How to Create a YouTube Channel
How to Create a YouTube Channel
1. Sign in to your Google
account.
To watch,
share, create, and comment on YouTube content, you'll need a Google account. Go
to youtube.com and click "Sign In" in the upper right-hand corner.
From there, you'll be taken to a Google sign-in page.
1. If you have
a Google account, you'll be prompted to sign in.
2. If you have multiple Google accounts, be sure to select the one you want to be associated with the YouTube channel.
3. If you do
not have a Google account, click "Create Account" and follow the
prompts to register for one.
2. Create a new YouTube channel using your Google account.
Once you're
set up with and signed into your Google account, it's time to create a channel.
Click your user icon in the upper right-hand corner. This represents both your
Google account and you YouTube account (as YouTube is owned by Google). You'll
see a drop-down menu, where you'll want to click "Settings."
The first step is to create a Brand Account. It can be whatever name you want, and doesn't have to be the same name that you used to create your Google account -- but we do recommend that it reflects the brand the YouTube Channel will represent.
Once you've verified your Brand Account, you'll be taken to the dashboard for your channel. Now, it's time to start customizing it.
3. Navigate to the Customize
Channel page.
We'll start
with the fundamental details about your channel. From your channel dashboard,
click "Customize channel."
From there, you'll be taken to the channel customization page.
You'll
notice three tabs: "Layout," "Branding," and "Basic
info." These three tabs will help you optimize your channel for viewers.
4. Add Basic Info to your
channel for discoverability.
Start by
clicking "Basic info."
Here's where you'll enter some basic information about your channel, like the language your videos are in, as well as a description that helps people discover your channel when they enter search terms that describe what videos they're looking for. These keywords can include what your channel is about, the problems it helps solve, the people and products featured, your industry, and more.
You'll also
be able to add links to sites you want to share with your viewers. These links
will be displayed over your banner image (more on this later) like so:
5. Upload branding elements to your channel.
In addition
to the descriptive details that you've added, there's another element of
customization for a new YouTube channel: The visuals.
Under the "Branding" tab, you'll be able to add your:
Profile
Picture
Among this
channel art is your profile photo -- this is how YouTube users will identify
the creator of a video when browsing video content. You'll see this image
appear beneath YouTube videos on the play page, as shown below. YouTube
recommends using a picture with dimensions of at least 98 x 98 pixels.
Banner Image
The banner
image is a large banner displayed at the top of your channel page, and it's a
big opportunity to convey your brand to your viewers. YouTube recommends using
an image that's at least 2048 x 1152 px.
6. Customize your more advanced layout options.
Click the
"Layout" tab.
From here,
you'll be able to specify certain details about how you want your content
presented on your channel's page. You'll have the option to designate a video
spotlight and organize your channel page with featured sections.
7. Add videos and optimize them
for search.
To upload
your first video to YouTube, click the "Create" button in the
top-right corner and follow the prompts.
Optimizing your channel for discover ability is just the beginning. Once you start adding videos, you'll want to optimize them for search, which in turn helps users discover your video.
But this
goes beyond giving your videos accurate, clear, and concise titles -- though
that is important. Below, we describe some of the most important things to
optimize on YouTube. (For a fully comprehensive post on YouTube SEO, visit this
post.)
Title
When we
search for videos, one of the first things that our eyes are drawn to is the
title. That's often what determines whether or not the viewer will click to
watch your video, so the title should not only be compelling but also clear and
concise.
Description
This should
be limited to 1,000 characters -- and remember that your viewer came here to
watch a video, not to read a lot of text. Plus, YouTube only displays the first
two or three lines of text, which comes to about 100 characters, so front-load
the description with the most important information.
Tags
Using tags
doesn’t just let viewers know what your video is about -- they inform YouTube,
too, which uses tags "to understand the content and context of your
video," according to Backlinko. That way, YouTube can associate your video
with similar videos, which can broaden your content's reach. But approach with
caution -- just as with your title, don't use misleading tags because they
might get you more views -- in fact, Google might penalize you for that.
Category
Choosing a
category is another way to group your video with similar content on YouTube --
but that might not be as simple as it sounds. YouTube's Creator Academy
suggests that marketers "think about what is working well for each
category" you're considering by answering questions like:
- Who are the top creators within the category? What are they known for, and what do they do well?
- Are there any patterns between the audiences of similar channels within a given category?
- Do the videos within a similar category have share qualities like production value, length, or format?
That's it --
you've officially not only created a YouTube channel but now also know how to
optimize its content for discover ability. For more information on how to best
leverage YouTube for marketing, check our entire collection of resources.
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