Should I use skippable or non-skippable YouTube ads?
Use skippable ads when you want leads or sales, and non-skippable or bumper ads when you need a guaranteed message in front of a lot of people.
Skippable in-stream ads work with conversion-focused campaigns like Demand Gen, and people who watch them can be added to remarketing lists. With view-based bidding, Google charges when someone watches 30 seconds, the whole ad if it is shorter, or interacts. A skip is useful information too: it tells you who was not interested.
Non-skippable ads run 15 to 60 seconds depending on the campaign subtype, and bumpers are 6 seconds. Google's own format table shows neither lets you remarket to viewers. They are reach and frequency tools, good for launches and for reinforcing a message.
Most of our accounts lean skippable for performance, with bumpers as a cheap reminder layer for people who already saw the longer cut. Our bidding strategy page covers which bid type fits which goal.
Sources: Google Ads Help: About video ad formats
What is a view-through conversion on YouTube, and should I count it?
A view-through conversion is a sale or lead from someone who was served your video ad but did not click or count as a view, then converted later. Treat it as a supporting signal, not your main success metric.
YouTube reports three layers. Regular conversions follow a view or a click. Engaged-view conversions count when someone watches at least 10 seconds of a skippable ad, or 5 seconds on Shorts, without clicking, and then converts. View-through conversions only need an impression.
Engaged-view conversions are the most useful middle ground, because the person chose to keep watching. View-through numbers can flatter a campaign that served lots of impressions to people who were going to buy anyway.
How we keep it honest: compare branded search and direct traffic in weeks video runs against weeks it does not, or hold out a region. If total conversions rise where video ran, the view-throughs were real. Our measurement team plans that test before launch, not after.
Sources: YouTube Help: About YouTube ads and view metrics
Should I use Demand Gen or a Video campaign for YouTube ads?
Use Demand Gen when you want conversions from people who are not searching yet, and a Video reach or views campaign when the goal is awareness, views or guaranteed frequency.
Google moved Video Action campaigns into Demand Gen, which now runs across YouTube including Shorts, Discover, Gmail, Maps and the Display Network, with video and image assets in one campaign. It also offers lookalike segments built from your own customer lists, which are only available in Demand Gen.
My view from the accounts we run: Demand Gen is not a cheaper version of search. It introduces you to people who have not raised their hand yet. Run it after search has proven which offer converts, so new demand has somewhere good to land, and judge it on assisted conversions as well as last click, or you will kill it too early.
Video reach and views campaigns still earn a place for launches, where cost per thousand and frequency matter more than cost per lead. Our paid search work usually builds the bottom of the funnel first.
Sources: Google Ads Help: Video Action Campaigns are being upgraded to Demand Gen, Google Ads Help: About Demand Gen campaigns, Google Ads Help: Demand Gen FAQ
How do I write a YouTube ad that people do not skip?
Open with the viewer's problem or the result they want in the first few seconds, show the product early, and get your brand on screen before the skip button appears.
Assume most people will skip, and make the opening work anyway. A clear problem and a visible brand still leave an impression on someone who skips at five seconds. A slow logo animation leaves nothing.
A structure we use often: hook with the problem in the customer's words, proof that shows the thing working, then the offer and why now, with the call to action repeated at the end and a URL on screen. Our best hooks borrow language from search terms that already convert, because that is how real customers describe the problem.
Shoot vertical and horizontal in the same session so one shoot feeds Shorts and in-stream. Test three versions of the hook before you test three different ads, since the opening is where most of the difference shows up. Then send the click to a landing page that picks up where the video left off.
Can I make YouTube ads with AI video tools?
Yes, AI video tools can now produce usable ad footage, and you get noticeably better results when you prompt them with structured instructions instead of one loose paragraph.
I tested the same scene three ways: a plain text prompt, a structured JSON prompt and a prompt written as code. The text and JSON versions came out fairly similar. The code version gave me more control over motion and what happens in the background, which is the kind of detail that makes footage feel intentional.
Where AI video fits today: b-roll, product scenes, backgrounds and fast concept tests before you pay for a shoot. Where it does not: testimonials, faces that should be your real team, and anything making a claim about results. Real customers and real staff still build more trust.
Treat AI footage like any other asset. Cut it for the placement, check every frame, and test it against a human-shot version. Let results decide. Our AI implementation team sets up these tools for marketing teams that want to run them in-house.
Do YouTube ads work for local businesses?
Yes, YouTube ads can work well for local businesses, as long as you target a tight service area and make the ad feel local from the first frame.
Google Ads lets you target by city, ZIP code or a radius around your location, then layer audiences on top, such as people in-market for your service. A plumber in Queen Creek does not need views in Seattle. Tight geography also keeps costs manageable while you learn what works.
The creative matters more than the targeting. Show your trucks, your staff and the neighborhoods you serve, and say the town name out loud. In the accounts we run, a real local face explaining a common problem usually beats polished stock footage.
Pair video with search. Someone sees your ad on YouTube Tuesday, then searches your name Thursday. Watch branded searches and calls as success signals, not just clicks on the video. Our local SEO and Google Business Profile work make sure that second search finds you.
Sources: Google Ads Help: Target ads to geographic locations
