If you are reading this post, then you would definitely have some skill, talent or business which you want to showcase to the larger public. And obviously youtube is among the best platforms to reach a huge audience. Therefore you also want to make a youtube channel. And here in this guide, we present to you a detailed guide that will help you create a perfect youtube channel. As creating a channel is your first step. And there are many channels on youtube which don’t do it perfectly or ignore some crucial steps. So read on to ensure that you do everything right and don’t miss anything out.
- Sign In To Your Google Account Or Create One
For creating a youtube channel, you will first of all need a google account. Go to youtube.com and click sign in. There you have to sign in with the google account with which you want to create your youtube channel. Or if you don’t have a google account, then click on create account option at the bottom left and follow the instructions to create one. If you are creating a youtube channel for your business, then instead of your personal account, you can also use or create a separate account for your business, something that represents your business.
- Time To Create Your New Channel
As soon as you sign in on youtube with your google account, you already get your personal youtube channel (highlighted in yellow in the above image), which all youtube users get and will lay idle if they just want to be viewers. You can use this channel, however if you are creating a channel for your business, you can also create a “brand” account. For doing this, go to settings (shown in the above image with red arrow), then click on “create a new channel.”
Thereafter you will be prompted to create a brand account, where you will have to enter the name of your brand. Once you do this, you will be asked to verify your account through a voice call or a text message. After you have successfully verified your account, you can now customize it.
- Customize Your Channel
Whether you use the channel already created for you by default or create a new channel and brand account, it’s time for you to customize it. This is an important part of channel creation as it constitutes how your channel appears to the viewers. It is a major factor that is responsible for whether or not viewers will watch and subscribe to your channel. But out of ignorance, most channel owners don’t take customization seriously. But you shouldn’t do that. To start customizing your channel click on the customize channel button available on your channel page. There are three tabs under customization, and all of them are important, so make sure you don’t leave anything undone. We will discuss them one by one.
- Add Basic Info To Your Channel
Basic info is about all the basic details about your youtube channel. Add the name of your channel, mention the language in which your videos are going to be and write a description of your channel. The description is something that most channels leave blank or don’t write it seriously. But it is very important to have a well written description, because this is how youtube understands what your channel is about and shows it accordingly in search results. The description helps people discover your channel, when they search on youtube, so write it carefully and add important search keywords in it.
There is also an option to add important links to your channel. Here you can add all important links that you want to share with your viewers like links to your social media handles or your website. When you add these links, they will show upon your banner image at the bottom right corner. You can also add your email address. If your channel is for your business then it is in fact recommended to add social media links and email address.
- Brand Your Channel Properly
Branding is about conveying to the viewers what your channel is about with the use of images. Channel description also does the same, but it is more a thing for search engines than for viewers because nobody likes to read. Therefore you need images that can convey the purpose and feel of your channel to the viewers as soon as they visit your channel. The look and feel of your channel as set by these images is the brand of your channel and if it appeals to a viewer, his chances of subscribing to your channel gets much higher.
There are three images that you need to set, a profile picture, a banner image and watermark and each has its own importance. You can find many channels which don’t have banner images, but that’s the mistake they make. Make a profile picture and banner image that looks good and represents the purpose and feel of your channel instantly to the viewers. Now, the watermark is an image that is shown on all your videos. It gives an identity to your videos and also gives an option to viewers to subscribe to the channel while watching the video. You can also use your profile picture as a watermark.
- Add A Channel Trailer
One of the most advanced elements to be added to your channel is a channel trailer. A channel trailer is a short (1-2 mins) video introduction of your channel, as its name suggests, like a trailer for a movie. Look at this channel trailer for example
A trailer is something that shows everything interesting about your content in a matter of a few seconds and therefore is a very effective way to attract viewers. The channel trailer is pinned to the top of your homepage, and is shown only to the non subscribers. To add the trailer, go to the layout tab and click the channel trailer under the video spotlight section.
- Design The Layout Of Your Homepage
The final step in creating your youtube channel is to design the layout of your channel’s homepage.
On your homepage, you can add one of your best videos or your latest video as a featured video, which shows at the top of your homepage, just below that channel trailer. Apart from this, you can add up to 12 featured sections like popular uploads which shows your most viewed videos, important playlists, short videos, etc, as you wish. Doing all this is important because as soon as a viewer visits your channel, he lands on your homepage, where you can show him all the important and exciting stuff you have at one place.
Final Words
We leave you here with all the important steps and tips for creating your new channel on youtube. We believe that if you follow all the instructions and tips properly, you will be ready with a really good youtube channel that will have everything you need to attract a good amount of viewers on youtube. All the best!