How CTV Ads Boost Your Search Traffic

Capturing consumer intent before they even begin searching represents a powerful opportunity for modern marketers. While search advertising effectively captures existing demand, connected television advertising creates that demand by building brand awareness that naturally translates into search behavior. This strategic approach allows brands to influence the entire customer journey, from initial exposure through final conversion.

Connected TV refers to any television capable of streaming digital content beyond traditional broadcast programming. This category includes smart TVs, streaming devices like Roku and Amazon Fire TV sticks, and gaming consoles that support video streaming applications. The dramatic growth in streaming platform viewership, including Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Disney+, has transformed television from a mass-market medium into a targetable digital channel accessible to businesses of all sizes.

Unlike traditional television advertising, CTV delivers ads programmatically, enabling precise targeting of specific households or audience segments similar to social media and display advertising. CTV supports various ad formats including non-skippable pre-roll, mid-roll placements, and skippable options.

Search marketers traditionally focus on lower-funnel tactics that capture existing demand. While this approach delivers strong returns, it creates a gap at the top of the funnel where brand awareness and consideration are built. CTV advertising effectively fills this gap by driving significant reach and increasing branded search volume. When consumers encounter compelling video ads on their connected TVs, they frequently turn to search engines to gather additional information, compare options, or complete purchases.

The synergy between CTV and search advertising manifests in several key areas:

Brand awareness directly increases search volume by reaching audiences beyond those already searching for your products or services. Retargeting capabilities allow brands to re-engage familiar audiences through their television screens. Sequential messaging enables storytelling that builds comprehensive brand understanding. Most importantly, marketers can measure incremental search impact by comparing branded search volume in geographic areas where CTV ads were delivered against control regions.

Accessing CTV advertising placements has become increasingly straightforward through familiar advertising platforms. For search marketers already using Google Ads, YouTube represents the most accessible entry point into CTV advertising. As the dominant CTV application available on virtually every connected TV device, YouTube integrates seamlessly with existing Google Ads accounts. Marketers can run Video Action or Video Reach campaigns optimized for television screens, target specifically to smart TVs, utilize existing remarketing lists and customer match data, and track CTV performance alongside search metrics within the same reporting interface.

Microsoft Ads provides access to premium CTV inventory through partnerships with leading streaming platforms including Netflix, Roku, and Paramount+. These ads appear alongside professionally produced content rather than user-generated material. Microsoft’s CTV solution offers particularly strong audience options for B2B marketers through LinkedIn integration and provides comprehensive measurement capabilities including brand lift studies and conversion tracking.

Additional CTV platforms include Amazon DSP and other programmatic options that offer CTV inventory through audience network campaigns. Some marketers may pursue direct partnerships with streaming services like Sky AdSmart, though these typically require larger budget commitments.

Creating effective CTV advertising requires a different approach than text-based search ads. Marketers must consider that they’re working with video on the largest screen in the household, often viewed by multiple people simultaneously. Quality production values are essential, with most platforms requiring video ads in 1920×1080 resolution minimum, 16:9 aspect ratio, and typical lengths of 15 or 30 seconds. Unlike social media videos often viewed without sound, CTV ads play with audio by default, making voiceover, sound effects, and music critical creative components.

Successful CTV creative typically establishes brand identity within the first few seconds, tells a compelling story even within brief timeframes, includes clear calls to action, optimizes for sound-on viewing, and tests multiple versions to maximize performance. Ending with a direct instruction like “Search [Brand Name] to learn more” explicitly drives the search behavior that search campaigns will subsequently capture.

Budget requirements for CTV campaigns vary significantly based on goals, markets, and chosen platforms. Unlike traditional television advertising that demands large upfront commitments, CTV can be tested with modest budgets that can be adjusted daily. YouTube CTV campaigns through Google Ads can technically begin with budgets as low as £5 per day, while premium CTV inventory through Microsoft Ads typically requires minimum investments around £1,000.

CTV advertising typically operates on a CPM (cost per thousand impressions) basis, with rates ranging from £10-£20 for YouTube inventory to £20-£40 for premium platforms like Netflix and Paramount+. While these CPMs exceed most search click costs, the brand impact per impression is substantially greater. Some platforms, including YouTube, also offer cost-per-view (CPV) pricing when optimizing for consideration.

The targeting capabilities of CTV represent one of its most significant advantages, applying digital-style audience segmentation to the television environment. Search marketers will find familiar targeting options including demographic parameters like age, gender, and geographic location. Behavioral and interest-based targeting leverages streaming habits, content preferences, and online behavior, while remarketing and customer match capabilities enable reaching existing customers or prospects who have previously engaged with the brand.

In-market audiences allow targeting of consumers actively researching products or services within specific categories, making them particularly valuable for search marketers. Contextual targeting places ads within specific content types or alongside particular programs, while run of network (RON) options provide mass reach beyond specific targeting parameters. The most effective CTV campaigns typically layer two to four targeting criteria to reach ideal customers efficiently.

For search marketers seeking to maximize CTV’s potential, starting with modest tests and rigorous measurement provides the foundation for success. Key metrics to track include completion rates, reach, branded search volume, search conversion rates, and overall customer acquisition. To quantify CTV’s incremental value, implement geographic holdouts, sequential messaging strategies, and brand lift studies.

As consumer viewing habits continue shifting from traditional television to streaming platforms, CTV advertising will only grow in importance. Search marketers who develop expertise in this channel now will establish significant competitive advantages in building brands that generate sustained search demand. The strategic question has evolved from whether to incorporate CTV into marketing efforts to determining the optimal approach and timing for implementation.

(Source: Search Engine Land)