Okoro Daniel O.
YouTube currently enjoys a global audience of over 2.3 billion, making it one of the leading video-sharing social networks today. What’s more, this global reach makes YouTube the world’s second-largest search engine — it is second only to Google, its parent company.
So as a content creator, how can you tap into this realm? The only way is by creating your own YouTube channel. Whatever you may want to put out there, you will have a smoother landing with a YouTube presence. This guide will not only help you get your first YouTube channel up and running but also give you some insights on how you’ll make your channel discoverable.
Ready? Let’s go!
Why You Need to Create a YouTube Channel
If you’ve been debating on whether to jump on the YouTube bandwagon or not, here are a few facts to help you make the first step.
- Your target viewers are watching YouTube right now. With a global viewership of over 2.3 billion people, the chances are that your target audience is currently on YouTube. Having an account on YouTube will highly increase your success rate.
- YouTube has income-generating potential. YouTube has a great income-generating potential, where you are rewarded for creating great and engaging content on the platform. Once your brand account gets to 1000+ subscribers, you can always join the YouTube partner program to unlock different YouTube monetisation features.
YouTube monetisation features include:
- Advertising revenue. You will earn from display overlay ads and video ads.
- Channel memberships.
- Super chat and super stickers.
- YouTube premium revenue. You will get part of the subscription fee paid by YouTube premium subscribers whenever they watch your content.
- Marketing on YouTube will make you get found on Google. You must have noticed that every time you search for something on Google, YouTube videos are always among the results that come up. Starting a YouTube channel will make you and your brand more discoverable.
How to Create a YouTube Channel
Owning a Google account is powerful; it allows you access to YouTube with the ability to watch, like, and comment on uploaded videos on YouTube. However, it does not automatically create for you a YouTube channel. To start a channel on YouTube, here’s what you’ve got to do:
1. Go to YouTube.com and sign in
Go to YouTube.com, then click the ‘sign in’ command on the top right corner of the site. You should then log in using your Google account, or you can create a new one.
2. Go to YouTube settings
While at it, click on the profile icon on your right and then click, ‘create a channel.’ You will then be presented with two options: create a personal channel using the name and picture on your Google account or create a business account using a brand or other name and picture.
3. Create the name of your channel
Next, you will create your channel name. Here you can explore your creativity with trendy names or just maintain the brand name previously used. Creating a new channel name will come with a new Google account with different settings and YouTube history.
4. Upload a profile image and add a description of your channel
After uploading a profile image, you will be required to add a description to your channel – this helps optimise your channel for viewer discovery. When working on this section, be sure to incorporate descriptive keywords to enable your account to appear top on YouTube search results.
NB: Don’t forget to include a paragraph about you, the type of content you’ll be uploading, and what’s in store for those who will be following the channel.
5. Add links to your website and other social media
You can add custom links to your website or blog as well as links to your social media platforms. This will help make your brand more discoverable.
6. Verify your channel
To verify your YouTube channel, go to your profile and settings. Click on the channel status and features, here you will see the ‘verify’ button; click it to select your country and preferred option for getting the verification code. After you’ve entered the code received, click ‘done.
That should be all. However, you also have the option to customise your channel further using the extra settings icon in the bottom left corner. Here there are three tabs; Layout, Branding, and Basic Info.
How to Make Your Channel Discoverable
Always add relevant tags to each video you upload to make your YouTube channel visible by the YouTube searcher. That said, here are a few facts you need to know about your newly created channel:
- Once you upload a video on your channel, it will take up to 36 hours for it to appear in YouTube’s search results.
- Your channel will only appear in search results if it has at least 3 videos.
- Privacy settings could prevent your content from being found – always make them public.
Conclusion
Mastering YouTube takes time and patience. By following the steps and tips mentioned above, you will easily make a YouTube Channel and be able to sync in sooner than later.
