11 YouTube Settings Small Channels Must Turn ON

Summary

This video script offers 11 essential YouTube settings to boost your channel's visibility and engagement. It emphasizes the importance of manual chapter creation for better content representation, utilizing the channel description for a strong first impression, and enabling content reuse for increased exposure. The script also advises on audience targeting, channel customization, and the strategic use of end screens for higher viewer retention. Additionally, it covers the setup of branding watermarks, consistent video descriptions, and the implementation of two-step verification for account security, ensuring a comprehensive approach to growing a successful YouTube channel.

Takeaways

• ⏲️ Improve watch time by disabling automatic chapters and adding manual chapters with helpful timestamps.
• 🔍 Enhance discoverability by using meaningful chapter keywords that Google can index.
• 📝 Utilize the channel description to engage viewers and include a clear call to action.
• 🌟 Encourage content reuse by changing the license to Creative Commons and allowing Shorts remixing for increased exposure.
• 🎯 Ensure your audience is targeted correctly by checking and adjusting the video category in analytics.
• 🔁 Promote viewer retention by organizing channel content into sections and creating enticing playlists.
• 📺 Use end screens effectively to encourage viewers to watch more of your content by directing them to specific videos.
• 🏷️ Strengthen your brand with a consistent watermark or subscribe button across all videos for better recognition.
• 🔗 Save time by setting default descriptions with affiliate links and social media handles in Upload Defaults.
• 🛡️ Protect your channel from unauthorized access by enabling two-step verification for added security.

Q & A

What is the significance of watch time on YouTube?

Watch time is a key metric on YouTube because it influences the platform's algorithm, affecting the visibility and recommendation of videos.

Why should automatic chapters be disabled and replaced with manual ones?

Automatic chapters may misrepresent content and hurt video retention. Manual chapters can improve viewer experience and retention by providing useful and accurate navigation.

How can TubeBuddy simplify the process of adding chapters to videos?

TubeBuddy can streamline the process of adding chapters by providing an easy-to-use interface and tools for managing video metadata.

What is the role of chapters in SEO for YouTube videos?

Google indexes the keywords in your chapters, which can help viewers find your video when they're searching, thus improving discoverability.

Why is it important to fill in the description under Basic info on YouTube?

The description under Basic info is displayed prominently on the channel page, providing an opportunity to engage viewers and provide a call to action.

What is the benefit of allowing others to reuse your content on YouTube?

Allowing content reuse through Creative Commons attribution provides free exposure and encourages discussions around your videos, potentially increasing their reach.

How can the audience of your videos impact their success on YouTube?

The audience's relevance to your content is crucial; if the wrong audience is targeted, it can lead to low retention and hinder the video's potential for growth.

What is the purpose of categorizing videos correctly on YouTube?

Correct categorization ensures that videos are recommended to the right audience, which is essential for high engagement and watch time.

Why should YouTube channels have a well-organized and engaging layout?

A well-organized channel with engaging sections can incentivize viewers to watch more content, increasing the likelihood of returning viewership.

How can end screens be used to encourage viewers to watch more of your videos?

End screens can be used to promote specific videos or playlists, encouraging viewers to continue watching and increasing viewer session time.

What is the advantage of using a custom image for branding on YouTube?

A custom image for branding can serve as a watermark, subtly promoting your channel's identity and encouraging subscriptions without interrupting the viewing experience.

Why is it recommended to set default video visibility to unlisted on YouTube?

Setting default visibility to unlisted prevents accidental public posting of videos, such as personal or sensitive content, ensuring privacy and control over content release.

How can uploading YouTube Shorts help in promoting long-form videos?

Shorts can be linked to related long-form videos, allowing viewers to transition from a short to a full video, thus increasing views and engagement on longer content.

Why is two-step verification essential for YouTube channel security?

Two-step verification adds an extra layer of security, preventing unauthorized access and protecting the channel from potential hacks that could result in lost content and damage to the channel's reputation.

Outlines

00:00

📈 Optimizing YouTube Settings for Viewer Retention and Discovery

This paragraph emphasizes the importance of optimizing YouTube settings to enhance viewer retention and discovery. It advises disabling the automatic chapters feature due to its AI's limitations and suggests manually adding chapters with timestamps in the video description for better navigation and viewer experience. The use of chapter bars in videos can also signal upcoming content, improving retention. Additionally, Google indexes keywords in chapters, aiding in video discovery through search. The paragraph introduces a new setting in YouTube Studio under Customization > Basic info, where a channel description can be added to appear on the channel page, encouraging viewer engagement. It also recommends enabling content reuse through Creative Commons attribution and allowing Shorts remixing to increase exposure. The importance of audience targeting is highlighted to prevent misplacement of videos, and the use of analytics to check video suggestions is advised. Lastly, it suggests customizing the video category for accurate audience targeting.

05:03

🔐 Enhancing Channel Engagement and Security on YouTube

The second paragraph focuses on strategies to boost channel engagement and ensure account security. It encourages the use of YouTube's Customization features to create an engaging channel layout with sections like popular videos or curated playlists. The paragraph also stresses the importance of end screens in retaining viewers and suggests directing viewers to specific videos to increase click-through rates. Branding is another key aspect, with the recommendation to upload a custom watermark image for increased visibility. For efficiency, it advises setting default video descriptions with consistent keywords, links, and tags in Upload Defaults. The paragraph also covers channel discoverability through careful selection of keywords and the use of YouTube Shorts to link back to longer content. Lastly, it emphasizes the critical need for two-step verification to safeguard the channel from unauthorized access and potential hacking.

Keywords

💡Watch time

Watch time refers to the total amount of time viewers spend watching a video or a channel on YouTube. It is a critical metric for YouTube's algorithm as it helps determine the video's relevance and user engagement. In the context of the video, it's emphasized that improving watch time can enhance the video's performance on the platform. The script suggests disabling automatic chapters and adding manual ones to better represent the content and improve viewer retention, which in turn increases watch time.

💡Automatic chapters

Automatic chapters are timestamps generated by YouTube's AI to break down videos into sections for easier navigation. However, the script argues that these chapters may not always accurately represent the video's content and can potentially mislead viewers, negatively impacting video retention. The video recommends disabling this feature and manually adding chapters to ensure they accurately reflect the video's structure and enhance the viewer experience.

💡Video retention

Video retention is the measure of how much of a video viewers watch before they stop. High retention indicates that viewers are engaged and satisfied with the content. The video script discusses strategies to improve retention, such as manually adding chapters that correctly represent the content and using end screens to encourage viewers to watch more videos, which are crucial for a successful YouTube channel.

💡TubeBuddy

TubeBuddy is a browser extension designed to help YouTube creators optimize their channels with various tools and features. In the script, it is mentioned as a tool that can simplify the process of adding manual chapters to videos, which can improve video organization and viewer experience, thus potentially increasing watch time and retention.

💡Customization

Customization on YouTube refers to the ability to modify and personalize various aspects of a channel's appearance and functionality. The video script highlights the importance of customizing the channel description, featured sections, and branding to create a more engaging and professional channel that can better retain viewers and encourage them to explore more content.

💡Channel description

The channel description is a text field on a YouTube channel page that provides information about the channel and its content. The video script emphasizes filling in this description as it appears prominently on the channel page, offering a first impression to viewers and an opportunity to include a call to action, such as a link to a book or a subscription prompt.

💡Creative Commons attribution

Creative Commons attribution is a license that allows others to share and use the creator's content while giving credit to the original creator. The script suggests changing the standard YouTube license to Creative Commons to allow others to reuse the content, which can lead to increased exposure and discussion about the videos.

💡Shorts remixing

Shorts remixing is a feature that allows creators to use clips from other creators' videos in their own YouTube Shorts. The video script encourages enabling this feature to allow for more content reuse and collaboration, which can lead to increased visibility and engagement for the original content.

💡End screens

End screens are customizable segments that appear at the end of a YouTube video, often containing calls to action such as subscribing, watching another video, or visiting a website. The script stresses the importance of using end screens effectively to keep viewers engaged and watching more content, which is crucial for improving watch time and channel growth.

💡Branding

Branding on YouTube involves creating a consistent visual identity for a channel, which can include a logo, color scheme, and other design elements. The video script mentions uploading a custom image for branding purposes, which can serve as a watermark or a subscribe button, increasing brand recognition and potentially encouraging more subscriptions.

💡Upload Defaults

Upload Defaults in YouTube Studio is a setting that allows creators to set default information for all new videos, such as affiliate links, social media handles, and other details. The script advises using this feature to save time and ensure consistency across all videos, allowing creators to focus more on content creation rather than repetitive tasks.

💡Two-step verification

Two-step verification is a security feature that requires users to provide two forms of identification before accessing their accounts. The video script highlights the importance of enabling this feature on YouTube to protect channels from unauthorized access and potential hacking, which could lead to the loss of valuable content and damage to a creator's online presence.

Highlights

Watch time is crucial for YouTube success, and automatic chapters can impact it.

Disable automatic chapters for better viewer experience and control over content representation.

Manually add chapters with timestamps and labels in the video description for improved navigation.

Use TubeBuddy to simplify the process of adding chapters for listicle-type videos.

Chapters with anticipation can improve video retention, especially with a visual indicator in the video.

Google indexes keywords in chapters, aiding in video discoverability through search.

Utilize the new YouTube setting in Customization > Basic info to fill in a channel description.

Place a call to action in the channel description to engage viewers immediately.

Enable others to reuse your content by changing the license to Creative Commons attribution.

Allow Shorts remixing to encourage content reuse and increase exposure.

Ensure your video is suggested to the right audience by checking and adjusting the video category.

Incentivize returning viewers with engaging channel sections and curated playlists.

Move the short section down if you don't want to promote shorts at the top of your channel.

Add end screens to encourage viewers to continue watching your other videos.

Create a strong brand with a custom watermark image for increased visibility and subscription prompts.

Use Upload Defaults to maintain consistency in video descriptions with keywords, links, and tags.

Set default video visibility to unlisted to prevent accidental public posting.

Fill in channel keywords to improve discoverability and ensure viewers can find your channel.

Add a related video to your YouTube shorts to drive views to your longer content.

Enable two-step verification to secure your account and prevent unauthorized access.

Transcripts

- Here are 11 YouTube settings

that will ensure you're not ruining your chances

of blowing up on YouTube.

First this setting doesn't seem like it

would have much impact initially,

but since watch time is key, it really does.

You're going to want to navigate to the analytics of one

of your videos and go to details.

Then scroll all the way down to automatic chapters.

Now, initially, you're probably looking at automatic

chapters like they're gray.

They're probably going to help with the viewer experience,

but that's not totally true.

The built-in chapter feature is made with AI

and not really good AI at that.

You can see in videos that use it

that the chapters really aren't that useful at all,

and they can actually hurt your video retention if it's

misrepresenting your content.

So you want to disable this feature

and add chapters manually.

It's as easy as adding the timestamps to your description

with labels, and if you just wanna make it super easy,

you can just use TubeBuddy.

This really helps if you're doing a listicle type video

so people can generally see what's coming next.

But it also works on entertainment videos, too.

Lots of high retention content will actually put a bar in

the video to show when the next chapter is.

It's high effort, but definitely proves

that chapters in anticipation

to the next point can improve retention.

Also, Google indexes the key words in your chapters

so it can help viewers find your video when they're

searching and help you get discovered.

There's another brand new YouTube setting

that I bet you haven't utilized.

Go to YouTube Studio and click Customization.

Then go to Basic info.

This is where we want to fill in a description.

This is so vital because when you click on a channel now,

it shows the first line of this description right on top

of your channel page.

You can leave your audience to click on a link

or any other call to action right under it.

For instance, Ali Abdaal plugs his book here.

Mr. Beast just tells you to subscribe

and Veritasium tells you what

to expect when clicking on his channel,

and the top YouTubers like them know how essential it is

to have people reacting and talking about your videos.

That's why you want to turn on this setting

that allows others to reuse your content.

Now, some people may disagree,

but it's free exposure to have everyone

and anyone talking about your videos.

To do that, go to video details

and change standard YouTube license

to Creative Commons attribution.

Also, right below it, I would click Allow Shorts remixing

so you can allow other creators to react

and reuse your content when creating YouTube shorts,

and it's not like they're just stealing your content

because any shorts of yours

that another creator remixed are linked back

to your OG content.

The audience of your videos matter more than anything.

For example, if you're making a hockey video, you don't want

that video getting suggested to Minecraft viewers.

You can actually see what videos your video is getting

suggested alongside,

if you look into your analytics,

once your video hits suggested, that's a good sign

that it's going to blow up

unless it gets sent to the wrong audience.

That's gonna stall your video

and cause the retention to plummet.

So to make sure that doesn't happen,

look at this setting.

In your video details,

simply go to category

and then change it to whatever best represents your content.

Returning viewers are just as important as new ones,

especially if they have history of watching lots

of your videos for a long time.

So you're going to want to make sure

that if they click on your channel, they're incentivized

to watch more of your content.

If you go to a popular YouTube channel like TommyInit

and then scroll down, you'll notice

that his channel is divided into sections

that are catered to his audience.

It looks really full and engaging.

So to do this for your own channel, go to Customization,

then click Featured Sections.

Here you can add templates like popular videos or shorts,

but if you wanna take it to that extra level,

add created playlists with enticing names.

That way viewers can binge watch a whole playlist

if they go down your channel page.

By default, the short section is at the top, so

unless you really want to promote shorts,

I suggest you move that down.

If you get nothing else from this video, get this.

It is crucial to keep people watching your videos.

YouTube will heavily promote your videos if your viewer

session time is spent on lots of your videos.

The best way to do that is to add in screens,

and I would actually take this a step further.

When you're making a new video, write something at the end

that makes people want to click on a specific video of yours

and watch your click through rate on

Instagram will go through the roof.

For instance, if you're making a Minecraft video about

building a house, but you already posted a video on your

channel about building a Minecraft mansion,

you can say at the end of your video,

if you wanna see an even crazier build, click this now.

Now having YouTube suggest a video

or just having a recent video here works too if you don't

wanna put that much effort into it,

but I highly recommend it, either way,

end screens are essential

and it's also essential to have a strong brand

and get people subscribed.

There's a YouTube setting that makes it a lot easier.

Go to customization, then click Branding,

here you can upload a custom image.

It can be a profile picture, a logo,

or you can just upload a photo that says Subscribe

if you really don't care about the branding,

this will show up as a watermark at the bottom right

of a viewer screen.

This is good if they're full screen so they don't have

to click out to subscribe.

Also, this gets your logo, brand,

or subscribe button more exposure on every video.

Your video description should be as consistent

as you can get it, the same keywords, links

and tags, to do this, go to Settings,

then Upload Defaults.

Here you want to put things like your affiliate links,

your Instagram handle, any social media platform

that you want, any of the details

that would stay the same from video to video.

Then you don't have to waste time filling it in over

and over again when you upload a new video.

You want your time to be spent on the things that matter,

like making the content itself.

Also, since YouTube automatically sets your videos to public

after it's uploaded, I make sure your default visibility is

unlisted so you don't accidentally post your school

project to your subs.

Now, in the same spot, go to Channel.

Here you can make sure that viewers can find your channel

based on keywords.

This is especially vital if you have a channel name

that could be used in lots of other videos.

For example, dream.

Dreams channel name can be in

lots of other content.

That's why one of his key words is Dream Minecraft.

You wanna give viewers as many chances as possible

to find your content, so really take some time

to fill in these keywords.

Another great way to do

that is if you upload YouTube shorts.

Now, shorts are notorious for getting lots of views

that don't carry over to your long form videos,

but YouTube added a feature that helps with this.

When you upload a short

and you're in the upload UI, go to Video Element

and add a related video.

Here you can plug another short or a long form video.

Now, this works especially great if your short is a clip

from your long form video and you leave a cliffhanger

or something that makes them want to watch the full video.

Now, once you have all your banger videos uploaded, you want

to make sure that nobody can hack you.

That would be the end

of your YouTube career.

With this setting,

YouTube will notify you when someone tries

to log into your account without permission,

and please don't sleep on this feature

because I see it so often when creators channels get hacked

and years of uploads are suddenly gone.

To do that, turn on two step verification,

which will be prompted at the top of your YouTube studio.

Click get started and fill out everything accordingly.

Those are the 11 settings,

and if you wanna watch another banger

video, click this right here.

I'll see you next time and keep creating.