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YouTube Ads Management

YouTube Ads That Build Intent Before the Search Even Happens

YouTube is where people go to learn, compare, and decide. A well-placed video ad doesn't interrupt the journey — it shapes it. We build YouTube campaigns that reach the right audience at the right moment and move them closer to a decision.

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Audit in 48 hrs

No lock-in contracts

You own the account

YouTube Ads Audit — Issues Found

Ad format usedOnly skippable

Audience targetingBroad — no intent layer

Hook length (first 5s)Weak — low view rate

Placement exclusionsNone set

Remarketing list activeNo

View-through conversion trackingPartial

→ Audit complete. Action plan ready. View plan

Pre-roll + Discovery

View-through tracked

Ad formats we manage Skippable In-Stream Non-Skippable Bumper Ads In-Feed Discovery Masthead YouTube Remarketing

Our Approach

What Separates YouTube Ads That Work From Ones That Just Play

Getting views is easy. Getting views from people who actually buy from you is a strategy. Here's how we approach it.

Audience Targeting — Intent, Interest & Remarketing

In-market audiences who are actively researching your category right now
Custom intent audiences built from search keywords — reaching people based on what they've Googled
Affinity audiences for upper-funnel awareness at efficient CPM
Remarketing lists from your website, YouTube channel, and customer data
Placement exclusions to stop ads appearing on irrelevant or brand-unsafe content

Creative Brief & Hook Strategy

The first 5 seconds decide everything — we write hooks that give people a reason to keep watching
Ad scripts structured for each format: skippable pre-roll, bumper, and in-feed discovery
Message matched to funnel stage — awareness ads don't sell, conversion ads do
Multiple script variants tested to find what drives views and what drives action
Clear direction on visuals, pacing, and CTA placement within the video

Measurement — View-Through, Brand Lift & Attribution

View-through conversion tracking to capture people who saw your ad and converted later
Attribution window configuration that accounts for YouTube's longer consideration cycle
Brand Lift studies for larger budgets to measure actual recall and intent shifts
Search lift analysis — does your YouTube spend increase branded search volume?
Monthly reporting that separates direct-response metrics from awareness metrics

The First 5 Seconds

If You Don't Hook Them Before They Can Skip, the Rest of the Ad Doesn't Matter

Skippable pre-roll ads give viewers a choice at the 5-second mark. Whether they stay or go in those five seconds determines your view rate, your CPV, and ultimately how much signal your campaign generates to optimise against.

Most YouTube ad scripts treat the first five seconds like an introduction. They open with a logo, a brand name, or worse — a slow atmospheric sequence that builds to the actual message. By the time the point arrives, the viewer is gone.

We write hooks that start in the middle of something the audience cares about. A specific problem named. A counterintuitive claim. A situation they recognise. Something that makes skipping feel like leaving before finding out how the story ends. The hook is the strategy — everything else supports it.

Audience Strategy

Custom Intent Audiences Turn Your Competitors' Search Terms Into Your YouTube Targeting

YouTube's Custom Intent audience type lets you target users based on what they've recently searched on Google. This means you can build an audience of people who searched for your product category, your specific service, or even your competitors' brand names — and show them your video ad while they're watching YouTube.

This is one of the most underused targeting options on the platform. Most advertisers use broad affinity audiences and wonder why their cost-per-view is low but their conversion rate is lower. Custom intent bridges the gap between YouTube's massive reach and the high-purchase-intent signals that come from search behaviour.

We build custom intent lists from your top-performing Google Ads keywords and from your competitors' terms — creating an audience that's already in buying mode before your ad plays.

Measurement

YouTube Doesn't Always Get the Last Click — But It Often Starts the Journey

YouTube is primarily an upper and mid-funnel channel. Most people who see your ad won't convert immediately — they'll search for you later, visit your site organically, or respond to a retargeting ad on Meta. This makes standard last-click attribution significantly undervalue YouTube's contribution.

We configure view-through conversion tracking so that YouTube gets credit when someone watches your ad and converts within a defined window — even if they didn't click. We also track search lift: whether your brand search volume increases as YouTube spend increases. For accounts with sufficient budget, we can set up Brand Lift studies directly in Google Ads to measure actual recall and purchase intent shifts.

Measuring YouTube correctly changes the conversation from "where are the direct conversions?" to "how is this channel affecting everything else?"

How We Work

From Your First Campaign Brief to Measurable Results

A clear process from strategy through to ongoing optimisation — no guesswork, no vague deliverables.

Account & Goal Audit

We review your existing YouTube setup, conversion tracking, audience lists, and creative — then align campaign goals to where YouTube fits in your overall funnel.

Strategy & Creative Brief

Audience targeting plan, format selection, ad script briefs, and measurement setup — all planned before a budget is committed. You approve everything before we build.

Launch & Track

Campaigns go live with view-through tracking verified. We monitor view rate, CPV, and downstream conversion impact closely in the first few weeks.

Optimise & Report

Regular creative refreshes, audience refinements, placement exclusions, and budget reallocation. Monthly report covering both direct-response and awareness metrics.

Why ZeeroCap

How We Approach YouTube Ads Differently

We Brief the Creative — You Don't Have to Guess

We write detailed ad scripts and creative direction notes for every format. Your creative team gets a clear brief, not a vague "make something engaging."

Custom Intent Targeting — Not Just Age and Interest

We build audiences from actual search intent, competitor keywords, and your customer data. Better audiences mean your budget reaches people more likely to convert.

Measurement That Reflects YouTube's Real Role

We configure view-through tracking and search lift measurement so you understand YouTube's true contribution — not just the last-click picture that undervalues it.

Placement Exclusions from Day One

We set up placement exclusions before launch — removing content categories, specific channels, and placements that don't match your brand or audience.

Your Account. Your Assets.

All campaigns, audiences, and creative assets remain in your Google account. We manage access — everything stays yours if you move on.

No Long-Term Contracts

Month-to-month agreements only. We earn your continued business by delivering results — not by making it legally inconvenient to leave.

Common Questions

Things People Ask Before Getting Started

Yes — YouTube Ads require video creative. We don't produce video in-house, but we provide detailed scripts and creative briefs that make production straightforward. If you don't have a video production partner, we can recommend one. Even simple, well-scripted videos perform well when targeting and messaging are right.

YouTube Ads can start from relatively modest budgets — £500–£800/month in ad spend can generate useful data, especially for in-stream formats where you only pay when someone watches at least 30 seconds. For awareness campaigns at scale, higher budgets produce cleaner signals. We'll recommend a realistic budget in the audit based on your goals.

We use a combination of direct and indirect metrics: view-through conversions (people who saw the ad and converted later), search lift (increase in branded search after YouTube spend), and downstream impact on other channels. We set clear expectations upfront about what YouTube is being asked to do — awareness, consideration, or direct response — and measure accordingly.

It depends on your goal. Skippable in-stream ads are versatile — good for both awareness and conversion campaigns — and you only pay if someone watches 30+ seconds. Bumper ads (6 seconds, non-skippable) are ideal for reinforcing a message to a warm audience cheaply. In-feed discovery ads work well when the audience is actively searching YouTube. We typically start with skippable in-stream and test from there.

Yes — and often they perform better together. YouTube builds awareness and moves people into consideration. Google Search captures them when they're ready to act. Meta retargets those who didn't convert. When we manage multiple channels, we plan the messaging and audience strategy so each channel reinforces the others rather than working in isolation.

Let's Get Started

Find Out What Your YouTube Ads Could Be Doing

We'll audit your account — or build a strategy from scratch — and deliver a clear action plan within 48 hours. No obligation, no sales pressure.

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