Video Ads Targeting : Really Bad For You Too?

[androidtech]

For the first time I tried the Video ads today. I created a couple of players, chose Automated Content, and seeded them with very targeted keywords. In fact, one experiment used two double-word keyphrases, each in double-quotes.

In all cases the videos were so far from the keywords as to be bordering on absurd. What have been the experiences of the rest of you that have tried them? Also, any comments on earnings?

Thnx

[ecmedia]

Same here since their inventory of ads is very limited. So it is best to look at Google's partners and see if you don't have a match with the content available then not to use it. For instance if your website is about scientific topics for instance, the number of Youtube videos available through Google is pathetic.

[androidtech]

ecmedia,

Thanks for the tip about the Google partners, I'll investigate that. BTW, I got so frustrated that I labeled the video players with the heading "Truly Random Video" above them. I wanted to leave them on a couple of pages for a day or so, just to see if anyone noticed them.

[Paris]

The problem is that this isn't a site like Revver that cuts all of its content providers with ad-sharing revenue options. Only the most viewed video makers -- currently just in the hundreds -- are in as partners.

Unfortunately, that list is predominantly sketch comedy troupes and video diary soloists. So unless you happen to run a comedy site or one where an entertainment outlet would work, the videos shown will be truly off-base. It's not the targetting that's the problem. It's not the lack of ad inventory. It's the lack of video inventory.

That should change, though that change is happening awfully slow. Your best bet is to hand select clips on the site that would be relevant and useful to your site -- whether or not they belong to a partner -- and then just use the embed code to insert into your site on a page where you can flesh it out with a little content and your regular AdSense ad blocks. Sure, the content won't be updated automatically, but at least it's no going to look as ridiculous as it does on many of the sites out there who dove headfirst into video units without realizing the problem.