Short answer: YouTube ads are run from Google Ads, and the campaign type should follow the goal. For awareness and views, use a Video campaign with a reach or views subtype. For leads and sales, use Demand Gen, which replaced Video action campaigns and serves on YouTube, Discover, Gmail and the Display Network. Performance Max can also show video on YouTube. Whatever the type, results depend on strong creative in the first few seconds, the right audiences and clean conversion tracking.
This YouTube ads guide explains how a Google Ads specialist chooses campaign types, formats, audiences and bidding for video, and how to judge whether it is working. It is written for brands that already run Search or Shopping and want to know where YouTube fits.
YouTube ads guide: choose the campaign type by goal
The biggest recent change is on the conversion side. Google stopped the creation of new Video action campaigns in 2025 and upgraded existing ones to Demand Gen, with the last remaining campaigns converted automatically in April 2026 (Google Ads Help: Video action campaigns are being upgraded to Demand Gen). If an older guide tells you to build a Video action campaign, that option no longer applies.
| Goal | Campaign type | Typical bidding |
|---|---|---|
| Reach as many people as possible | Video campaign: Efficient reach or Non-skippable reach | Target CPM |
| Get people to watch | Video campaign: Video views | Maximum CPV |
| Control repetition or tell a story | Video campaign: Target frequency or Ad sequence | Target CPM or Maximum CPV |
| Leads, sales, sign-ups | Demand Gen | Maximize conversions, Target CPA or value-based |
| Sales across all Google channels | Performance Max (video is one asset type) | Conversion or value-based |
Google lists the Video campaign subtypes under its YouTube reach, views and engagements objective, including Video views, Efficient reach, Non-skippable reach, Target frequency, Ad sequence and Audio reach (Google Ads Help: About Video campaign objectives). Demand Gen combines video and image assets in one campaign and serves across YouTube, including Shorts and in-feed placements, as well as Discover, Gmail and the Google Display Network (Google Ads Help: About Demand Gen campaigns).
YouTube ad formats in plain English
Each campaign type uses a different mix of formats. Here is what each one is, based on Google’s format guide (Google Ads Help: About video ad formats):
- Skippable in-stream: plays before, during or after a video and can be skipped after 5 seconds. With CPV bidding you pay when someone watches 30 seconds, the whole ad if shorter, or interacts.
- Non-skippable in-stream: cannot be skipped and is charged on impressions. Good for a complete short message.
- Bumper: a non-skippable ad of up to 6 seconds, bought on CPM. Useful for reminders and frequency.
- In-feed: a thumbnail and text in YouTube search results and feeds that people choose to click.
- Shorts ads: vertical ads shown between Shorts on mobile.
- Masthead: a premium homepage placement booked through Google sales, mostly for large launches.
Audiences: who should see your video
Targeting on YouTube is about people, not keywords. The audiences I build first are:
- Your data: website visitors, past customers from a customer list, and people who watched your videos. These are the warmest audiences.
- Lookalike segments: available in Demand Gen, they find people similar to your customers or visitors.
- Custom segments: built from search terms people used on Google, or from competitor and category websites. These are a good bridge between Search intent and YouTube reach.
- Interest and life event segments: broader options for awareness campaigns.
For conversion campaigns, I keep audiences fairly broad and let the bidding find buyers, using customer data as a signal rather than a fence. For awareness campaigns, tighter audiences and frequency control matter more, because you pay for every impression.
Creative: the part that decides results
On YouTube, the targeting gets the ad in front of someone, but the first seconds decide whether they keep watching. What I look for in every video:
- A hook before the skip button. Show the problem, the product or the result straight away. Logos and slow intros can come later.
- Brand early and often. Many viewers skip, so make sure they know who the ad is from before they do.
- Sound off friendly. Use captions and on-screen text so the message works without audio.
- Several aspect ratios. Landscape for in-stream, and vertical for Shorts. Demand Gen accepts landscape, square and vertical video.
- One clear action. Tell people exactly what to do next, and send them to a page that continues the same message. My Google Ads landing page tips apply just as much to video traffic.
Google also reported that advertisers who used both video and image assets in Demand Gen saw 20% more conversions at the same cost per action than those who used video only (Google: Video action campaigns upgrade to Demand Gen). That is Google’s own figure, but it is a fair reason to give Demand Gen images as well as video.
How I launch a YouTube campaign: step by step
- Agree the goal and the metric. Awareness is judged on reach, cost per thousand impressions and lift. Conversions are judged on cost per acquisition or return on ad spend.
- Check tracking. Conversion campaigns need working conversion actions in Google Ads. Link the YouTube channel to the Google Ads account so viewer audiences can be built.
- Pick the campaign type from the table above.
- Prepare creative in several lengths and ratios. A short cut and a longer cut of the same idea give the system room to test.
- Set bidding. Start conversion campaigns on Maximize conversions or a realistic Target CPA. My guide to Google Ads bidding strategies covers how to choose.
- Exclude what does not fit. Use content and placement exclusions to keep ads away from unsuitable content.
- Give it time, then review. Google notes that the Demand Gen learning period typically takes two weeks or more, so avoid judging results in the first few days.
Measuring YouTube ads properly
YouTube often influences sales that close later on Search or by direct visit, so last-click reports undervalue it. I look at conversions in Google Ads, branded search volume over time and, for awareness budgets, Brand Lift where it is available. Brand Lift compares survey answers from people who saw your ads with a control group who did not, measuring ad recall, awareness and consideration (Google Ads Help: About Brand Lift). Judging every channel by its contribution to total revenue, not just its own report, is the core idea behind performance marketing.
What I recommend
If you sell online or generate leads, start with Demand Gen using both video and images, aimed at your own data and lookalike segments. Add a Video reach campaign later if you want broader awareness and have the budget to sustain it. Spend more effort on the first five seconds of your videos than on any targeting setting. A Google Ads specialist can run YouTube alongside Search and Shopping so the channels support each other instead of competing for credit.
Frequently asked questions
Do I run YouTube ads in Google Ads or YouTube Studio?
Can I still create a Video action campaign?
When do I pay for a skippable YouTube ad?
Does this YouTube ads guide apply to small budgets?
Can a Google Ads specialist manage YouTube campaigns too?
Need help with YouTube ads?
If you want to add video to your Google Ads without wasting budget on views that never turn into customers, I can help. See my Google Ads management service, or request a free ads audit and I will check your tracking, audiences and creative before you scale.
Sources
- Google Ads Help: Video action campaigns are being upgraded to Demand Gen
- Google Ads Help: About Video campaign objectives
- Google Ads Help: About Demand Gen campaigns
- Google Ads Help: About video ad formats
- Google: Drive better performance by upgrading Video Action Campaigns to Demand Gen
- Google Ads Help: About Brand Lift