It might come as a surprise to hear that YouTube is one of the world’s most popular search engines today. YouTube is easily the first place someone turns to for entertainment, education, tutorials, and tips. This is why it’s so important to not only have your brand on YouTube but also to have an optimized channel. Improve your YouTube channel instantly by customizing it with the tips below.

 

1. Choose a custom profile picture.

 

  • Use your business logo, or a photo of your face if you’re an individual, as your profile picture
  • Upload it in YouTube’s recommended size of 800 × 800 pixels so it’s optimized for the reduced 28×28 pixel display
  • Avoid text in the image since it will be too small to read

 

2. Add a channel description.

 

  • To add a channel description, go to the “About” tab on your channel’s page and hover over the description box to click the pencil icon to edit
  • Write the most important information about your brand first; the description’s first few sentences are what appears most frequently across YouTube
  • Keep your description short and persuasive
  • Use relevant keywords in your description
  • Describe the content your viewers will see through your channel
  • Include any video schedule you may have (ex. “New videos every Monday!”)
  • Under the channel description, add your company email address for business inquiries

 

3. Upload channel art.

 

  • Upload a 2560 × 1449 pixels image as your header image
  • Remember that different devices will display this header differently, so opt for something simple or a patterned image to avoid parts of your picture being cut off
  • YouTube tells us that the middle 1546 × 423 pixel area is text and logo safe

 

4. Add channel art links.

 

  • In the bottom right-hand corner of your channel art, you can add up to 5 links to external URLs, like your website, blog, and other social media channels
  • Add links by hovering over the top right-hand corner of your channel art and clicking the pencil icon to edit
  • YouTube will automatically add an icon for these links instead of using text URLs
  • The first link will be a text URL link–add your business link here with a variation of “Visit our website!” in the text field

 

5. Select a channel trailer.

 

  • A channel trailer is something that auto-plays when someone visits your channel
  • Pick a short, fun video that will tell visitors what your channel is about
  • Think of a channel trailer as your elevator pitch and your chance to gain or lose a subscriber
  • To add a channel trailer go to “Customize Channel” on your YouTube page and click the “For New Visitors tab”

 

6. Create playlists.

 

  • Playlists help you control what order your videos are viewed in
  • Use playlists to sort videos into topics, put series of tutorials together, or to break up longer videos into shorter time frames
  • Creating playlists encourages viewers to binge-watch your content
  • In your YouTube analytics (click on your logo in the top right-hand corner, click “Creator Studio” and then “Analytics” on the left-hand side of the next page) find out which videos are performing the best and include these in your playlists for new viewers

 

7. Add featured channels.

 

  • Featured channels appear on the right-hand side of your YouTube page
  • Here you can add your friend’s and partner’s channels, as well as channels that are similar to your page or that you enjoy watching
  • By including featured channels, you’re creating a connection for YouTube’s algorithm, as well as for viewers who check out your page

 

8. Add keywords.

 

  • Research relevant, popular, and trendings keywords in your industry
  • Add keywords naturally wherever you can: video titles, descriptions, tags, etc.

 

9. Increase your page’s ranking.

 

  • Link back to your YouTube channel where possible to help it rank higher on search engines
  • Use social media to drive views
  • Comment on other videos and subscribe to other channels; these are good ways to bring more views to your  own page

We hope this helps you optimize your YouTube channel! As with everything, consistency is key if you want your YouTube channel to succeed.

Let us know if there are any techniques you use to optimize your channel!

Photo by Jakob Owens on Unsplash