In YouTube & partners line items, creatives are specified by selecting the YouTube video you want in an ad within the YouTube & partners line item's ad group.
For Display & Video 360 to access your YouTube videos, they must be public or unlisted (not private). You also can't use uploaded, third-party served, or Campaign Manager 360–hosted videos for YouTube.
Content requirements
- Ads are subject to Google Ads policies, including the Personalized advertising policy.
- YouTube age-restricted videos cannot be promoted in ads.
Creative review process
All videos used in YouTube & partners line items are subject to a review process to validate video content and the behavior of any third-party tracking pixels used. Most ads are reviewed in 1 business day, but complex reviews may take longer.
For certain restricted products and services, you will be asked to manually request this review for each YouTube & partners ad.
Third-party tracking pixel requirements
Google Ads no longer accepts third-party ad tracking pixels for YouTube measurement. Learn more about the changes to third-party measurement for YouTube.
Including third-party tracking pixels (1x1 image pixels) in ads is optional. Third-party tracking pixels are available for skippable, bumper, and non-skippable ads, but not in-feed video ads. If you include these pixels, they must meet requirements for third-party ad servingand the following requirements:
For third-party pixel implementation:
- Tracking pixels are supported for impression, view, and skip events for skippable ads. For bumper and non-skippable ads, tracking pixels are supported for impression events.
- Up to 3 tracking pixels (which may redirect up to 3 times each) are accepted per event.
- JavaScript is not allowed.
- All tracking pixels and any fourth-party calls made within the pixels from daisy-chaining must be SSL-compliant.
- Click trackers are not included in this implementation process and should be added to your ads before submitting a request.
Landing pages for skippable, bumper, and non-skippable ads
When creating a YouTube & partners line item, you can set the landing page a user will be directed to in the Landing page URL field of a skippable, bumper, or non-skippable ad. (This is specified within the ad group section of a YouTube & partners line item). This URL should be the same domain as your advertiser's website.
If you want to use third-party click tracking, you can specify a third-party click-tracking URL in the Tracking URL options field.
Other requirements and video features
Technical requirements
| Ad format | Where ads appear | Video options | Companion banner | Ad text limits | Click destination |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Skippable ad |
YouTube videos YouTube TV |
YouTube video (less than 3 minutes recommended) | An image that's automatically generated from the videos in your YouTube channel (recommended for YouTube video action campaigns) or an image that you manually upload | N/A | Your website |
| In-feed video ad | YouTube search results YouTube video suggestions Video plays on YouTube watch or channel page |
YouTube video (any length) | N/A | 100 characters maximum for headline; 35 characters maximum for each description Description not shown in Suggestions |
Clicking the ad will deliver a user to the YouTube watch page to view the video rather than playing the video within the ad unit itself |
| Bumper ads |
YouTube videos YouTube TV |
YouTube video (6 seconds or less) | An image that you manually upload | N/A | Your website |
| Non-skippable ads |
YouTube videos YouTube TV |
YouTube video (between 6 and 15 seconds) | An image that you manually upload | N/A | Your website |
Optional features
Subtitles: If you want to have subtitles and closed captions appear on a YouTube video you use as an ad, follow these instructions and select the video when setting up your YouTube & partners line item.
Companion banners: You can add companion banners to your skippable, bumper, and non-skippable ads by uploading your own image that meets the following requirements:
- Dimensions: 300 x 60
- File type: JPG, GIF, or PNG
- File size: 150 KB max
- GIF frame rate: fewer than 5 frames per second
Call-to-action (CTA) overlays: To add interactive elements to your ads that can help drive clicks to your website, follow these instructions.
Limitations
- If a YouTube video is set to "Private" after it's been used in an ad, the ad will be disapproved. The Video Duration metric in reporting will show a value of “Unknown.”