicated by Ginny Marvin (Ads Product Liaison), targeting advertisers using Performance Max and AI Max for Search campaigns.

What: Text guidelines feature introducing term exclusions (up to 25 specific words/phrases) and messaging restrictions (up to 40 natural language directives) to control AI-generated advertising text within automated campaigns.

When: Announced September 10, 2025, with phased rollout beginning fall 2025 for advertisers using text customization in Performance Max and AI Max for Search campaigns.

Where: Available across Google's advertising network including Search, Display, YouTube, Gmail, Maps, and Discover properties through Performance Max and AI Max for Search campaigns in Google Ads interface, Editor, and API.

Why: Addresses advertiser concerns about brand safety and control in automated advertising systems while maintaining AI-driven optimization benefits, providing granular control over messaging without requiring manual text asset creation.