YouTube is releasing new features that help ensure its 113 million users (and counting) see video results that match their queries.

YouTube is releasing new features that help ensure its 113 million users (and counting) see video results that match their queries. The company will soon offer TrueView ad units that give viewers the chance to decide when ads are relevant, as well as a Holiday Solutions Center channel to help consumers find the most relevant clips.

The TrueView ad format gives users the chance to pick between potential ads and decide which is most useful to them, according to Advertising Age. This is similar to Hulu's choose-your-own ad feature. TrueView lets users opt to skip ads altogether and get straight to video content, and advertisers will not be charged when ads aren't viewed.

For marketers, TrueView means enhanced targeting to help ads reach the right audiences. Google's senior product manager, Phil Farhi, is quoted by Advertising Age as saying that some advertisers are skeptical about the skippable format, but since they won't be charged, "it's a system that allows [marketers] to reach that opted-in engaged audience at scale." The format may also necessitate best-practices when planning YouTube ad content in order to catch clicks. 

In addition to skippable ads, YouTube is rewarding relevant content with a new Holiday Solutions Center. With Thanksgiving this week and other celebrations right around the corner, YouTube is making it easy for users to find videos related to holiday cooking, wrapping and other festivities through its new channel of featured content. With this in mind, marketers may want to create timely, original branded videos, optimized for holiday searches.

Video SEO is increasingly important. As Brafton reported earlier this month, YouTube is testing a Topics on Search feature, categorizing videos to offer results that match users’ key phrases. SEO-driven exposure in video search results can help brands stand out among the more than 35 hours of content uploaded to the social site every minute. 

Katherine Griwert is Brafton's Marketing Director. She's practiced content marketing, SEO and social marketing for over five years, and her enthusiasm for new media has even deeper roots. Katherine holds a degree in American Studies from Boston College, and her writing is featured in a number of web publications.