How to Create a YouTube Channel and Optimize it for Better Results

Perhaps you are already aware of YouTube and how over 5 billion videos are being watched every day by more than two billion active users on this platform. This Google-owned video network is also known as the second largest search engine where most people search for things whenever curiosity spikes.

With growing trends and an increasing number of channels on the platform, YouTube is not the only platform for entertainment only but it has also become a fair portion of every business's marketing needs. Many creators have already started earning much with the help of YouTube’s organic user base. Thus, YouTube is not just an online video platform but has also become a fruitful career option for many.

There are many talented people still striving to spread their creative aura and establish a business. If you are one of them and are not aware of how to open an account on YouTube and start your journey as a professional, here is a step-by-step guide for how you can build a YouTube channel and successfully monetize it along with organic exposure.

How to create my YouTube channel?

First comes first. In order to create a YouTube account, you would require two things.

• An updated version of YouTube Application (In case of mobile)/ YouTube on a web browser

• An active Google account to sign in

If you already have a Google account like most other users, you can watch, share, like and comment on YouTube. But it does not create a channel automatically as it requires manual effort. Getting a new channel is as easy as a child’s play. Let’s take look at the step-by-step process.

1. Login To Your Account

You can simply sign in with your existing Google account of yours. However, if you are looking forward to using a different account to associate with your YouTube channel or business; you can always create a new Google account to get into YouTube.

2. Create Your Channel

On the top right corner of YouTube, you will be able to see a profile icon that refers to your account. Click on the icon and you will find an option called ‘Create a channel’.

3. Name your channel

Clicking on the option will let your choose from two different options.

Either you can continue with the personal channel that uses the name and the picture of your google account. Or, you can use a custom name and picture that helps to establish your business through YouTube. The preparation for naming your channel should start before creating your channel. Make sure the channel name is,

• Catchy and attractive

• Represent your business and brand value through relevance

• Easy to remember for everyone

These are the basic steps of creating a channel. After you have created your YouTube Channel successfully, it is time for customization.

How to customize my YouTube channel?

Creating a new YouTube channel also creates a new Google account that synchs with the settings YouTube. This account particularly nests within the main Google account to make sure that users can have the complete cover of the Google and channel settings without any obstacle. It is quite a handy option that allows you to participate in other online activities like your brand itself.

However, to make your channel complete and attractive; there are some basic steps of customization which need to be followed.

1. Upload Profile Picture

Whenever you are working over a social platform with thousands of other users and potential competitors, the profile picture plays a vital role in helping people recognize the brand. This icon is visible next to every video and channel page. The key lies in choosing something very minimal and striking enough that looks good even in smaller sizes and with less resolution. YouTube recommends,

• Image resolution – 800 x 800 pixels

• Image size – Not more than 2 MBs

• Image Type – JPG, PNG, BMP, and GIF (No Animated Files)

In case you want to change the profile icon that you have already uploaded, hover over the icon until the ‘Edit’ icon shows. Click on it and you will be able to change it by uploading another icon.

2. Focus on the Channel Art

YouTube Channel Art is essentially important because that helps to embrace your brand and also provides the users an overview of what your channel is all about and how it can benefit the viewers. As YouTube is compatible with multiple devices, the best choice is to proceed with an optimal image size that works for all kinds of devices. YouTube recommends,

• Image resolution - 2560 x 1440 pixels as the optimum

• Minimum Width - 2048 X 1152 pixels is considered to be the ‘safe area’ where texts and logos do not get cut off while displaying on different electronic devices

• Maximum Width - 2560 X 423 pixels which also denotes the ‘safe area’ however it can differ from one browser to another

• Image File Size – It should not be more than 6 MB

To ensure that the text, branding, logo, and other important elements on the channel art fall in the ‘safe area’, it is recommended to choose a 1546 x 423 pixels space at the center of the Channel art template that is visible over the desktop screens whenever a user checks your channel.

Steps of adding the Channel Art

• Open your channel and click on ‘CUSTOMIZE CHANNEL’ from the top right portion.

• You will find an editor’s page with many options for customization

• Click on the blue button ‘Add channel art’ from the center

• Then comes the option for selecting an image for channel art

• After selecting the image, it is time to crop that also comes with an option for preview

• Once you are done with the adjustments, click on ‘Select’ and the channel art would be added

In case you want to update the channel art you already uploaded, go to the channel and click on the art. You will find a small icon for edit; click on it and you will find options to change it.

3. Description of your channel

YouTube offers a space to add channel descriptions with 1000 characters. This is the space that you can utilize to convey about your channel, brand, or business and how it can benefit the viewers. These little rooms can churn out more authenticity and helps the users have an idea of what the channel is about. Be mindful of the first 150 characters as most of the impatient users these days only skim read and the first 3-4 lines are the game-changers.

4. Links to other sites

Adding links to the official website is a great way to drive more web traffic to your channel. Other than that, when a brand is offering other platforms to get more info; it appears more legitimate to the users. They can simply check the other links to get more updates on the channel.

YouTube allows the addition of up to 5 links on the channel’s banner. The first link gets expanded and the remaining ones appear as icons on the top.

Step of adding the social links

• Go to the homepage of your channel and click on ‘Customize Channel’

• Just beneath the channel art, you will find a gear-like icon for settings. Click on it

• Within the settings, you will find an option called ‘Customize the layout of your channel’

• The option for ‘Edit Links’ will pop under the settings menu of your cover art

• Click on it and you will be navigated to the custom link option where you can choose the number of links and add them accordingly

Thus, your channel is created and ready to embark on a new journey through YouTube. All you need to do now is captivate your audience with new and attractive video content. However, even after uploading good quality videos many creators and channel owners struggle to gain enough exposure from the potential audience since the competition is this high. The daunting task of standing out among the horde gets easier with an optimized YouTube channel. So, after customizing your YouTube channel; it is time for optimizing it.

How can I optimize my YouTube Channel?

While there are many ways to optimize your YouTube channel, as an emerging creator in the market; you should proceed with DIY approaches that do not cost anything other than research and time.

1. Add a channel trailer

The Channel trailer appears for the viewers who have not subscribed to you yet. As soon as a visitor comes to your channel they will seek a preview of what kind of video content they can see. A Channel trailer is a great way to offer that. Your school also focuses on the video description that prompts the idea of your channel description as well.

2. Don’t forget the contact details

Other than social media links and website URLs, there should be other modes of communication that enable more interaction between you and the potential viewers, clients as well as interested collaborators. Contact details such as phone no. and email address help to solve the business inquiries swiftly and efficiently.

• Go to your channel homepage and click on the ‘About’ section

• Scroll down to the ‘Details’ and you will find an option to share your email address

3. Customized Thumbnails

YouTube creates a thumbnail for every video that is uploaded but mostly it is taken from a video screenshot which is not good in quality. Instead of that, you can put up a custom thumbnail which good in both quality and resolution and also offers a fair preview of the video.

• Optimal Image Resolution – 1280 x 720 pixels

• Maximum File Size – 2MB

• Aspect ratio – 16:9

4. Search Engine Optimization

SEO is one of the most widely used elements in marketing that helps to gain more online visibility and better ranking on the search engine result page. The best way to SEO optimizes the video content is to incorporate relevant keywords into your channel. Since there is not enough text space in the channel, you can include them in the title, channel description, and video description as well.

Final Take

Even though you make all the fruitful efforts to put your channel in the limelight, it would not work unless there are some effective promotional approaches. Also, it can be difficult for you to create content and promote it as well. You can find a legit YouTube music video promotion from reputed promotional websites such as Music Promotion Club. There are also many websites that offer free services for beginners.

Now that you are aware of all the aspects of the YouTube channel, start your journey right away!