Reporting in Google Ads now offers two fields with nearly identical names, and they return different data. Google Ads Liaison Ginny Marvin explained the split on X after advertiser Mike Ryan flagged it, as Search Engine Roundtable reported.
The older field, now labeled “Search terms match type (Keywords)”, maps to the “Search terms match type” segmentation on the Keywords tab. Google renamed it “for a bit more clarity.” Ryan wrote that it covers only legacy match types in Search campaigns.
The newly added “Search terms match type” field feeds the “Match type” column in the Search terms view. That is the one that surfaces AI Max and other campaign types.
One caveat applies for now. According to Marvin, a Report Editor report needs the “Search term” column included for the new field to return all match types, AI Max among them. Google plans a later fix so summary tables lacking that column also return everything.
For anyone auditing AI Max, the choice of field decides whether those matches appear at all. Check which field your saved reports and scripts use before comparing match-type performance across periods.
Search Engine Roundtable, Barry Schwartz, drawing on posts by Ginny Marvin and Mike Ryan on X, November 4, 2026.
