A well-optimized YouTube channel can help you gain traffic and improve visibility. And as a channel admin, you would want to ensure that every aspect of your YouTube channel is well-optimized to gain maximum traction and potentially increase your subscriber base.
One of the essential factors to improving your channel's visibility is having custom URLs in place. This article will talk about the importance of having a custom URL, how to get one, and the best practices for custom URLs, among other things.
YouTube custom URLs are a custom address that helps identify your YouTube channel and set it apart by adding uniqueness. It is an address that is easy to remember and share. It's highly user-friendly and can help with content discovery.
Here are some of the reasons why you should think of getting a custom URL for your YouTube channel:
A YouTube custom URL is easy to remember — it's one of its most essential properties. Against traditional URL formats that have random characters in place, custom YouTube URLs are short and to the point, making it highly easy to remember and share. It saves time while browsing, as you don't have to go through using the search feature.
One of the most essential features of custom URLs is the fact that they are search engine friendly. YouTube custom URLs often have relevant keywords in place, which helps ensure that search engines find it much easier to discover the content. Having good search engine visibility helps drive high-quality traffic to your YouTube channel, which goes a long way in the organic growth of your subscriber count.
A well-decided custom URL adds visibility to the channel as well as helps establish its branding presence. The channel looks more professional, and it appears that the channel admins have indeed put time and effort into setting it up. Unlike random characters, custom URLs add brand value and make more sense in channel presentation.
YouTube needs its users to meet specific channel requirements before getting access to a custom URL to help maintain quality and ensure channel name availability. Here are the requirements to get a custom URL on YouTube.
You should have at least 100 subscribers before you think of getting a custom URL. This helps ensure that you are continually putting time and effort into your channel and not just randomly claiming a custom space on YouTube.
To avoid spam, YouTube needs channels to be at least 30 days old before channel admins can apply for a custom URL. 30 days should also be long enough to decide on your channel's direction and come up with a proper name.
To claim a custom URL, ensure that you have put up a profile picture and a banner. Having these elements in place on your YouTube channel helps determine your channel's quality and establish that you are here for the long haul and actually care about your channel's presentation.
Here are the steps to claiming a custom URL on YouTube:
1. Sign In To YouTube Studio
2. Select Customization in the left menu and then go to Basic Info
3. You will notice your custom URL in the box. Make changes to it
4. Click on the PUBLISH button on the top-right and click CONFIRM to make your custom URL go live.
Changing your channel URL is a one-time action, and once you've changed it, you'll never be able to change it ever again in the future. Hence, you must be careful while choosing a name.
You should spend some time deciding on your channel strategy to not be in two minds when deciding on your custom URL.
Here are some of the points that you should take care of to ensure that you are making the best out of your custom URLs on YouTube.
Try to come up with a custom URL that's original and unique, avoids repetition, and describes your channel for what it is. Avoid using numbers unless necessary, and choose the URL in a way that makes it easier to remember even if you say it out to someone.
You would want your YouTube custom URL to be short, on-point, and reader-friendly as this will help determine the uniqueness and make it easier to remember. As a YouTuber, you will be speaking out your URL very frequently, so it's a good idea to stick to the basics while deciding on the custom URL for your YouTube channel.
While deciding on a custom URL, try to mention keywords relevant to your channel to help with discoverability and channel visibility. However, do not overdo the keywords, as it might make things more spammy.
You do not get a second chance with YouTube custom URLs, so take your time with coming up with a name. When you start out, you will get enough time to build your channel to the requirements, and as we said, it should be enough to determine a channel name that's going to stick.
YouTube URLs add a highly-personal touch to your YouTube channel, and it's essential to take care of the basics and make it right. Spend some time with your channel, get to know your content and the audience, and then decide on a URL that reflects what your channel is all about while also making it more visible to the audience and search engines.
Good luck!
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