SEO Tools and Resources

If you’re running video ads on YouTube, you know there are a lot of factors to consider. But one of the most crucial elements is often overlooked: where your ads actually show up. This article explores the different kinds of video ad placements in Google Ads, helping you distinguish between them and understand how each one impacts your campaign performance. I’ll cover: What are the 3 main types of YouTube video ad placements? In-Stream Ads: The familiar YouTube pre-Roll Shorts Ads: Vertical video in the feed In-Feed Ads: Discovery-driven placements How to measure success of in-stream, Shorts and in-feed ads How to choose your video ad pla…

YouTube used its NewFront presentation to unveil a significant upgrade to its Creator Partnerships platform, adding Gemini-powered creator matching, stronger measurement tools, and new ways to run creator content as paid ads. Why we care. Influencer marketing has become a core part of many brands’ strategies, but finding the right creators at scale and proving ROI is a pain point. tackles influencer marketing’s two biggest friction points — finding the right creator and proving ROI. Gemini-powered matching cuts through the noise of three million creators, while the ability to run creator content as paid Shorts and in-stream ads makes performance measurable like a…

YouTube citations in Google AI Overviews grew 25.21% since Jan. 1 – and this surge was particularly seen in the healthcare industry, according to new data from enterprise SEO platform BrightEdge. Why we care. Even though Google’s lawyer said less than 1% of YouTube video views come from search, Google continues to give preference to videos from its YouTube platform – especially for visual demonstrations, step-by-step tutorials, and product comparisons. If you want to be visible in AI Overviews, you may want to align your YouTube and SEO strategies so your videos are cited in AI Overviews. By the numbers. Here is where YouTube’s presence in AI Overviews increas…

YouTube is cited 200x more than any other video platform in AI search results, according to new data from enterprise SEO platform BrightEdge. YouTube was: Cited 200 times more than any other video platform by ChatGPT, Perplexity, and Google’s AI products. Present across all platforms and essentially the only video source that matters. Competitors barely registered: Vimeo (0.1%), TikTok (0.1%), Dailymotion (0%), Twitch (0%). A top information authority, rivaling Mayo Clinic and Investopedia. By the numbers. YouTube had a 200x advantage over its nearest rival (Vimeo at 0.1%). Even platforms like Perplexity and ChatGPT, which have no incentive to favor Goo…

YouTube is rolling out new features that make it easier for creators and brands to connect their collaborative content with advertising campaigns. This comes after their introduction last year of tools to help brands better leverage creator content and its fast-growing Shorts format to drive measurable business outcomes The details. The platform has introduced two improvements: Creator-initiated linking: Eligible creators can now directly send linking requests to brands for sponsored videos they’ve already published. Video linking API: Brands working with multiple creators can automate the connection process through a new API integration. Why we care.…

YouTube is upgrading its Promotions tool, letting creators target potential viewers by interests, not just age, gender, or location. What’s new. Creators can now target users by interest categories like Food & Dining. These categories are built from aggregated, anonymized signals, including search behavior and viewing habits. Example: Users who frequently search for recipes and watch cooking content may be grouped into a food-related interest segment. How it works.YouTube uses patterns across Google services to infer interests, then applies those signals at scale — without exposing individual user data. Why we care. Creators who pay to promote vid…

Getting found in all the right places has always meant being early to the next major shift in search. Today, that shift is toward GEO, or generative engine optimization, and SEO redefined as search everywhere optimization. Both describe the growing need to optimize content for AI-driven discovery. If YouTube still sits in the “nice-to-have” category of your SEO strategy, you are quietly ceding visibility in both traditional rankings and Google AI Overviews to competitors. YouTube is now core search infrastructure YouTube can’t be relegated to “brand” or “social” anymore because the platform is now core search infrastructure. YouTube is the second…

YouTube will change how mid-roll ads are placed in videos starting May 12. YouTube aims to improve the viewer experience and increase revenue opportunities for creators. How it works: YouTube allows creators to manually place ad breaks or let the platform auto-insert them. Creators will be able to combine manual and automatic ad placement, with YouTube’s system potentially overriding manual selections if it finds a more natural break. The new system aims to improve automatic detection, ensuring better placement while also offering a combined manual and auto option. A new feature will flag “interruptive” manual ad slots, allowing creators to adjust them. …

YouTube is testing a new AI Overviews carousel. It will appear in search results for select queries. The feature uses AI to highlight the most relevant clips from videos tied to a user’s search. Why we care. Google AI Overviews have reduced visibility and traffic to websites. If this experiment is rolled out, could YouTube’s version of AI Overviews end up reducing visibility and video views for brands and creators? How it works. When a user enters an certain type of query, YouTube will use AI to scan relevant videos and surface highlight clips that it deems most informative or useful. These clips appear in a carousel within the search results, giving users a quic…

YouTube launched the YouTube Activation Partners program, a new initiative connecting advertisers and agencies with vetted third-party experts who specialize in YouTube media buying and campaign management. Why we care. As the biggest streaming platform for over two years, according to Nielsen, YouTube continues to dominate attention spans. But as ad strategies become more complex, brands increasingly rely on external partners for campaign optimization and cross-platform efficiency. Driving the news. The new program curates a network of trusted YouTube experts who meet Google’s performance and quality standards. Partners receive a YouTube Activation Partner b…

YouTube has removed the “close” button on sidebar panels in some horizontal video ads on mobile, making the ad’s sidebar — often used for shoppable products or sitelinks — permanently visible during playback. Why we care. The change means users can no longer dismiss the sidebar to view the ad full-screen, leaving part of the video blocked by the fixed panel. That could impact both viewer experience and ad creative performance. The difference: Old layout: Users could tap an “X” to close the sidebar and focus on the main video. New layout: The sidebar remains locked, displaying additional ad content throughout. The source. The update was first spotte…

YouTube is rolling out new ad features for Shorts aimed at helping brands stretch their holiday marketing budgets — and capitalize on short-form video momentum. What’s new: Comments on Shorts ads: Advertisers can now enable comments on eligible Shorts ads, bringing the ad experience closer to organic content and creating new avenues for real-time audience engagement. Creator links to brand sites: Shorts creators posting branded content can now link directly to a brand’s website — giving viewers a seamless path from discovery to action. Shorts ads on mobile web: YouTube is expanding Shorts ad placement to the mobile web, adding another surface to reach viewe…

Google is testing AI-generated summaries in YouTube feeds, replacing video titles with auto-written synopses. Some YouTube users are seeing video titles replaced by AI-generated summaries in the Android app. Reports on Reddit showed title-less video cards with collapsible summary boxes instead. The details. Video thumbnails remain, but titles are missing in some cases. AI summaries appear in expandable text boxes beneath each video. Users must tap to expand summaries to understand the content. The test appears limited to YouTube on Android. Why we care. This further abstracts creator metadata and reduces control over how your YouTube content appears…

YouTube is testing a new advertising offering that lets brands own its most prominent ad space — the Masthead — by the hour, marking a significant shift in how marketers can capture attention. This new Cost-Per-Hour (CPH) Masthead gives advertisers 100% share of voice across all YouTube devices during crucial timeframes, potentially transforming how brands approach major launches and cultural moments, according to a slide obtained by Search Engine Land. The big picture. The CPH Masthead complements YouTube’s existing CPM (cost per thousand impressions) Masthead offering, providing advertisers more flexibility in how they dominate YouTube’s prime advertising real e…

Google announced they are testing a new “conversational search experience to complement how you already search on YouTube.” It is called “Ask YouTube” and it lets you “dive deeper into the topics you’re curious about in a more interactive way,” Dave from YouTube wrote. What it looks like. Here is a GIF of it in action: How can I try it. If you want to try it out, you can go to youtube.com/new and try to opt into it. This experiment is currently available for YouTube Premium members 18+ in the US who opt-in. Google is working on expanding the experiment to non-Premium users in the future. What it does. Dave from YouTube posted this example: “If yo…

YouTube is pushing further into traditional TV-style advertising, signaling a shift that could reshape the viewing experience — and attract bigger brand budgets. What’s happening. Some TV viewers are being shown ads up to 90 seconds long before they can skip, a significant jump from the 30-second unskippable formats introduced recently. How it works. The longer ad blocks appear primarily on TV devices and may exceed 90 seconds in total length, with the skip option only becoming available after that initial window. Why we care. YouTube is creating more premium, TV-like ad inventory that allows for longer, more impactful storytelling on the big screen. This open…

YouTube is rolling out a beta feature that automatically lowers costs for underperforming Demand Gen Target CPA (tCPA) campaigns, aiming to keep advertisers closer to their desired CPA during the volatile learning phase. Why we care. The update gives advertisers a financial cushion during the earliest — and often most unstable — phase of YouTube campaigns, where conversion predictions can swing widely. It’s a rare instance of Google proactively refunding spend to protect performance targets. How it works: The system monitors new Demand Gen tCPA campaigns during the learning phase. If conversions fall below what Google predicted, it may retroactively reduce…

YouTube is experimenting with a format that keeps ads visible even after users skip — potentially reshaping how advertisers think about skippable inventory. What’s happening. YouTube is testing a sticky banner overlay that appears once a user skips an ad. Instead of the ad disappearing entirely, a branded card remains on-screen until the viewer actively dismisses it. How it works. After hitting “skip,” users return to their video as normal, but a persistent banner tied to the original ad stays visible within the player, extending the advertiser’s presence beyond the initial skip. Why we care. This test from YouTube creates a way to maintain visibility even…

YouTube will reinstate channels previously banned under old COVID-19 and election integrity rules, a major shift in the platform’s approach to content moderation. Driving the news. Channels terminated for repeated violations of policies that are “no longer in effect” will be allowed back, YouTube’s parent company, Alphabet, told Congress in a letter. Alphabet acknowledged it had faced outside pressure to remove user content but said it will now prioritize “free expression.” YouTube will replace some fact-checking mechanisms with context notes, letting users add clarifications – a tool X already uses. What it means. Reinstated channels will be eligible to s…

YouTube pitched advertisers on a new suite of ad formats aimed at tapping into its massive connected TV audience. Among the highlights from yesterday: interactive shopping ads that let viewers browse and buy products directly from their television screens. YouTube is capitalizing on its dominance in streaming to blur the line between passive viewing and active shopping, positioning itself as a key player in the convergence of TV and ecommerce. The big picture. YouTube is targeting the “second screen” with interactive shopping features designed for how people actually watch TV today: A new shoppable CTV offering displays products on the side of TV screens duri…