YouTube, Google’s video network, has over two billion monthly users – almost half of all internet users – and every day people watch hundreds of millions of hours on YouTube and generate billions of views.
Even more amazing is that 92% of internet users watch some form of video content every day. So there’s no reason why your business should invest in YouTube as part of your social media strategy.
Reading: How to create a new youtube channel 2017
Creating videos just keeps getting easier and cheaper. This means that your business has a huge opportunity on YouTube.
If you’ve been thinking about getting started with YouTube, or maybe you’ve been experimenting a little and still haven’t gotten your bearings, then here post is for you. In this post, we’re going to cover:
- The basics of setting up your account
- Creating a YouTube channel
- Guide Create the perfect one Channel Art
- Top tips to optimize your channel.
Ready to get started? Here we go.
How to create a YouTube channel (if you have a Google account)
If you have a Google account, you can view, share and Leave a Comment. However, Google accounts do not automatically create YouTube channels. However, setting up a new channel is an easy and quick process.
1. Go to YouTube and sign in
Go to YouTube.com and click Sign in at the top right of the page:
Log Then sign in using the Google account you want your channel to be associated with:
2. Go to your YouTube settings
Click on your profile icon in the top right corner of the screen and then click “Create Channel”.
3. Create your channel
Next you have the option to create a personal channel or create a channel with a company or other name. For this example, we’ll choose the “Use custom name” option, which is recommended for small businesses and brands:
Next, name your channel.
Note: As you will see from the settings in this step, is creating a new channel name also creates a new Google account with its own settings and YouTube history. This account is nested within your main Google account and can be managed entirely from Google settings. It is very useful as you can use this new account to like and comment on other YouTube videos and participate in YouTube as your brand.
After this step you will have the option to further customize your channel. You’ll see options for:
- Uploading a profile picture
- Adding a description of your channel
- Adding links to your websites – this can include custom links to a website or blog, and social links to Instagram or Twitter
Congratulations! You just created a new YouTube channel! 🎉
Next, let’s fill in all the information and create some channel art to make your page look great (click here to skip to the next section).
How to create a YouTube Channel if you don’t already have a Google account
If you don’t already have a Google account, you’ll need to create one before you can get started on YouTube. To do so, simply follow these steps:
- Go to YouTube.com
- Click Sign In
- Now select the option to Create a Google Account
- Follow the steps to create your Google Account
Now that you have a Google Account set up, you can follow the steps above Follow to create a YouTube channel.
How to create YouTube channel art
YouTube channel art is essentially the YouTube version of the Facebook cover photo. Channel art is featured prominently on your YouTube channel, which means it’s absolutely essential for any YouTube channel to use custom images to share your personality or more about your brand with your audience.
Here is an example of Buffer YouTube channel graphic:
Our channel art serves multiple functions, but currently serves as a promotional tool for our homepage feature.
Here are a few more examples for inspiration:
Ali Abdaal uses his channel art to introduce himself and his channel.
Skillshare uses its channel art to showcase the murals from a series also featured in its pinned video. Channel art reinforces its brand by showcasing great art and brand design.
See also: Creating a GitHub Pages site
Okay, now that you have a few options for what your channel art could look like, here’s what you need to know to make your channel art the best it can be YouTube Channel Art.
The Perfect Sizes for YouTube Channel Art
The best place to start for your channel art is an optimal image size that works across multiple devices. For best results, YouTube recommends uploading a single 2560 x 1440 pixels image.
- Minimum width: 1235 x 338 pixels. This is the “safe area” where text and logos are guaranteed not to be truncated when viewed on different devices.
- Maximum width: 2560 X 423 px. This means that the “safe area” is always visible; the areas on each side of the channel art are visible depending on the browser size of the viewer.
- File size: 6 MB or smaller recommended.
It is interesting to note that YouTube is on countless different devices – from as small as an iPhone to as big as a 60-inch TV. On TVs, the channel art appears in the background behind your YouTube channel content. It will appear as a banner at the top on desktop and mobile. Test your channel art on different devices to make sure it’s not pixelated when it’s large.
Tools and tips for creating YouTube channel art
In the past, YouTube had a channel art provided template to help you find the perfect layout for your channel art and how they look across all platforms. Here’s a preview of the template:
You can absolutely use the above ideal dimensions to create your channel art from scratch with a Tool like Figma or Photoshop.
The easiest way to get started with your channel art these days is with a free image editor like Canva or Adobe Express. These tools come with ready-made YouTube templates that you can quickly customize to your liking.
Here is an example channel art template in Canva:
Top Tips for YouTube Channel Art
Here are some tips on how to get the most out of your YouTube channel art:
1. Make sure all text and logos are within the “safe” area: The safe area for text and logos is the 1235×338 pixel area in the center of the YouTube channel art template (see template above ). This is the area that appears on YouTube when your channel is viewed on desktop screens.
Traditionally, the parts outside of the safe area risk being obscured or unreadable due to overlay social links or profile pictures .
Ensure that all important information such as branding, text, slogans and important images are within the safe area so that they always appear as part of your channel art on any device.
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2. Consider your channel links: YouTube allows you to add links to your channel and these will appear in the bottom right corner and overlay your channel art. For example, look at the bottom right of the channel image below:
When creating your channel art, it’s important to think about the space that these Include links and make sure that important things (e.g. logos) do not occupy this space in your design.
How to add art to your YouTube channel
If you’re just setting up your YouTube channel, you’ll see the Channel Graphics section (along with the rest of your channel.) To add graphics to your YouTube channel and make other customizations, click the Customize Channel button in the top right /p >
Once you clicked this link en, you will be taken to another edit screen where you can click on the different parts of you profile to make changes.
In the center there should be a blue button for adding channel images.
After that you will see a popup window that gives you the option to upload your own custom channel art. If you prefer, you can also use one of the YouTube templates from “Gallery” or upload one of your photos from Google.
Adjust cropping
Once you’ve uploaded your channel art, YouTube will show you a preview of how they’ll look on TV, desktop, and mobile.
At this point you may want to adjust the crop of your image so you can make sure everything is in place is lined up correctly. The crop tool can be accessed by clicking Adjust Crop.
This crop screen is very handy for checking how your design will look on different platforms. The clear section in the middle of the grid shows you the content that will appear on mobile and desktop, and the rest of the image shows the image that will appear on TVs.
Once you’re happy with how your cover looks, click “Choose” and your channel art will be added to your channel and saved.
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Change your current channel art
If you already have a channel art and want to update it, go to your channel homepage. From here, hover your mouse over your cover image and you’ll notice a small edit button appear in the top right corner:
Once you click this icon, you can update your channel art.
This video from YouTube also explains how to add and edit your channel art:
How to add your channel icon (profile picture)
See also: PrideParrot
Each channel also has space for a profile icon/picture. This icon appears next to your videos and channel on all YouTube pages. The key here is to choose something that looks good at very small resolutions – many brands choose to use their logo here.
Your channel icon should be 800 x 800 pixels and one in the following formats: JPG, GIF, BMP, or PNG file (no animated GIFs).
To update your channel icon, go to your channel home page and hover over your current channel icon until you see the change icon appear. Click this icon and you can upload a new profile icon.
5 ways to optimize your YouTube channel
Here are five ways to get the most out of your channel:
1. Refine your description
YouTube gives you space on your channel to write about your brand and the content you share on YouTube. The description is limited to 1,000 characters, so you can be creative here.
The text in your channel description doesn’t just appear on your channel page. It is indexed by search engines and may also be featured on YouTube in suggested channel categories and search results. A good tactic is to include some relevant keywords and CTAs in the first few lines of your description.
Pay special attention to the first 100-150 characters. Depending on where the description appears, the rest of the text may be cut off.
Here is an example of a great Vox YouTube channel description:
2. Add links to your channel
We briefly mentioned channel links earlier in this post. You can display up to five links in your channel’s banner. The first link appears expanded (see screenshot below), and the remaining links appear as icons.
I’d love to share with you how to add these links in four super quick steps:
1. On your channel home page, click the “Customize Channel” button.
2. Then click the gear icon in the top right corner just below your cover.
3. A lightbox will appear with channel settings. Here you need to enable the option “Customize the layout of your channel”:
3. After you have activated the customizations for your channel, return to your Go back to the channel homepage and you’ll now see an “Edit Links” option under the settings menu on your cover.
4. Click on the Edit Links option and you will be taken to the About section of your channel. Here you have the option to add links and choose how many to display above your cover:
3. Add a channel trailer
Once visitors land on your channel, you should give them a picture of what type of content your channel covers and why they want to subscribe and check out your videos. A channel trailer is the perfect way to do this.
A short, to-the-point channel trailer can be a great way to introduce people to your content. A channel trailer should grab attention from the start and also represent the type of content you create on YouTube.
It’s also important to think about the description you add to this video as it will affect your well Channel Home is visible.
(These trailers will only appear for people who haven’t subscribed to your channel yet.)
Here’s where this trailer will appear on your channel home . Notice that the video is on the left and the title and description is on the right? That’s a lot of prime real estate!
4 . Add your contact information (email address)
If you use YouTube as a business or creator, it can be helpful to have your contact information available for anyone who might be interested in you work. YouTube has a section on each channel profile where you can list your contact information for business inquiries.
You can find this in the About section of your channel. To do this, go to your channel’s homepage, click on “About” in the navigation and then scroll down to “Details”. Here you can see the option to share your email address:
Here you go
Thank you for reading. It was great fun diving into creating a YouTube channel and I hope you picked up a tip or two from this post.If you’re creating your own YouTube channel or already have one running, I’d love to hear from you and learn from your experiences on Twitter @buffer?
See also: YouTube Guide 1: How To Get Your YouTube Custom URL
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