What is a domain in the simplest words?

The concept of a domain is quite complex, but the easiest way to explain is that it is a website address on the Internet. After entering it, the associated website is displayed in the browser bar. Therefore, the terms “domain” and “website address” are often used interchangeably. Domains are used to make it easier for users to navigate the Internet – just like physical addresses in a city are much easier “to use” than, for example, the geographical coordinates of a given place.

Domains are served by the Domain Name System (DNS) service. It translates user-understandable domain names, consisting of specific words and phrases, into an IP address that is understandable by devices that support the network.

What does a domain consist of?

The domain consists of several elements. Primarily:
– domain name,
– extension e.g. .com

To get the full website address, you must add the protocol (http: // or https: //) and optionally a subdomain (usually www.).

The domain name can contain letters, numbers or the sign “-” (hyphen). Upper and lower case letters are not distinguished. Diacritical marks can also be used recently, but in practice they are rarely used. They are sometimes even considered bad practice.

It is also worth mentioning the extensions. There are many types of extensions that can be divided into several groups:
– national (ccTLD): .nl, .de, .sk, .fr, co.uk, .ru,
 – top-level global (TLD): .com, .net, .org, .info, .eu,
– functional (gTLD): .edu (for educational sites), .org (for organizations), .gov (for government sites), .net (for internet access services), .biz (for business), .mil (for military agencies),
 – functional second level (SLD): .com.de, edu.fr, .net.sk, .biz.nl,
– regional (SLD).

Domain and website

A domain is not the same as a website – it is just the address of a specific place on the web where it can be found. Registration of internet domain names usually requires a fee and is renewed annually. This means that if you stop paying for the domain, you will lose your internet space and it can be very difficult to recover it. In practice, therefore, each specific address on the network is rented (leased). It is not possible to acquire it indefinitely. However, the right to use the domain can be resold. Some people take advantage of this and buy out “abandoned” domains (that is, addresses for which someone stopped paying) as soon as they pass the quarantine period and return to the free market, and then resell them to the original owners or competitors for a much higher price.

There are also free domains, but they are usually very restrictive and not suitable for building “serious” websites. However, that’s not all, because hosting a website is also necessary. It can be likened to a building plot – it is a server space where all the files that make up the website are stored, i.e. those responsible for its appearance and content.

How much does a domain cost?

As already mentioned, there are free internet domains available. Usually, however, they do not have attractive extensions, and certainly not easy to remember addresses with the ending, for example: .com. Usually, when using a free domain, it is very difficult to reach a wider audience. Sometimes you can get an address for free with a fixed-term hosting subscription, but you usually have to pay the domain fee when extending your contract. How much it costs? Prices depend on the domain name and its extension, as well as the Internet service provider – the offers of individual companies may differ slightly. Often the price of domain registration is attractive and ranges from a dollar to several dozen dollars. However, be careful because, as a rule, its extension (which usually takes one year) is much more expensive. Then the costs (for the domain itself, without hosting) range from several dozen to several hundred dollars.

How to choose a domain name?

Not everyone attaches importance to it, but the domain name is very important – after all, it will be a showcase of your business, regardless of whether it is a corporate or personal website.

In the past, domains directly related to the profile of the website’s activity were selected in order to positively influence the positioning of the website in search engines (e.g. bus rental, website-positioning, etc.). Nowadays, however, it is not necessary, because Google does not distinguish addresses constructed in this way in any way.

Therefore, a much better solution seems to be an address with a unique brand name. In order to obtain good results in the field of positioning, it is worth carrying out successive branding activities, using the company’s name in various places on the web. Thanks to this, it becomes more credible, and thus appears higher in the search results. For this reason, it is sometimes worth buying a second-hand domain. If there are many valuable links leading to it on the Internet, it will definitely support SEO activities, especially if it has a meaningful background history.

However, the users must not be forgotten. The domain name should be easy to remember and write down. Short addresses work best, without or only with single hyphens or numbers and without complicated words or words, e.g. of foreign-language origin, which create doubts as to the correct spelling. Most often, American websites use .com extensions which are considered the most reliable. When operating on many markets, it is also worth choosing the global (.com) extension or creating separate domains with country-specific endings (e.g. .de, .co.uk., .fr, etc.).

Youtube Video Builder – what is it?

Youtube Video Builder is a new tool from Youtube, created for companies that want to advertise on this site, but are not able to make their own advertising film. With YouTube Video Builder you can create a video that can then be used for an advertising campaign. This tool allows you to create a movie tailored to your device and for the needs of the selected campaign type in very simple steps.

What is the process of creating a video ad on Youtube Video Builder?

Step 1: Registration
To create a movie in Builder you must first register. The verification process takes about 24-48 hours, and confirmation of account creation is sent to the e-mail address provided earlier. The required email must be a Google email, and therefore connect to our Google account and YouTube channel. Youtube channel has virtually everyone who also has a gmail account. It is worth, however, that the email with which we log into Youtube Video Builder was immediately connected to our company’s channel.

We create a video with a view to its later use in an advertising campaign, so we can add our Google Ads Customer ID account number when registering. However, this is an additional option and if we do not have an account at this stage, or if we do not want to add it yet, our email is enough.

Step 2: Choose the movie layout
By entering Youtube Video Builder, we first select the layout, i.e. the type and format of the video that we want to create. We have over 10 different layouts to choose from:

– a video promoting the application (in vertical and horizontal version),
– a video of the brand (15 or 6 seconds),
– video showing the function of a product or service using phone animation,
– a video showing the product or brand (15 seconds),
– a video informing about the current promotion,
– a video emphasizing the product’s value or benefits of the service,
– and more.

Each layout contains a short description and a demonstration video in the style of which you will be able to create your own promotional video. In addition, with each example we will find information:

– how many photos we will be able to upload,
– how long will the video last,
– what dimensions will it have,
– how many blocks of text we can add (including call to action),
– can we add our logo (in a version with a transparent background and a selected color).

Step 3: We create the video ad layout!
We choose the layout that suits us and move on.

Then we can set two brand colors and upload our two logos.

We move to uploading the photos that we want to use for the campaign. In each case, we have provided the exact dimensions of the photo and the maximum file size for photos (this, in most cases, is 2 MB.)

Tip!
It is worth that the photos or graphics that you intend to use in the video, were designed by a graphic designer who will match the colors and icons that match your company’s image. Your photos should help tell a story that includes the benefits of your product, service or brand. So if we have such an opportunity, it is better not to use so-called stock photos.

If our graphics do not meet the requirements of Video Builder, we will be notified. At our own risk, however, we can try to go further and create a video with the graphics.

Step 4: We choose the font, soundtrack and compose advertising texts
Depending on the movie layout we choose, we can add the appropriate number of texts, including the text that appears on the movie and the final CTA.

Then we have the option to set the font (all suggestions available on Google fonts are available). The inability to upload your own font or own sound and the need to choose one of the proposals available in the database is one of the biggest disadvantages of Builder.

Creating movies is simplified so that every person, even one who has never had anything to do with video creation before, could create an advertisement. This is a big advantage of Youtube Video Builder. However, to create a relatively personalized video, which will be based on the assumptions of the visual identity of the brand, you will need to work a bit and review and adjust the available variants.

Step 5. We have the first video!
Youtube Video Builder automatically creates a video for us in just a few seconds. Of course, after all the slides have been put together, we can edit the movie. By clicking “save” our video is saved on our channel as “unlisted video”. We also get a link redirecting us to the video – already embedded in our channel, which we can enrich with a description, tags and another title.

Step 6. Video advertising on Youtube
The created movie can be left on the channel and made available to our viewers or used in an advertising campaign on Youtube.

The ads displayed on YouTube belong to the Google Ads family. Yes! Google Ads is not only search engine advertising or product cards. It is also a giant advertising network, which consists of over two million websites, films and applications in which YouTube can be displayed as an advertising medium. Google Ads is also a promotion in the Gmail inbox and on the website and in the YouTube application. So your video has great potential to appear not only on Youtube!

Within the advertising campaigns displayed on pages and in the YouTube application, several different types of ads can be distinguished. Each of the available formats has a slightly different way to attract the attention of viewers and can be displayed in a different place on the website. Available types of video ads are: True View In-Stream, True View Discovery and Bumper Ads. In addition to the basic types of ads mentioned above, there are several additional options that advertisers can use.

Tips for video advertising

A. Attract attention – right from the start!
Remember that the first seconds count (statistics say that only three!) And it depends on them whether the user will pay attention to your ad. Regardless of the format and type of the advertisement, users can view the advertisement in full or click the “continue” button. Only in the case of Bumper Ads type ads lasting 6 seconds, the user cannot click “skip”. For TrueView in-stream ads, viewers can choose whether they want to view the ad in its entirety, or after 5 seconds of viewing, they want to skip.

B. Friendly faces you want to watch
If your company creates the concept of an advertising movie, it would be worth including people in it! Why? According to YouTube research, friendly, connected and recognizable people at the beginning of the film can lead to increased viewership. In addition, people’s faces can convey emotions that can be relatively difficult to convey in a simple video created in Youtube Video Builder.

C. Sound also matters!
Although in social media it is often recommended to add subtitles to videos, because of the way they are viewed by users (usually in mute mode), however on YouTube the sound matters (and what!). Viewers expect sound on YouTube, and research shows that sound is associated with stimulating attention and a positive response to the brand. So if you decide to choose a sound from the available base, choose one that will refer to your brand and will be associated with it positively.

D. Add some humor.
Viewers are more likely to watch ads that make them laugh. Youtube research even says that humor is associated with greater brand awareness and recalling ads. Of course, this tactic cannot be used in every case, so use it only if it matches your brand’s language and communication.

E. Remember the ABCD formula
ATTRACT – attract attention from the very beginning of the film,
BRAND – build a brand, show your brand in a natural and meaningful way,
CONNECT – connect with recipients through emotions and telling stories. Invite them to interact, check what they say about your video online and be inspired by their comments!
DIRECT YOUR AUDIENCE – direct viewers to the place where you care (for a specific product or service page, company profile or a specific tab on the website). Use the right call to action.

F. Show product in use!
One of the basic principles of creating product videos is that instead of focusing on the benefits of the product, show how it can help or solve the problems of potential customers.

G. Encourage recipients to interact!
Thanks to the interactive features available on the YouTube platform: info cards, end screens and call-to-action overlays, you can make it easier for your viewers. You can find all additional functions in Youtube Studio.

Builder Youtube Video and other video creators

Most of the available online tools for creating movies or animations are based on a very similar “step by step” scheme in which you can create video yourself. Same with Youtube Video Builder. At the beginning we choose a pattern (so-called template or layout). In the case of paid tools (most offer several days or selected options also for free), we adjust the video according to our preferences. And here, most often, there are differences between the creators! And at this stage we can start comparing the functions they offer.

And the differences are big! Starting from the available templates, the number of which in YouTube Video Builder is relatively small (currently 16 different variants). In popular creator, we can choose from among 30 – 50 templates, which can then be converted to another size (suited e.g. for mobile or desktop, or also to a given advertising space or ad format).

What’s more, Youtube Video Builder allows us to combine several graphics (previously prepared) into an animated video. Unfortunately, we do not have the option of animating the movements, e.g. on graphics, which makes the whole movie look like a slide show.

Speaking of history, its presentation on several slides will certainly be more difficult than through several interconnected animations. Therefore, the videos created in Youtube Video Builder will be rather more raw, advertising. It will be very difficult for us to create an animation that will arouse emotions (unless it is information about large promotions!). For videos promoting products or reminding about promotions or special offers, Youtube Video Builder should be enough.

Summary

Youtube Video Builder is very average compared to other available creators. It is a simple and quick solution for those who want to diversify their advertising activities with video advertising, but do not have excessive requirements for the creation itself. The upside of the tool is definitely that it is completely free, and by creating video we can be sure that it will comply with the standards of video advertising in Google Ads. Nevertheless, if you want to use the created video on a larger scale in an advertisement on Youtube, it is worth investing a small sum and creating the video in another creator. These will allow you to personalize the film more and relate to the emotions of viewers.