Creating YouTube channel in 8 simple steps [+ bonus tips]

Did you know that YouTube is the third largest search engine in the world as well as the largest video channel?

Now you do! For both personal and business purposes, YouTube is a powerful tool. After all, with video you can properly show who you are, what you have to offer and you can be easily findable through it in both YouTube and Google.

So it's high time to tell you how to create your own YouTube channel.

Before we begin

Unfortunately, it is not possible to create a YouTube account or start a YouTube channel without having a Google account. So having a Google account is really a must.

Since I'm assuming you already have a Google account (since almost everyone does), I won't go into much more detail on that.

If you do not have one, follow all the steps Google described here.

Now, then, we'll get started quickly.

Creating a YouTube channel in 8 steps

Step 1: Go to the YouTube website.

Step 2: Click on "Login" at the top right.

Step 3: Log in with the Google account you want to use to create the YouTube account.

Step 4: If you are logged in with the Google account, you will automatically be taken to the YouTube home page. Then click the initial letter of your Google account in the upper right corner, next to the "bell icon."

Step 5: Next, click "Create a channel.

Step 6: Click "Get Started" and then select whether you want to use your own name (i.e., the name of your Google account) or use a custom name.

Step 7: Depending on your choice at step 6, you may see a different screen. I chose a custom name so I could choose my own. Click through it until you see the screen where you can add a profile picture and description.

Step 8: Add profile picture, a description of your YouTube channel, a link to your website and any links to your social media channels and click 'Save and continue'.

And then it actually was! You've now easily created your own YouTube channel. To get you further started, I've listed a few more tips for you and noted some of the questions people have asked me about YouTube in the past.

3 tips for your just-created YouTube channel

Now that you've created your YouTube channel, of course you're not there yet. Because now the party is just beginning.

Initially, you still need to complete your channel. By clicking 'Customize Channel' you will see your YouTube channel. Make sure your channel icon and banner image match each other and your business.

So that's tip #1: complete your YouTube channel and make sure it looks well cared for.

The next tip(tip 2) concerns the settings of your channel. Below your banner you should see a gear wheel on the right (see screenshot above).

If you click on it you can change your channel settings. Think for example of the privacy settings, the layout of your channel and possibly turning off or on reactions on your channel.

Tip 3 is in line with tip 2. Because you actually have even more settings you can adjust in your YouTube account. In fact, when you click on your channel icon at the top right, you'll have a gear wheel next to 'YouTube Studio'.

If you click on that, you can adjust many more settings. Consider:

• Notifications
• Playback and performance
• Privacy
• Linked accounts
• Billing and payments
• And advanced settings

Like this. If you followed everything, you now have a brand new YouTube channel created, fully populated and set up the way you want it.

Now if you are curious about how to make your videos more findable in YouTube, I recommend you go through my YouTube SEO roadmap.