Past Google Searches Can Now Be Used To Influence The Ads You See On YouTube

Google announced today several changes coming to its advertising services on YouTube that it says will enable marketers to better measure their campaigns, as well as target viewers across multiple screens. This is especially important, Diya Jolly, director of YouTube product management, wrote in a blog post, given that 50% of YouTube views today occur on mobile devices.

In terms of targeting, Google said that it will now utilize information associated with users’ Google accounts — including demographics and past searches — to help determine the kinds of ads that they see on YouTube. And in terms of metrics, YouTube said it’s currently developing a cloud-based measurement system for release later this year that will provide more detailed insights about campaigns across devices for high-value customers.

“For instance,” Jolly writes, “a car manufacturer could get a rich understanding of how YouTube ads across devices influenced a specific audience (like previous SUV buyers).”

At the same time, in coming weeks, Google is rolling out new controls to give users more oversight of the kinds of ads that they will see on Google and YouTube. In the My Account tab, for example, if a user mutes a certain advertiser on Google Search, those same ads will also be muted on YouTube.

For more about the advertising updates coming to YouTube, check out Jolly’s blog post in full right here.