Setting Up Your YouTube Account Right the First Time

A small mistake made in the beginning with your YouTube account can be devastating. Remember that once you start building a brand, it’s very hard to change it.

Here are a few tips to help you avoid those mistakes.

Account Name

The most important decision you can make in this regard is your username. “level65druid” is not a good username unless you’re creating gaming videos. Professional YouTube accounts should have professional names.

Your name should be memorable, its “vibe” should go along with the vibe you want to convey and it should help build your brand.

If you already have a YouTube account in a name that isn’t great, just open a new account. It’s so easy to create a new username; don’t use a less-than-optimal name just out of convenience. There’s nothing in YouTube’s policy against having multiple accounts.

In fact, it’s generally a good idea to have a different Google account just for your YouTube videos. If your YouTube account is the same account as your email address, that makes it very easy for people to find your email and email you.

That may not be a problem at first, but when you start getting tens or hundreds of thousands of views, the unwanted emails can really pile up. That’s why it’s often a good idea to start a separate account for YouTube.

Profile Details

Setting up more details in your profile can also really help. Although most people don’t look at an uploader’s profile, once someone becomes interested in you, they’ll want to learn more. That’s when they’ll click on your profile to see what else they can find out about you. What they see should be a carefully crafted message.

For example, if you’re a 3D designer who’s showing off his work, you could have amazing videos, but unless you let people know in your profile that you’re for hire, you’ll probably miss out on many potential clients.

Treat this as your resume. It’s your chance to put who you are and what you do in your own words.

Personal Description

Your personal description and your website URL are the two most essential parts of your profile. The description should tell people what you’re about and possibly include a mild call to action. Don’t oversell yourself in your description, however.

Web Address

Your website URL is important as it helps people get to your website, but it also counts as a backlink to your website.

Setting these items up correctly, in the beginning, will pay big dividends in the future.