Link YouTube Channel to Google Ads Account

Watch the step-by-step walkthrough below, then follow the guide to connect your YouTube channel to Google Ads via Audience Manager so you can retarget viewers and build channel-based audiences.

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Step by Step

Link YouTube Channel to Google Ads Account

Follow these steps alongside the video to link your YouTube channel to Google Ads.

1

Login to Google Ads

2

Navigate to Tools (left-hand-side menu)

3

Navigate to Audience manager (under Shared library)

4

Select "Your data sources"

5

Click on the "Link to YouTube" button

6

Select your channel

7

Click on "+ New link" and "Link channel"

8

Select your channel and send a link request

  • The channel owner will receive an email notification to accept the link request
  • Once accepted, YouTube audience segments will become available in Google Ads within 24–48 hours

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FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about linking a YouTube channel to Google Ads.

Why should I link my YouTube channel to Google Ads?

Linking your YouTube channel to Google Ads unlocks YouTube-based audience segments — you can retarget people who watched your videos, visited your channel, liked a video, or subscribed. These warm audiences typically convert at a much higher rate than cold audiences, making them valuable for both Google Ads and YouTube video ad campaigns.

Does the YouTube channel owner need to accept the request?

Yes, if the Google Ads account and the YouTube channel belong to different Google accounts, the channel owner will receive an email invitation to approve the link. If both are owned by the same Google account, the link is approved automatically. Once accepted, audience data starts populating within 24–48 hours.

What audience segments become available after linking?

After linking, Google Ads automatically creates segments based on: viewed any video from your channel, viewed certain videos, subscribed to your channel, liked any video, visited your channel page, and viewed any video as an ad. You can use these segments as targeting audiences in Search, Display, YouTube, and Performance Max campaigns.

Can I link multiple YouTube channels to one Google Ads account?

Yes. You can link multiple YouTube channels to a single Google Ads account by repeating the linking process for each channel. Each channel's audience segments will appear separately in Audience Manager, allowing you to target viewers from each channel independently or combine them into custom combined segments.

Can I use YouTube audiences in Search campaigns?

Yes. YouTube-based audience segments can be added to Search campaigns as observation audiences (to monitor performance and adjust bids) or targeting audiences (to restrict ads to those users only). A common strategy is to add a bid adjustment for people who have previously watched your YouTube channel videos when they search for your branded or competitor terms.

Can I unlink a YouTube channel from Google Ads later?

Yes. Go to Tools > Audience Manager > Your data sources, find the linked YouTube channel, and click the three-dot menu to remove the link. Removing the link stops new audience data from being collected but does not delete existing audience segments — those will gradually expire as the 30-day or 90-day membership duration elapses with no new data.

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