How Much Do YouTube Ads Cost? Budgeting a Test
YouTube Ads are bought in an auction through Google Ads. You pay per view, per thousand impressions or toward conversions, depending on the format and campaign. Costs vary widely, so plan from your goal and your own numbers.
How much do YouTube Ads cost?
You set a daily or campaign budget, and Google charges by view for skippable in-stream and Shorts ads, by thousand impressions for bumpers and non-skippable ads, and toward conversions when you use conversion bidding in Demand Gen. Costs depend on audience, competition, creative and season. Formats and billing are in YouTube ad formats.
How should you budget a first test?
For conversion campaigns, work back from the cost per lead or trial you can afford and the number of conversions you need to judge the test. For awareness, work from the audience size and how many times you want each person to see the ad.
| Line | Value |
|---|---|
| Affordable cost per trial | $150 |
| Trials needed to judge the test | 25 |
| Planned spend | $3,750 |
| Weeks | 6 |
| Daily budget | About $90 |
Where does YouTube budget get wasted?
| Waste | Fix |
|---|---|
| Kids’, gaming and music content | Content exclusions |
| Mobile apps and embedded players | Placement review and exclusions |
| Broad audiences on conversion goals | Custom segments and remarketing |
| Weak openings that get skipped | Test new first five seconds |
| Judging awareness campaigns on leads | Match the metric to the goal |
Exclusions are covered in YouTube Ads targeting.
How should you compare YouTube with other channels?
On cost per qualified lead and pipeline for conversion campaigns, including view-through effects, and on reach and lift for awareness. Compare with Google Ads cost and LinkedIn Ads cost. Measurement is covered in YouTube Ads measurement.
Match the metric to the goal.
Cheap views mean nothing for a lead campaign, and leads mean nothing for an awareness campaign. Decide which you are buying.
How do you control spend?
- Set a fixed test budget and end date.
- Add exclusions before launch.
- Start with retargeting and one custom segment.
- Review placements and conversions weekly.
- Scale or stop at the end of the test.
Frequently asked questions
How much do YouTube Ads cost?
It depends on audience, competition, creative and format. You pay per view, per thousand impressions or toward conversions.
What is CPV on YouTube?
Cost per view, used for skippable in-stream and Shorts ads when people watch long enough or interact.
Are bumper ads charged per view?
No. Bumper and non-skippable ads are charged per thousand impressions.
How much should I spend testing YouTube Ads?
Enough for about 25 conversions at your target cost, over four to eight weeks.
How do I stop wasting YouTube budget?
Exclude kids’, gaming and irrelevant content, review placements and use tighter audiences.
Does Google publish average YouTube costs?
No. Use your own test data and forecasts in Google Ads.