YouTube recently updated their requirements for getting a custom URL. It used to be that anyone could get a custom URL simply by signing up for an account. In fact, you couldn’t have a YouTube account without a custom URL. That has all changed, probably due to the fact that people were setting up dummy accounts just to claim desirable URLs.
The new guidelines state that in order to get a custom URL, you have to meet these requirements:
- You have 500 or more subscribers
- Your channel is in good standing with YouTube
- Your channel is at least 30 days old
- Your channel has a photo in place for the channel icon
- Your channel has channel art in place
Now, when I first read this, I thought it was crazy, because 500 subscribers is a lot!
Fortunately for the YouTube mortals of the world, there is an easier way to get a custom URL and it’s by linking and verifying your official website with your YouTube channel or associated Google+ page.
How do you that, you ask? Well, it’s pretty straightforward. However, you might need the help of your web designer depending on your comfort level with website code.
There are two ways to do it.
The first way is through Google Webmaster Tools, if you have that set up for your website. (If you don’t, you really should)
The second way is by putting a snippet of code on your website and linking it that way. Fortunately, Google does a pretty good job explaining how to complete either of these options on their support site.
Once you have met their requirements or have successfully linked your account to your website, you will get a notification on the dashboard of your YouTube channel that will walk you through the process of claiming a custom url.
As always, we are here to help. If you run into any problems getting this set up, please don’t hesitate to comment below with your questions. YouTube/Google+ are often finicky, so sometimes things don’t always work the way they are supposed to.
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