YouTube Ad Types: Your Quick Guide to YouTube Ads
Keep reading to learn about the six types of ads available on YouTube.
Need help promoting your business on YouTube with YouTube advertising? Trust WebFX. With our award-winning team of more than 500 digital marketing professionals, we’ve driven more than $10 billion in revenue for our clients, helping them grow their businesses.
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1. Display ads
YouTube ads can have a powerful effect on your company’s marketing capacities. Which type of advertising format is the right choice for you? While not as popular as their counterparts, display ads could help your business achieve its advertising goals.
What are display ads?
Display ads are a YouTube ad type that doesn’t appear as a video over the content a user wants to watch. Rather than displaying before, during, or after a video, they display to the right side of the video, above the video suggestions list.
Where do display ads appear?
Display ads only appear on desktops and laptops. They show up on the side of a viewer’s video, above the video suggestions list. In some cases, display ads appear immediately below the player.
What are the advantages of display ads?
With display ads, you avoid disrupting your audience’s viewing time. Rather than impatiently waiting through an advertisement before they can watch a video, users can easily find out more about your company while playing a video or browsing suggested videos.
What are the disadvantages of display ads
As display ads only appear on desktop devices, they prevent your company from reaching on the-go-users. Today, 70 percent of all time spent on YouTube happens via a mobile device. If your audience includes a significant number of mobile users, display ads probably won’t help.
2. Overlay ads
Do you want to invest in a straight-forward way to market your business on YouTube? Overlay ads provide you with this option by giving you access to a 480×70 or 728×90 pixel ad that displays on the lower half of videos.
What are overlay ads?
Overlay ads are compact advertisements that can use visuals, text, or both. They can consist of promos, advertisements, or simple branding efforts that aim to get viewers to click on your ad and visit your website.
Where do overlay ads appear?
Have you ever noticed a semi-transparent ad pop-up on the bottom half of a YouTube video? If so, you encountered an overlay ad. As the name suggests, these advertisements lay over a video. Overlay ads only appear on laptop and desktop screens.
What are the advantages of overlay ads?
With an overlay ad, you can reach users as they watch a video. Plus, you can create a text ad with an image, rather than a video. This feature makes overlay ads versatile and straight-forward, providing your business with an effective way to drive traffic to your website.
What are the disadvantages of overlay ads?
The “x” button in the top right-hand corner of an overlay ad may lead users to exit your ad quickly. The good news is that if you’re asking yourself, “How much does YouTube advertising cost?” it is extremely budget-friendly, especially with overlay ads. Your company only pays when a user clicks on your ad rather than just viewing it.
3. TrueView or skippable video ads
Do you want to use the most popular YouTube ad type on YouTube? If so, TrueView, or skippable video ads, may offer your company the performance and results you’re looking for from YouTube.
What are TrueView ads?
Skippable or TrueView video ads display before, during, or after a video. Users can skip these ads after five seconds. These advertisements consist of brief video promos or ads that motivate users to take action, whether by visiting your website, watching your video, or buying your product.
Where do TrueView ads appear?
TrueView or skippable ads appear on any device. Whether a user accesses YouTube on their smartphone, tablet, game console, or desktop, they can experience and act on your advertisements.
What are the advantages of TrueView ads?
Viewers can watch TrueView ads on virtually any device. Whether your audience sees your skippable ad on a desktop, game console, TV, or mobile device, you can reach them and generate additional interest in your company, products, or services.
What are the disadvantages of TrueView ads?
With TrueView ads, your team has the challenge of creating a compelling video ad. You must capture the attention of users in five seconds or they won’t act on your ad. Keep users engaged, and you can stop them from fixating on the “Skip” button.
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4. Non-skippable video ads
Perhaps you want to invest in an ad that demands the attention of your target audience. When you use non-skippable video ads, you have additional time to convince viewers to interact with your ad.
What are non-skippable video ads?
Do you want to tell a story that requires additional time? If so, non-skippable video ads are a type of YouTube ad worth considering. Non-skippable ads can run for 15 to 20 seconds before, during, or after a video.
Where do non-skippable video ads appear?
A non-skippable video ad appears before a viewer can watch or resume their original video, whether they’re on a mobile or desktop device. These ads can also display at the end of a video too. They appear in the same spot as the main video, like TrueView ads.
What are the advantages of non-skippable video ads?
With non-skippable ads, you have more room to work your creativity and share valuable information with your viewers. This increased flexibility can help your team earn more attention and views from users.
What are the disadvantages of non-skippable video ads?
While you may like having more ad time, it often comes at the cost of your viewers’ satisfaction. The inability to skip an ad may seem intrusive or annoying to some audience members, leading them to leave a video or walk away while the ad plays.
5. Bumper ads
Perhaps you want to share a quick promo or piece of information with your audience in a format you can guarantee they’ll see. Bumper ads are a type of YouTube ad that combines non-skippable and skippable video ads.
What are bumper ads?
Bumper ads are like non-skippable videos. Instead of running for 20 to 30 seconds, however, they last for a maximum of six seconds. These advertisements function as a sort of “bumper ad” before, during, or after a video.
Where do bumper ads appear?
Like a non-skippable or skippable ad, bumper ads appear where the main video displays. They typically occur before, during, or after the video. Users can view them on mobile and desktop devices.
What are the advantages of bumper ads?
Since they’re short and unskippable, bumper ads quickly capture the attention of audience members. There isn’t any burden or hassle involved with viewing the ads, and successful bumper promos can help you expand your branding efforts.
What are the disadvantages of bumper ads?
Because they are so short, many bumper ads can underperform when it comes to giving marketers the chance to share enough information with their audience. That’s why you need to invest time in brainstorming and developing a quick, to-the-point bumper ad.
6. Sponsored cards
If you want to promote products featured in a video, sponsored cards are a go-to type of YouTube ad. Even better, sponsored cards can appear on mobile and desktop devices in varying sizes to capture every user’s attention.
What are sponsored cards?
Sponsored cards, also referred to as cards, are small advertisements that can pop-up on a YouTube video while the video plays. These ads don’t appear randomly. Instead, they display at relevant moments in a video, like when unboxing a product.
Where do sponsored cards appear?
Sponsored cards appear on both desktop and mobile devices. They usually display on the right-hand side of a video. A sponsored card appears on the screen for several seconds and gives viewers the option of clicking on the ad to learn more about your company.
What are the advantages of sponsored cards?
Sponsored cards aren’t obtrusive and don’t interfere with a user’s ability to watch a video. Since they often appear on videos with relevant content, sponsored cards tend to help users find a product.
What are the disadvantages of sponsored cards?
In most cases, sponsored cards appeal to ecommerce businesses. If you sell a product online, they’re an excellent tool for driving website traffic and purchases. For companies that offer services, however, another ad type may provide more value.
Our digital marketing campaigns impact the metrics that improve your bottom line.
See Our Approach
$10 billion
24 million
7.14 million
Need help advertising on YouTube?
When you choose to advertise on YouTube, you get access to a variety of different advertising options from YouTube Shorts ads to bumper ads and much more. Which option is the best choice for your business, though? If you’re not quite sure, WebFX can help.
With more than 28 years of experience, plus a savvy team of social media specialists, we can develop a data-driven and competitive ad campaign for your business. For more information about how you can get started, contact our team online or call us at 888-601-5359 today!