If you want to know how to advertise on YouTube, the short answer is this: link your channel to a Google Ads account, choose a campaign type that matches one clear goal, give it a video made for the platform, set targeting and a budget, then judge it on the right numbers. YouTube ads are bought through Google Ads, not inside the YouTube app, and the choices you make in the first hour decide most of what you get back.
This guide walks through the seven steps we use when we set up YouTube advertising for brands, with the current campaign types, formats and costs taken from Google’s own help pages, checked on 29 October 2026.
How to advertise on YouTube: the short version
- Every YouTube ad runs through Google Ads. Link your channel first so you can use your viewers as an audience and see organic views next to paid ones.
- Pick the campaign by goal, not by format. Video reach for awareness, Video views for consideration, Demand Gen for clicks and sales. Video action campaigns no longer exist.
- Skippable ads only charge for real attention. On CPV bidding you pay when someone watches 30 seconds, the whole ad if it is shorter, or interacts.
- Creative does most of the work. Targeting and bidding matter, but the first five seconds decide whether anyone stays.
- Measure against the goal you set. Reach and frequency for awareness, view rate and brand lift for consideration, conversions for action.
Why advertise on YouTube?
Scale and time spent. DataReportal, Digital 2026: The United Kingdom puts YouTube’s UK ad reach at 55.5 million people in late 2025, 81.5% of internet users, and stresses that this is an advertising audience estimate rather than a count of active users. Ofcom Online Nation 2025 found YouTube reaches 94% of UK adults online, for 51 minutes a day on phones, tablets and computers alone. On top of that, Ofcom Media Nations 2026 reports that daily YouTube viewing on TV sets rose from 9 minutes per person in 2022 to 19 minutes in 2025, which is why so many YouTube ads now play on the biggest screen in the house. We cover that shift in our guide to connected TV advertising.
Google also publishes effectiveness research, which you should treat as vendor data. Its UK team reports that YouTube delivered ROI 23% higher than social channels and 109% higher than linear TV, based on a Google and Nielsen meta analysis of 20 marketing mix models for retail brands from 2020 to 2024 (Think with Google UK, January 2026).
YouTube ROI compared with other channels
Step 1: Decide the one job your YouTube ads must do
Google Ads organises video campaigns by goal, so start there. Write down one objective and one number you will judge it on. A campaign asked to build awareness and drive sales at the same time usually does neither well.
| Your goal | Campaign type | Formats it uses | Main way you pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reach lots of people cheaply (awareness) | Video reach: efficient reach, non skippable reach or target frequency | Bumpers, skippable in stream, non skippable, plus in feed and Shorts if multi format is on | Target CPM |
| Get your video watched (consideration) | Video views | Skippable in stream, in feed and Shorts | Target CPV |
| Clicks, leads and sales (action) | Demand Gen | Video and image ads across YouTube, including Shorts, plus other Google feeds | Conversion or value based bidding |
| Big launch day moment | Masthead | Homepage takeover | Reservation through a Google rep, CPM or cost per hour |
Sources: Google Ads Help, Video reach campaigns, Google Ads Help, About video views, Google Ads Help, About video ad formats. Table: Advertain guidance.
One change to know about: Google stopped letting advertisers create new Video action campaigns in April 2025 and says it would automatically upgrade the remaining ones to Demand Gen by April 2026 (Google Ads Help, Video action campaigns upgraded to Demand Gen). Older guides that tell you to choose Video action are out of date.
Step 2: Link your YouTube channel to Google Ads
Google calls linking from YouTube Studio its recommended approach (Google Ads Help on linking YouTube channels):
- In YouTube Studio, go to Settings, then Channel, then Advanced settings.
- Choose Link account, enter a name for the link and your Google Ads customer ID, and pick the permissions you want to grant.
- Select Done, then Save. The link goes live once the Google Ads account approves it.
Linking lets the ads account run ads based on how people interact with your channel’s videos, so you can reach past viewers and subscribers (Google now calls these audiences “your data”), and see organic views alongside paid ones. If you are not ready for Google Ads, YouTube Studio also has a Promote option on your videos for simpler campaigns aimed at more subscribers, views or website clicks (YouTube Help, promotions in YouTube Studio), but you give up most of the control described below.
Step 3: Make an ad that works on YouTube
The ad has to earn attention in the first few seconds, because on skippable formats viewers can skip after five. Open on the most interesting thing you have, show the brand or product early and naturally, and give people a reason to keep watching. Our guide to YouTube hooks has 25 opening line templates, and our creative brief template shows how to brief the work.
Plan versions rather than one hero cut: a 6 second bumper, a 15 second cut, a longer skippable ad and a vertical edit for Shorts. Google’s UK research on 98 marketing mix models found that ads using humour lifted ROI by 6.9% on average, and a clear path to purchase by 5.7% (Think with Google UK, July 2026, vendor research).
The targeting gets you in front of the right person. The first five seconds decide whether they care.
Step 4: Choose your YouTube ad formats
Formats are the shapes your video can take. Lengths and billing below come from Google Ads Help, About video ad formats.
| Format | Length | Skippable? | How you pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Skippable in stream | Any length; short is safer | Yes, after 5 seconds | CPV: when someone watches 30 seconds, the whole ad if shorter, or interacts. Or per impression on CPM and conversion bidding |
| Non skippable in stream | 15 to 60 seconds depending on campaign subtype; 30 second ads run mainly on connected TVs | No | Target CPM |
| Bumper | Up to 6 seconds | No | Target CPM |
| In feed | Any length | Viewer clicks to watch | When the thumbnail is clicked and the video starts |
| Shorts ads | Under 60 seconds recommended, vertical | Viewers swipe | A view counts at 10 seconds, the end, or an engagement |
| Masthead | Homepage placement | Not applicable | Reservation only, CPM or cost per hour |
Source: Google Ads Help, About video ad formats and Google Ads Help, Video reach campaigns, checked 29 October 2026.
For most brands starting out, skippable in stream plus Shorts covers the bulk of the inventory. Our YouTube Shorts strategy report goes deeper on buying Shorts specifically.
Step 5: Set targeting and brand suitability
Google offers two kinds of targeting for video campaigns (Google Ads Help, targeting for video campaigns):
- Audiences: demographics, affinity and custom affinity, life events, in market, custom segments built from people’s Google searches, your data (past viewers and site visitors), and Customer Match lists.
- Content: placements (specific channels, videos, sites and apps to target or exclude), topics and keywords.
Start broad with one or two strong audience signals rather than stacking every option, which shrinks reach and raises costs. Then set brand suitability: Google’s inventory settings run from expanded or maximum, through standard (the recommended default), to limited, and you can also exclude content types such as embedded videos and live streams (Google Ads Help, content exclusions for video campaigns).
Step 6: Set your budget and bidding
You set a daily budget or a total campaign budget, and the bid strategy follows the campaign type: target CPM for reach, target CPV for views, and conversion or value based bidding for Demand Gen. We have not found an official Google figure for a minimum spend, and real costs swing with audience, season and creative, so treat any CPV benchmark you see online with care.
A sensible test, in our experience, is a fixed monthly amount you can afford to learn with, run for at least four weeks so the bidding settles, with one campaign per goal. For what the rest of the budget should look like, see our guides to video marketing strategy and video production costs in the UK.
Step 7: Launch, review and measure your YouTube ads
Google says most ads are reviewed within one business day, and the review covers the video itself (Google Ads Help, the ad review process). Google is also rolling out advertiser verification to all advertisers, which shows your name and location in ad disclosures and can take up to five business days (Google Ads advertiser verification), so start it early.
Then measure against the goal from step 1:
- Awareness: unique reach, average frequency and cost per thousand.
- Consideration: view rate, which Google defines as paid views divided by impressions eligible for views (Google Ads Help, TrueView view rate), plus a YouTube Brand Lift study if you qualify.
- Action: conversions, cost per acquisition and return, ideally checked with a lift test or marketing mix model. Our guide to calculating ROI explains the maths.
Examples of brands advertising on YouTube
All three are UK brands, and all results are self reported in Google’s own case studies, so read them as proof of what is possible rather than benchmarks.
- Ocado Retail ran Demand Gen always on with return on ad spend bidding and reported cost per acquisition down 73%, new customer transactions up 32% and brand searches up 43% year on year (Think with Google UK, Ocado Retail case study).
- Go.Compare reported a 9.4 point rise in brand consideration from a Kantar Brand Lift study, and YouTube ROI up 86% on the previous period in its marketing mix model (Think with Google UK, Go.Compare case study).
- BT moved over £6 million into YouTube on connected TVs and reported 23% higher ROI and six times greater cost efficiency, measured with marketing mix modelling (Think with Google, BT case study).
Ocado Retail: year on year results after moving to always on Demand Gen
YouTube advertising launch checklist
| Check | Done when |
|---|---|
| One goal and one number | Written down before you open Google Ads |
| Channel linked | Link approved in Google Ads and YouTube Studio |
| Right campaign type | Matches the goal: reach, views or Demand Gen |
| Ad versions ready | Bumper, 15 second, longer skippable and vertical cuts |
| Opening five seconds | Brand or product shown early, with a reason to keep watching |
| Targeting | One or two clear audience signals, exclusions set |
| Brand suitability | Inventory type and content exclusions chosen |
| Measurement | Conversion tracking, UTMs and a plan for lift or MMM |
Advertain guidance.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to advertise on YouTube?
There is no fixed price. You set your own daily or campaign budget and bid, and the auction decides the cost. With CPV bidding on skippable ads you only pay when someone watches 30 seconds, the full ad if shorter, or interacts. Costs vary with audience, format, season and creative quality.
Can you advertise on YouTube Shorts?
Yes. Shorts ads run through Video views, Video reach (with multi format turned on) and Demand Gen campaigns. Google recommends vertical videos under 60 seconds, and counts a Shorts view at 10 seconds, the end of the ad, or an engagement.
Can you advertise on YouTube for free?
Not through paid ads. The free route is organic: publishing videos people want to watch and optimising your channel. Our guides to YouTube SEO and growing subscribers cover that side.
How long does YouTube take to approve an ad?
Google says most ads are reviewed within one business day. Advertiser verification, which Google is extending to all advertisers, can take up to five business days, so complete it before your launch date.
If you want help planning, making or running YouTube advertising, see our work or get in touch.
