YouTube Video Ads Guide for Small Businesses

To run video ads on YouTube, upload your ad video to YouTube, then create a video campaign in Google Ads. Choose a goal and ad format, set your budget and audience, and add the video by its YouTube link. You can make the ad video itself in Biteable in minutes, from a template or with AI.

Need the video first? Start with Biteable’s video ads maker.

Make your YouTube ad

TL;DR

YouTube video ads are created and managed in Google Ads

Pick the ad format that matches your goal. Formats are in the table below

Make the video first with a Biteable template or the AI Ad Generator, with captions

Measure one KPI and adjust

How do YouTube video ads work?

YouTube video ads are videos you pay to show before, during or after other YouTube videos, in YouTube search and feeds, and between Shorts. Some formats also run on websites and apps in Google video partners. You create and manage them in Google Ads as a Video campaign (Google Ads Help).

How to put video ads on YouTube

Here is how to put video ads on YouTube with Google Ads, checked against Google Ads Help on October 7, 2026.

Make your ad video and upload it to your YouTube channel.
Sign in to Google Ads, go to Campaigns, and select New campaign.
Choose your objective, such as Sales, Leads, Website traffic, or YouTube reach, views, and engagements, then select Video as the campaign type.
Set your bid strategy, budget, dates, networks, languages and locations.
Choose who sees the ad with demographics and audiences, and narrow it with keywords, topics or placements.
Add your video by its YouTube URL, then enter your final URL, call to action and headline.
Review your settings and publish the campaign.

If a label in Google Ads looks different, follow the Google Ads Help page above.

YouTube video ad formats and specifications

These YouTube video ads specifications come from Google Ads Help, with the non-skippable length from YouTube Help, checked October 7, 2026.

Format	Where it shows	Length	Best for	How you pay
Skippable in-stream	Before, during or after YouTube videos and on Google video partners. Viewers can skip after 5 seconds	No max. Under 3 minutes recommended	Promoting a video before, during or after other videos	When someone watches 30 seconds (or the whole ad if shorter) or interacts, with CPV bidding
Non-skippable in-stream	Before, during or after YouTube videos and on Google video partners. Can’t be skipped	15 to 60 seconds, depending on the campaign subtype	Getting your whole message seen	Per impression (Target CPM)
In-feed	YouTube search results, next to related videos, the mobile homepage and Subscriptions	No max	Reaching people where they discover videos	When someone clicks to watch, or after 10 seconds of autoplay in Video view campaigns
Bumper	Before, during or after YouTube videos and on Google video partners. Can’t be skipped	5 to 6 seconds	A short, memorable message to a broad audience	Per impression (Target CPM)
Shorts	Between Shorts in the Shorts feed. Viewers can swipe away at once	Under 60 seconds recommended	Promoting video in the Shorts feed	When a viewer watches your ad or interacts with it (CPV), or by target CPM

Google updates these formats. Check Google Ads Help before you build your campaign. Google also sells Masthead ads at the top of the YouTube Home feed, bought per thousand impressions or per hour.

Match the format to your goal using Google’s own guidance. Use bumper ads to reach viewers broadly with a short, memorable message, and non-skippable ads when you want people to see the whole message. Use skippable in-stream ads to promote a video around other videos, and in-feed ads to reach people where they discover content. For sales or leads, choose that objective at setup and add a final URL and call to action.

Make the video for your YouTube ad

Start from a template or open the AI Ad Generator and choose an awareness, explainer or promo ad.
Edit the text, footage, music and voice over.
Apply your brand from your website with Branding.
Add AI Captions (Premium and Business plans). You can include them in the downloaded MP4 or export them as SRT and VTT files to upload with the ad.
Download your MP4. Downloading videos needs a paid plan.

The AI Ad Generator makes multiple editable ads in under a minute. Biteable says you can use them in paid ads on Google, Meta and more, with no restrictions.

A few creative tips:

Lead with the point. Viewers can skip skippable in-stream ads after 5 seconds, so put your hook first.
Show your brand early. Get your logo and colors on screen in the opening shots.
Keep one message. Keep most ads to 15 seconds or less, and use the table above for YouTube’s own limits.
End with a clear call to action. Try a call to value too, such as “Make your next video” instead of “Join now.”

To make video ads for every platform, start at our video ads page. For organic channel videos, use the YouTube video maker. For short formats, read the art of short ads, and for promo ideas see promo videos.

Set one goal and target the right viewers

Pick your goal before you open Google Ads:

Choose one goal, such as more website visits, leads or sales.
Choose one KPI that tracks it, such as cost per lead.
Decide when you’ll measure, and check results against that KPI on a set schedule.

Then target the people most likely to buy:

Demographics, such as age and location, from your best customers
Interests and audiences that match what those customers care about
Placements by keywords, topics or specific channels and videos

For the video on your own channel, add YouTube cards to point people to your next step.

Running video ads on other platforms

Facebook video ads: make and size ads for Facebook and Instagram
LinkedIn video ads: specs and tips for B2B ads
Video ad examples: real ads and templates to copy

YouTube video ads FAQ

How do I put a video ad on YouTube?

Upload your ad video to YouTube. In Google Ads, create a new campaign, pick your objective, and select Video as the campaign type. Set your budget, dates, locations and audience. Add your video by its YouTube URL, enter a final URL, call to action and headline, then publish.

How much do YouTube video ads cost?

You set your own budget in Google Ads, either daily or for the whole campaign. What you pay for depends on the format. Skippable in-stream ads charge when someone watches 30 seconds or interacts. Bumper and non-skippable ads charge per impression. In-feed ads charge when someone clicks to watch.

What are YouTube TrueView video ads?

As of October 2025, Google Ads calls its views metric “TrueView views.” Skippable in-stream, in-feed, Shorts and Masthead ads count them. Starting August 2026, Google is automatically upgrading all TrueView In-stream and In-feed for Consideration campaigns to multi-format ads (Google Ads Help).

How long should a YouTube video ad be?

As of October 2026, Google allows bumper ads of 5 to 6 seconds and non-skippable in-stream ads of 15 to 60 seconds, depending on the campaign subtype. Skippable in-stream ads have no maximum, but Google recommends under 3 minutes. Shorts ads should be under 60 seconds. Keep it as short as your message allows.

Do I need a YouTube channel to run video ads?

Your ad video must be hosted on YouTube. Google Ads asks you to pick a video you’ve uploaded to YouTube or enter its YouTube URL. The simplest route is to upload the ad to your own channel first, then copy its link into Google Ads.

Where can I make video ads for other platforms?

Biteable makes video ads for YouTube, Facebook, LinkedIn and more from one editor. Start from a template or let the AI Ad Generator build several ads from your business info. Our video ads page covers each platform.