Create video ads with AdWords for video
With AdWords for video, you can advertise video ads on YouTube and across the web. You decide where and when your video ads show up and who sees them. To get started, you can use your existing YouTube video or create a new one using one of the TrueView formats.
Benefits of advertising with AdWords for video
Using AdWords for video, you can:
- Tell your story. You’re the expert of your business. Share your expertise with the world. Be personal. Put the camera on yourself and explain how your product or service can benefit your audience. Get inspired byAdWords for video success stories.
- Reach just the right audience. Every month, more than one billion people visit YouTube and watch over six billion hours of YouTube videos. With AdWords for video, you pay only when people interested in your business choose to view your ads. Reach your customers by topic, by keywords, or by demographics like ‘women under 35.’
- Create a video campaign in only a few minutes. Create your account, create or upload your video ad, reach your audience, and you’re on your way to reaching your audience.
- Measure your success. Figure out if you’re reaching the right audience. Check your AdWords account to track views, clicks, costs, and budget details. Then visit the Analytics tab in your YouTube account to learn more about your viewers. For example, you can tell which videos your customers are watching and for how long.
To build your AdWords for video campaign, you’ll need to:
- Begin setting up your new campaign.
- Create your video ad formats.
- Define your targeting settings.
Tips
- You can make several different types of video ads in AdWords with two different tools: AdWords for video, and the Ad gallery. Learn the difference between the two.
- Before you make your video ads, you may want to spend a little time exploring the best practices forcreating effective video ads. This can help you get the best performance out of your ads right from the start.
- Link your YouTube account to AdWords: To take full advantage of AdWords for video reporting metrics within your account in the future, we recommend that you link your YouTube and AdWords accounts. ClickLink your YouTube account from the AdWords for video side navigation menu on any AdWords for video campaign page. You can also link more than one YouTube account.
To create a video ad campaign, you’ll need to build the basics of your campaign, then select your targeting settings. If you don’t have an AdWords account, you can sign up and create your first video campaign athttps://adwords.google.com/video.
- Sign in to your AdWords account at https://adwords.google.com/video.
- If you’ve never created an AdWords for video campaign before, click New campaign > Online video above the campaign table.
- If you’ve created AdWords for video campaigns before:
- From the “All video campaigns view,” click the Campaigns tab, and click All video campaigns in the campaigns navigation list. You should see all campaigns within your account.
- Click + Campaign above the campaign table. You can load the settings for a previously created video campaign after this step.
- Enter a campaign name.
- Enter a daily budget.
- Choose your target locations and languages.
- Create a new video ad or skip to the next step. You can see instructions on how to create an ad in a later topic in this article.
- Click Save and continue.
First, you’ll need to tell us how you’d like to price your ads:
- Name your targeting group.
- Select your cost-per-view (CPV) bid:
- You can select a default max CPV bid for all ads in the campaign.
- You can also click Customize bids per format to set an individual CPV bid per TrueView video ad format.
- Get updated traffic estimates: If you change your bid or any targeting options on the page, your traffic estimates will update. Press “Enter” on your keyboard after you change the amount in the bid field to trigger the update.
Tip
Target your ads broadly: For the best results, we suggest that you focus on targeting broadly.
- By default when you set up your targeting, your settings will reach all viewers. If you make any changes you’ll be refining your targeting further.
- You’re likely to get the best results by targeting demographics or topics and opting in to all TrueView video formats.
- If you use more than one targeting method at a time, we’ll apply them all. For example, if you target a specific keyword, age, and channel, your ads will only be shown when all those methods match your ad at the same time. This can restrict your impressions significantly.
Next, let us know how you’d like to reach viewers:
- Reach people who are watching:YouTube and the Google Display Network offer a few ways to reach particular audiences:
- Demographic: Reach people by their age or gender.
- Viewing content (topics): Reach people based on general web content categories.
- User interested in (interests): Reach people based on more specific interests.
Advanced audience options: You can also select even more targeting criteria, but be careful! Using too many of these can limit your ad’s exposure. Additional options include:
- Shows ads on specific content (managed placements): Add unique websites or placements within those websites. For example, for a particular YouTube Channel, you can target an entire high traffic blog or the homepage of a popular news site.
- Remarket to viewers using remarketing lists: Reach viewers based on their past interactions with your videos or YouTube channel. If you’ve linked your YouTube account to your AdWords account already, we’ll create custom ones for you automatically. Learn more about remarketing lists for YouTube.
- Video remarketing list: Remarketing lists we’ve created for you will appear here, grouped by channel. You can also create a video remarketing list if your YouTube account is linked.
- AdWords remarketing list: Remarketing lists you’ve created before will appear here. If you don’t have any remarketing lists, and don’t want to link your YouTube account, click Manage lists. This will open a new browser where you can create a new remarketing list for your account.
- Specify content keywords: Enter keywords that will help match your ads to web content. These work just like contextual targeting on the greater Google Display Network, but apply only to videos on the entire network (which includes YouTube videos).
- Traffic estimates: As you save your targeting criteria and update your settings for each option, your estimated traffic data will update, too!
- Click Save targeting group.
You can have up to 10 ads in a campaign. To create or edit your video ad for an existing campaign:
- Sign in to your AdWords account at https://adwords.google.com/video.
- Select the campaign you want to edit.
- Click the Ads tab.
- Click New Video Ad above the ad table.
- Video: Select an existing YouTube video with the video picker. You can select a video by YouTube channel or user name, keyword, or URL.
- Ad formats: Allow us to select all possible TrueView video formats, or manually select your video formats. We recommend that you opt in to all possible formats for the highest audience visibility.
- In-stream ad options:
- Enter your display URL and final URL.
- If you want to add tracking or redirect information to your ad, click Ad URL options (advanced) to add a tracking template and any custom parameters.
- Choose your Companion banner. Allow us to select an auto-generated image from videos in your channel, or you can choose to upload your own image.
- In-display ad options:
- Select your Thumbnail image, ad text, landing page, and ad name.
- Click Save.
Later on the Ads tab, you can:
- Create a new ad: Click +New Video Ad above the ad table.
- Edit your existing ad: Click Edit next to your ad to change your ad content. This will remove the existing ad and create a new version. Performance statistics will reset to zero.
- Pause, resume, or remove ads: You can select one or more existing ads in the list and remove or pause them.
If you link your YouTube and AdWords accounts, you’ll have the option to create a call-to-action overlay when you first create a video ad with AdWords for video. This is the same call-to-action overlay feature available through the video editing features for your videos on YouTube on desktop and laptop computers, and you can only create one for a video that is hosted on Youtube. The call-to-action overlay will only appear within the video when it is seen on YouTube.
You can also add one to an existing video by clicking Add call-to-action overlay under the video name on theVideos tab.
Creating an ad from your video watch page
You’ll need to create an ad for your video so we can display it next to relevant content when we show your ad properly in all possible TrueView video ad formats.
You can create ads for videos you have created and own. The videos you upload must meet YouTube’s community guidelines and should not infringe on copyrights. Learn more about YouTube’s content policies and AdWords advertising policies.
While signed in to your YouTube account, follow these steps to create an ad:
- Navigate to your video watch page.
- In the menu bar at the top, click the [ V ] btn.
- Click Promote in the drop-down menu.
- You’ll now be able to build an ad for your video content.
- Enter how much you want to spend for your ad campaign in dollars (USD$). You can choose to spend this amount on a daily basis (Daily Budget) or over the entire campaign (Campaign Budget). If you choose Campaign Budget, your campaign will stop running after it has used up the amount you enter.
- Editing these settings later: Visit the Settings tab for your video campaign to review and change your budget and campaign date settings.
- Calculate views: Click this btn to see how many views we estimate your video will receive based on how much you’re willing to spend. You can change the number in this field and click the btn again to see the view estimates update.
- Review your targeting settings. We don’t recommend you change this if you are new to managing ad campaigns. Changing these settings can extremely limit your promotion’s exposure to potential viewers.
- Click Refine to change the type of viewer or video content topics you’d like to target.
- Changing these settings will also change the view estimates.
- When you’re happy with the projected views for your video promotion, click Continue.
- Create your ad:Enter a headline and ad text that will encourage people to click on your ad and watch your video.
- Headline: This is the top line of text users will first see for your ad. It appears in bold and draws attention to your ad.
- Description: The next lines of text let you add more context to encourage users to click on the ad and watch your video.
- Click Continue when you’re happy with the ad preview.
If you already have an AdWords account, we’ll use the billing information already stored in your account to run your campaign. You can change your campaign, ad, and other settings in AdWords for video at:https://adwords.google.com/video
If you don’t have an AdWords account, we’ll prompt you to finish creating one, and the video ad you just created will begin running as the first campaign in your new AdWords account.
How Google Accounts work
Find out if you have a Google Account
If you’re already using a Google product such as Gmail, for example, then you have a Google Account.
If you’re not sure you’ve signed up for any of our products, you can check by visiting the Google Accounts password change page. Enter any email address you think you might’ve used to create a Google Account. If we don’t recognize it, you’ll immediately see a message from us. Below our message you’ll see a link to click to create a Google Account using that email address.
If we see that your email address is tied to a Google Account, we’ll send you an email with a link to reset the Google Account’s password.
What you need to create a Google Account
If you don’t have a Google Account but do have an email address, you can create a Google account using that email address. If you don’t have an email address, you can create one with Gmail, at https://accounts.google.com/SignUp
How Google Accounts differ from AdWords accounts
Google Account: At its most basic, a Google Account is a Google-wide username and password that can be used to access various products, including AdWords. Your Google Account also contains information that applies across products, such as your preferred language and some privacy settings. You can view and change this information any time by signing in at https://accounts.google.com.
AdWords account: This contains information and preferences specific to AdWords, such as your ad campaigns, keywords, daily budget, and performance reports.
It is important to remember that only one Google Account can only be associated with one AdWords account.
Link your Google Account to another Google product or service
Accounts for several Google products can be moved from one Google Account to another. You might want to transfer ownership to a different Google Account if you have two accounts, or if someone else is taking over your AdWords or Analytics account for you. Google Accounts will automatically store and link additional services such as AdWords. If you have an AdWords account, you’ll use the same sign in information for AdWords as you do for Google Accounts.
To transfer access to your AdWords account to a different user:
- Sign in to your AdWords account at https://adwords.google.com.
- Click the gear icon
and select Account settings . - Select Account access from the navigation bar.
- Click Invite other users.
- From the Choose an access level drop-down menu, select the access level you want this person to have.
- Click Send invitation.
- The Google Account that you want to transfer ownership to will receive an email with instructions for completing the transfer process.
- To remove your previous Google Account email, return to the Account access page, then click Terminate access for the old email address.
and select Account settings .You should now be able to sign in to your AdWords account using the new Google Account email and password.
To transfer access to your Analytics account to a different user:
- Sign in to your Google Analytics account.
- Click Access Manager.
- From the “Existing Access” table, click Add User.
- Enter your alternate Google Account’s email address, last name, and first name.
- Select Account Admin as the Access type.
- Click Finish.
- You can now sign into your Analytics account as the new administrator and, if you’d like, remove the original account administrator.
To move your Google Merchant Center account to another Google Account, please contact the Google Merchant Center User Support team for assistance.
To link your Google Account to your YouTube account, follow the steps below:
- Sign in to your Google Account under the “Link Accounts” section here.
- Enter your existing YouTube username and password in the same Link Accounts section.
- Click the Link Accounts btn.
- You’ll be signed in and redirected to the YouTube homepage (http://www.youtube.com).
- Click the My Account link.
- Under “Account Settings,” if you see the “Unlink YouTube and Google Accounts” link, you’ve successfully linked your Google Account with your YouTube Account.
If you need to switch or unlink a Google Account from your YouTube account, please follow the steps below:
- Visit http://www.youtube.com/my_account_unlink
- Click Unlink My Accounts to unlink your YouTube and AdWords account.
Linking YouTube channels to an AdWords account
By linking a YouTube channel to an AdWords account, you can access additional video view statistics, call-to-action (CTA) overlays, and remarketing and engagement statistics such as earned views. There are two options for linking accounts:
- Link a YouTube channel to an AdWords account
- Link an AdWords account to a YouTube channel
Note
To activate the link between a YouTube channel and an AdWords account, make sure the link is verified in both YouTube and AdWords.
When you link a YouTube channel to an AdWords account, certain features will become available to you and other features will not be available to you.
View counts and calls-to-action (CTAs)
- You can view ad completion rates of videos from linked channels.
- You can create call-to-action (CTA) overlays on videos from linked channels. Use these to share more information about the content of your video or to raise interest in your channel, other videos, or additional websites.
Remarketing
- You can create remarketing lists based on viewers’ past interactions on linked channels.
Engagement
- You can view earned actions metrics from videos and video ads from linked channels.
Keep in mind
If you use a video ad from a YouTube channel that’s not linked to AdWords, we’ll suggest you link that channel.
Channel features
- Linking accounts does not give the YouTube channel owner control over the AdWords account.
- Linking accounts does not let the advertiser add, delete or modify videos from the linked channel.
Follow these instructions to link your YouTube channel to an AdWords account.
- Sign in to your YouTube channel.
- Click your Channel icon or name in the upper corner of the page to select the channel you want to link.
- Click My Channel.
- Click Video Manager.
- Under “Channel,” click Advanced.
- Under “Link an AdWords for video account,” click Link an AdWords account.
- Follow the instructions, and then click Finish.
- Once the owner of the AdWords account approves your request, your YouTube channel will be linked to that AdWords account.
Follow these instructions to link a YouTube channel to your AdWords account.
- Sign in to your AdWords account, and go to your video campaigns.
- In the left navigation pane, under “Shared library,” click Linked YouTube Accounts.
- On the “Link a YouTube channel” page, click +CHANNEL for the channel that you want to link to an AdWords account.
- In the “Link a YouTube channel” dialog, search for a YouTube video from its channel or enter its URL, and then click Next.
Once the owner of the YouTube channel approves your request, that channel will be linked to your AdWords account.
Notes
- Linking your YouTube channel to an AdWords account allows you to promote your video and access reporting from AdWords.
- You can control what data the AdWords account can access, including view counts, remarketing, and earned actions.
- You can link more than one AdWords account to your YouTube channel, and vice versa.
Using AdWords to create video ads
Online videos are an exciting and interactive way to engage people on the web and encourage them to click through to your site. With AdWords for video, you can advertise your business in multiple ad formats across the:
- Google Display Network, Google’s network of web content publishers
- YouTube Network
- Video publisher pages, games, and apps on the Google Display Network (includes YouTube)
Note
TrueView in-stream videos can appear on YouTube Videos (Watch pages on YouTube).
Use the right tool for your business goals
Publisher sites can focus on streaming videos as a core part of their site content, or they can feature videos as additional content or media rich advertising. YouTube is one of Google’s largest and most powerful publishers featuring video content. There are a few ways to place your ads in videos on YouTube specifically, or videos on any publisher site within the Google Display Network.
The tool you should choose to build your video ads depends on your business goals:
- Reach viewers with cost-per-view biddingIf you’re focused on reaching viewers with video content using cost-per-view (CPV) bidding, we suggest you select TrueView in-stream ads. With CPV bidding, you’ll pay for video views and other video interactions, such as clicks on the call-to-action overlays (CTAs), cards, and companion banners.
- Use a mix of formats, cost-per-click (CPC), or cost-per-thousand impressions (CPM) biddingIf you’re focused on other AdWords video formats, CPC, or CPM bidding for your video campaigns, you should create standard display ad campaigns and build your ads with the Ad gallery. You should also use the Ad gallery if you want to use video and non-video ad formats in the same campaign.
You can create video ads with either AdWords for video or the Ad gallery. Here’s how:
Using AdWords for video
AdWords for video is a campaign management tool specifically designed to help you build online video campaigns more quickly. With AdWords for video, you can use templates unique to AdWords for video and YouTube’s TrueView formats.
- Only TrueView video formats are supported, as well as CPV pricing.
- Video ads must be hosted on YouTube.
- Reporting options include an additional level of detail specific to video ads that don’t exist in the rest of AdWords’ campaign management tools.
- Your campaigns can only contain TrueView video formats. They cannot include text, image, or other video ad formats.
Check out this overview of AdWords for video on YouTube (English)
Explore AdWords for video and its available formats.
Using the Ad gallery
The Ad gallery is an ad creation tool that offers various display ad formats in different categories, including video. You can access the tool when you begin creating a new ad on the Ads tab on any page of your account.
- In addition to standard display formats, you can create multiple video formats, some of which don’t have to be hosted on YouTube.
- You’ll use pre-designed templates unique to AdWords.
- Ads can be priced at CPC, CPM, or CPV*.
- Ads can be mixed with other ad formats in one AdWords campaign, except TrueView video ad formats.
Note
*All TrueView formats are CPV, and this reporting is available only for video campaigns.
Explore the Ad gallery and its available formats.
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