Hacking.BaBa

Introducing video units. Good or Bad?

Good. It's simple. The more interactive the ads become, the more chances of people noticing them, which means an increase of the amount of clicks you'll get. So what's it all about? Introducing video units: "AdSense isn't just for ads anymore; it's also a place to get video content for your site -- and earn extra revenue at the same time. We're excited about the launch of video units -- a new way to enrich your site with quality, relevant video content in an embedded, customizable player. Simply embed a snippet of code and have relevant YouTube partner content streamed to your site. You can choose categories of video to target to your site, select content from individual YouTube partners, or have video automatically targeted to your site content. Companion and text overlay ads are relevant and non-intrusive. To further blend the YouTube player into your site, you can also customize the color scheme and layout as well as choose from three different player sizes. If you're looking to build "stickiness" with your visitors, show quality YouTube partner video on your site, and earn extra revenue along the way, and want to know more, then review our common questions about video units." How do I earn with video units: "When you place a video unit on your website, you'll earn revenue from two types of ad formats: companion ads, which sit above your video content within the player and can be either text or image-based, and text overlay ads, which appear in the bottom 20% of the video content area. Ads on video units can be paid on either a cost-per-click or cost-per-thousand impression basis." What kinds of ads will appear in the video unit? "Video units may display two types of ads: * Text overlay ads, which are displayed in the bottom 20% of the video as it plays * Companion ads, which appear above the video content within the player The ads displayed can be either contextually targeted or site-targeted, and may be paid on either a cost-per-click or cost-per-thousand impressions basis." How do I add a video unit to my page? "Once you have linked your YouTube account and AdSense account, it's easy to add a video unit to your page. Just follow these steps to customize and implement your player. 1. Sign in to your account at http://www.google.com/adsense. 2. Select the AdSense Setup tab, then choose video units as the product. 3. You'll be directed to the YouTube website to customize your video unit. If you're not already logged in to YouTube, you will need to do so. 4. Enter a name and description for this player that will help you remember it in the future. 5. Customize the colors and layout of the player to fit your site. 6. Choose the type of content you'd like to display in this player: automated content that's automatically targeted to your site, or content from specific categories or providers. 7. Click the Generate code button. 8. Copy the code in the box and paste into the HTML source of your page where you'd like to display the video. Once you've saved and published your page to the web, you'll see targeted videos start to show up right away." What kind of video content can I choose? "There are three ways to choose video content: * Selecting individual content providers, YouTube partners who have chosen to distribute their videos to publisher websites along with targeted ads * Selecting content categories, topics and themes of video content you'd like to show on your site * Automatic targeting, in which the video content you display will be automatically targeted to the content of your site. You can assist the targeting by providing relevant keywords." How often is content in my video units updated? "Video content is updated frequently and automatically to help ensure there's always something new and interesting for your users to watch." How will my users interact with the video unit? "Each video player features standard YouTube video controls, allowing users to play and stop the video at any time. While the video plays, they can click on either overlay or companion ads, and the advertiser's site will open in a new window or tab. All video units are user-initiated, so they won't be intrusive to your site's visitors. Users also have the option to minimize the overlay ad if they'd prefer."