YouTube trials smaller ‘Skip Ads’ button

YouTube has confirmed that it is trialling a redesigned, smaller ‘Skip Ads’ button.

The CTA button’s new look features:

• Smaller text
• A background with reduced opacity
• A curved border
• No capital letters in the word ‘Ads’

Here is a preview of the new button:

In comparison to the older version:

What has YouTube said? A YouTube spokesperson exclusively told Search Engine Land:

• “We’re testing an update to the design of the ‘Skip Ads’ button across all platforms.”
• “Our goal is to provide a more consistent user experience in line with the updated look and feel on YouTube we announced last year.”

Why we care. Users will naturally be less inclined to skip ads if the ability to do so isn’t brought to their attention, leading to a boost in view rate, reach, conversions, and, potentially, an increase in ad spend on the platform. However, marketers should be mindful that forcing adverts on users may have a negative impact.

Reaction. The new design was noticed by Google Ads expert, Thomas Eccel, who shared his thoughts on X (Twitter). He wrote:

• “Spotted this really small ‘Skip ads’ button, seems like Google is testing this new button. It has a new format and is way smaller than the normal ‘skip’ box. If this gets rolled out, it will affect the view rate and the spend of the campaigns.”

Meanwhile, others also flagged the redesigned button and questioned if the platform was also simultaneously making adverts longer.

Why now? The redesigned skip button was launched to help align it with the new look and feel of YouTube, while maintaining a comparable level of prominence with the current skip button.

The platform announced last year that it was planning to undergo a small makeover, amid calls from users to make the UI “cleaner” and “more lively”.

Deep dive. Read YouTube’s blog for more information on its new design elements and product features.