Not hundreds, not thousands, nor millions, but 5 billion is the number of YouTube videos consumed every day by users of the platform, with more than 1 billion users tuning in every month. YouTube is the second most visited site in the US and the first one globally. Without a doubt, the 17 years of age platform still has a lot to promise, and despite its long trajectory, it continues to rapidly grow as a popular choice for video streaming.
Today, YouTube has basically become its own search engine, and the go to site for billions of people when it comes to entertainment, news, tutorials, education, work, and you guessed it, advertise and promote their business or services. Take a quick look at one of our latest posts and learn more about why you need a YouTube channel.
It’s more than evident the platform can work as an effective video streamer for small and big businesses to offer centralized content and encourage viewers to interact with their online store or products. Unfortunately, many ecommerce owners still find the idea rather complicated and
The reality is starting a YouTube channel is a lot easier than many think.
If you were able to put in the work to start and run a business, you’re more than capable to create and start your own YouTube channel. Now, as we set some time to learn how to create a YouTube channel, it’s crucial to keep in mind that although starting is not nearly as complicated as many think, it does take work to run and grow a successful Youtube channel.
With this in mind, let’s find out how you can create a Youtube channel in 4 simple steps so you can put your content out there for others to find and interact with. And if you’re worried about growing and running a successful channel, make sure to stick until the very end where we throw in some tips to get you started and help you avoid common beginner’s mistakes.
How to Create a YouTube Channel and Start Putting Your Content Out There
In order to create a YouTube channel, you’ll first need a Google account. If you already have one, then you’re already halfway there. However, there is no need to fret if you don’t have a one yet, the process remains simple and straightforward, with only a few more steps to follow than those with an existing Google account.
Nevertheless, once you’re done signing up for YouTube, you’ll end up with a new Google account with its own settings and a separate profile pertaining to your new channel. This new account will serve as the face of your channel and brand, nesting with your original Google one.
Creating a YouTube channel using your existing Google account
For those with a Google account, it’s very likely you’ve been using it already to log in to YouTube and comment and like other users’ content. Moreover, even with a Google account in place and the ability to comment and like videos, this doesn’t necessarily mean you already own a channel. This works more like a personal YouTube account where you can go over your history and saved videos, without the ability to upload new content. You’ll need to create a channel to upload content and generate ads.
Check out the next steps to learn how to create a new channel using your Google account:
- Go to the YouTube homepage and click sign in located in the top right corner
- Once you’re logged in, click “Create Channel”
- Add or enter a name for your brand or personal account/channel
- Customize your Youtube channel. Click “Customize channel” and go through each tab (layout, Branding, and basic info).
That’s it!
Your Youtube channel is now ready for you to upload new videos and reach those interested in your content.
Once you have created your brand account, you’ll have the opportunity to add, test, promote, or delete any type of video content you want, always making sure to abide by the platform standards and regulations.
With a brand account, you’ll also have access to insights and YouTube analytics, and the opportunity to see how your videos are doing, how many views they get, which one is doing best, and so much more.
On top of that, you’ll also get the chance to manage multiple channels from your brand account dashboard, which comes in handy if you decide to create separate channels to cover specific topics or information.
Creating a YouTube Channel Without a Google Account
As we had briefly mentioned before, even if you don’t already own a Google account, the steps to create a YouTube channel remain fairly simple.
Here’s how you can create a YouTube channel if you don;t have a Google account:
- Go to the YouTube homepage
- Click the
sign-in option located in the top right corner - Choose the “Create a Google account” option
- Once your account is ready, follow the same steps mentioned in the previous section/.
All of the above steps can also be done from your phone through the YouTube app. Nevertheless, four quick and simple steps are basically all it takes to open a YouTube channel and upload your first video.
Once your channel is created, you’ll have the opportunity to make changes and customize everything from your profile picture to your username.
Optimize Your YouTube Channel to Help Others Find Your Content
So now you know the basics and rudiments needed to open and create a Youtube channel for your business. This also means you’re likely ready and excited to upload your first video ever and get your first view!
The good news is all that is left for you to do is find and click the “Create” button in the top right corner of your dashboard and follow some quick instructions. The bad news is, although adding a new video to your channel is one click away, you still have to set time and discipline to create quality content on a regular basis to keep your audience interested and coming for more.
Sadly, many entrepreneurs get all excited and pump to create and open a new channel to then abandon it once things get a little rough, eventually making it part of the thousands of other ghost channels whose owners lost interest or lack persistence to grow and keep them running.
Although we can’t help anyone in relation to discipline and commitment, we can offer a few tips and recommendations to help new YouTube creators grow their channels and reach a wider audience. This is all with the hopes they remain enthusiastic and excited about their new investment as they see it bloom and impact others.
Help Others Find You by:
Optimizing your video titles
It’s always a good idea to optimize the title of your videos, making sure to include naturally occurring keywords. Your title is one of the main components the algorithm relies on to determine what your video is about and is also what viewers look at to get an idea of what they’re about to watch.
Optimizing your descriptions and keywords
You can easily and effectively improve your channel’s reach by optimizing your videos descriptions. To achieve this, include appropriate keywords and unique hashtags, always offering relevant information according to the purpose of your video and category.
Try adding small and big keywords and hashtags, this will increase your chances of being found. Experiment and research which ones to keep and which ones to throw away.
Creative and releavant thumbnails
Get creative with your thumbnails, always using the right thumbnail size and a photo relevant to your video’s description. Avoid catchy thumbnails that fail to fulfill their promise. If there is one thing that can negatively impact your videos ranking is having a high bounce rate, This simply means users clicking your videos and clicking out of them after just a few seconds of watching. This is exactly what happens when you trick viewers with a catchy thumbnail that has nothing to do with your video or is simply a lie.
Post regularly and consistently
Offer quality content. It’s better to post less in a week than drop two videos a day that lack direction and quality. It’s always best to invest enough time and effort in the creation of original content that captivates the viewer and keeps them interested and informed. You might not necessarily need a professional camera to get started, sometimes your phone can be just fine; however, be mindful of putting out dull and meaningless content that creates little to no reaction from the viewer.
Remember, the Youtube algorithm works by views and users also have the easy option to flag your content as uninteresting to them by simply clicking the dislike or do not recommend buttons. And just know that as soon as your views start to go down, you’ll quickly rank lower when someone makes a search. Also, as a result of this, YouTube will not recommend your videos to others, which is one of the biggest ways to grow your audience.
Tips for Starting a Successful Youtube Channel as a Beginner
As you become familiar with the platform and how others are playing the game, you’ll slowly develop the necessary skills and experience to match the competition and keep your viewers coming back for more. Moreover, consider the following tips and experiment until you find what resonates more with your channel and your audience.
Pay attention to the competition
Although you never want to plagiarize or mimic another creator’s
Get creative with your channel icon
Your channel icon is a small, visual representation of your brand and works as your logo. It appears on Youtube search results and whenever you make a new comment. Your channel icon’s recommended size is 800×800 pixels. Make sure to go with something that represents you and your channel well, and can also give others an idea of what your channel entails. Don’t forget to avoid blurry images and try to stick to proper image size to eliminate any cropped incidents or low quality.
Make sure to Interact with your viewers
Failing to engage with their viewers and respond to their comments is a common mistake among beginners. They usually start out very social and responsive, and cease once the comment load increases in the slightlest bit. Of course, it’s practically impossible to answer every comment once you reach a certain level of viewers.but you want to keep up engaging and responding for as long as possible. This will help you create a loyal community and also boost your videos’ reach as the more comments you have the more you attention you get from the alogartihm.
Be an active member of your community
As you upload new content and find what’s trending in your niche, you’ll start to become familiar with the likely hundreds of other creators offering similar content to yours. They might be your competition, but they can also be great allies and promoters of your content when both parties choose to honor and respect each other’s work.
By interacting with their videos, commenting and sharing their content, this not only helps them but also benefits your brand as you also slowly begin to put yourself out there for others in the same category to see you. This can also lead to possible collaborations and video features on more influential platforms. Just like any other field, networking will help you open many doors and help you build mutually beneficial relationships.
Always track your performance and don’t forget to have fun
In case you’re wondering, yes! YouTube analytics offer an accurate view of how your channel is doing and executing. YouTube analytics works as a very effective and reliable way to measure each one of your videos’ performance and how users react to them. Pay close attention to your insights and make good use of the very specific data provided by your metrics. As obvious as it might sound, this is something often overpassed by many beginners, and many times the reason they fail to improve and get better.
And just before we close, as a quick recap, consider the following before launching your Youtube channel:
- Make sure to have a Google account
- Choose a relevant channel icon and profile photo
- Optimize your metadata and channel description
- Upload a customized banner to reflect your brand and the purpose of your channel
- Be active and consistent
Moreover, above all else, don’t forget to have fun. Creating a YouTube channel is ultimately a fun experience and creative outlook for many. Just a quick look around the platform is all it takes to realize the ones doing their best are usually those who started out on YouTube as regular users seeking to have fun, share their hobbies, or educate others about a specific topic, product, or idea they were passionate about. Hold this as your mantra and you’ll have an unbeatable advantage over the competition.
At Ecwid we count with a plethora of online resources aimed to help sellers create and grow their online businesses. Make sure to check out our blog to learn more about how to succeed on YouTube as an ecommerce seller and run a successful channel. You can sign up with Ecwid for free at any time.
Take the plunge and get started today!
