YouTube Ads
YouTube Ads management for companies that want leads and sales from video, not a report full of views
YouTube is the cheapest reach in Google Ads and the easiest place to spend without result. Run as part of the Search account, with the same conversion tracking and the same person judging both, video can create the demand Search then captures. Run on its own and measured in views, it rarely pays.
Why YouTube budgets disappear
- Measured in views and view rate. A view is counted at 30 seconds or a click; neither is a customer. The campaign is judged on conversions and on the lift in branded search and Search conversions during the flight.
- Audiences left to the default. Without custom segments built from your own search terms, competitor channels and in-market signals, the campaign reaches whoever is cheapest.
- One creative, run until it dies. Video wears out faster than text. A program of hooks and cuts, tested against each other, is the difference between a campaign that keeps working and one that spikes and fades.
- Demand Gen switched on as a bet. Demand Gen reaches YouTube, Discover and Gmail with the same creative and Google's audience modeling. It can work for considered purchases and lead generation; it needs conversion data to learn from and brand excluded from the credit.
What management includes
- Objective and measurement first. Conversion actions shared with Search, view-through windows set deliberately and reported separately, brand search lift tracked during flights. See conversion tracking.
- Audience architecture. Custom segments from your search terms and competitors' names, in-market and life-event segments where they fit, remarketing from site visitors and the CRM, exclusions for existing customers.
- Format by job. Skippable in-stream for consideration, Shorts and bumpers for frequency, Demand Gen for lead generation and considered purchases, video action campaigns where the conversion data supports them.
- Creative program. Briefs for hooks in the first five seconds, cuts at 6, 15 and 30 seconds, vertical versions for Shorts, produced by your team or a studio, tested against a control and retired on a schedule.
- One report with Search. YouTube and Demand Gen next to Search, Shopping and Performance Max, with the conversions each produced and the effect on branded search, so the budget split follows the numbers.
Who this fits
Companies already running Search with conversion tracking that works, and with a product or service that benefits from being explained or shown: SaaS, considered consumer purchases, education, healthcare, higher-value home services. Usually $3,000 a month or more on video alongside Search. Brands that want views and reach as the objective are better served by a media agency, and I will say so. YouTube is managed as part of Google Ads management rather than as a separate retainer.
Questions people ask before hiring
How much does YouTube advertising cost?
Cost per view is commonly a few cents; what matters is cost per lead or sale, which only exists once the campaign shares the Search account's conversion tracking. Management is part of a Google Ads retainer, a flat fee set from the scope. See pricing.
Do you produce the video?
I write the briefs, the hooks and the cuts to test; your team or a studio produces the footage. Many successful campaigns run on edits of existing video, phone-shot founder pieces and product demos.
Is Demand Gen worth it?
For lead generation and considered purchases with enough conversion data, often yes, with brand excluded so the reported result is real. For low-value transactions, usually not. It is tested against a budget and a target, not switched on as a bet.
Can you run YouTube without Google Search?
Yes, but it is rarely the right order. Search captures the demand video creates, and without it the result of the video is hard to see and harder to keep.
Related services
Tell me about the account
Spend band, site and what is not working. You get a straight answer on whether I can help, what I would do first and a price range. No proposal deck, no sales follow-up sequence.