PPC-HubLow-quality YouTube channels
Updated: August 13, 2026
Channels with fake views, bot activity, ad click fraud, children's and pro-Russian content — to exclude from Google Ads video campaigns.
These entries demonstrate how channel URLs and IDs appear in a Placement Exclusion List — not the full inventory. Open the Google Sheet above to copy every channel row.
This list is indicative and does not guarantee full coverage. We recommend periodically reviewing it and supplementing it with your own observations.
Frequently asked questions
How do I exclude YouTube channels from Google Ads video campaigns?
Add the channel URL or ID under placement exclusions in the relevant video campaign, or add it to a shared Placement Exclusion List attached to multiple campaigns.
What is the difference between excluding a channel and excluding a content category?
A channel exclusion blocks one specific YouTube placement, while a content-category exclusion covers a broad group of videos by theme or type. Categories are useful for general brand-safety rules, but they can also remove relevant channels. Use channel exclusions for precise problems and categories as an additional filter.
Can low-quality YouTube channel exclusions be automated?
Partially. Scripts, APIs, or external rules can scan placement-report exports on a schedule and flag channels that exceed spend or view thresholds without conversions. That workflow saves time on data collection, but auto-blocking from a single metric is risky: a channel with weak CPA may simply lack volume, or the issue may sit in creative or landing-page fit rather than inventory quality. Keep a human review step for content, audience overlap, and brand context before anything lands in a shared exclusion list. Document automated flags separately so you can roll back false positives quickly.
What is a Placement Exclusion List and why is it useful?
It is a shared account-level list of placements where ads should not run.
How often should I review the channel exclusion list?
Weekly Placement Report reviews are a sensible default for new or fast-scaling video campaigns, with extra passes when daily spend jumps. Stable accounts can usually move to a two- to four-week rhythm, plus ad-hoc checks after budget, audience, or bidding changes. Revisit the shared list itself on the same cadence — channel ownership and content direction shift over time, and an exclusion from last quarter may no longer be justified.
How to control where your video ads appear on YouTube
A fitness advertiser once found pre-roll spots on reupload channels with millions of views and almost no comments — low CPM, zero sign-ups. Demographics were set correctly; the inventory was not. Google Ads video campaigns can still serve beside inflated-view compilations, scraped footage, or themes that clash with the brand even when audience targeting looks precise. Excluding those channels separates real campaign performance from placement noise.
Ways to exclude YouTube channels in Google Ads
You can exclude a YouTube channel directly in an individual campaign when the concern applies only to one product, market, or format. For placements that should be avoided across several campaigns, create a shared account-level Placement Exclusion List and attach it wherever needed; this keeps maintenance centralized and applies updates consistently. Content categories and inventory types add another layer of control, but they do not replace channel-level exclusions because a broad category can block relevant reach along with risky placements.
Signs of a low-quality YouTube channel for advertising
Warning signs include sudden view spikes without proportional engagement, repetitive bot-like comments, mass reuploads, and videos with little editorial value. Also review content that is unsuitable for the brand, content aimed at children where advertising may be inappropriate or restricted by platform policies, and problematic political or language contexts. Inflated views are rarely proven by one metric alone, so compare spend, engaged views, visits, and conversions in the placement report. For Display campaigns, use the low-quality website placement list for Google Ads to apply the same brand-safety approach beyond YouTube.
Common channel-exclusion mistakes
Teams often treat channel exclusions as a one-time task: block three obvious names, then forget the Placement Report. That list goes stale fast because new channels enter the auction every week. The other extreme — blanket category blocks — can erase reach on quality creators along with the bad inventory. Work from enough data, separate weak metrics from genuine brand-safety risk, and note why each recurring exclusion exists. After updates, track impressions, CPM, views, and conversions to ensure filtering has not over-tightened the campaign.
How to use this resource
Use the channel entries shown here to learn the URL/ID format Google Ads expects; the complete set lives in the linked Google Sheet. Add vetted rows to a Placement Exclusion List, but filter against your market, audience, and goals before bulk import. Fold in channels from your own placement reports, log date and reason for each add, and re-evaluate after major content or performance shifts — that turns this download into ongoing video inventory hygiene, not a frozen blacklist.