800% growth in long-tail search. Are your campaigns built for it?

Last week, Brandon Stevens and Ruaraidh Johnston were at Google's Exec Circle in their King's Cross office, representing Seed as one of 140 agencies invited from roughly 8,000 digital agencies across the UK. The session was focused on AI Max, and these are our top five insights worth sharing.

1. Ad group location targeting is finally here

This one slipped under the radar a bit. With AI Max switched on, you can now set locations at ad group level rather than campaign level. For clients operating across multiple locations, this opens up the option of running a single campaign split by ad group, combining learning and data in a way that fragmented campaign structures simply can't.

2. Long-tail search has grown faster than most teams realise

Queries of eight or more words are up 800% year on year across most verticals. No team can manually map keywords at that scale. AI Max's search term matching handles it dynamically, and that's the actual case for using it.

3. It works as a system, not a single feature

Running search term matching alone leaves a lot on the table. Google's own benchmarks put the conversion volume uplift at 14 to 27% when you deploy the full set together: search term matching, text customisation, and final URL expansion. Each element leans on the others.

4. Regulated industries now have workable guardrails

Asset previews, brand controls, AI Briefs, and text disclaimers (FCA anchors, for instance) mean real-time text customisation is now usable without losing compliance oversight. That particular objection has largely been addressed.

5. The data gap compounds over time

Early adopters are building first-party data loops now, through enhanced conversions, consent mode, and CRM integrations, that will be genuinely difficult to replicate later. Historical data isn't something you can retrospectively acquire.

Leaving you with a thought 👇

Treat AI Max as a structural change to how you run accounts, not something to pilot in isolation. That means getting your CRM data aligned with actual business goals before you switch it on. How are you approaching account restructuring for AI Search?