by Jamie Donaldson, Vice President - communications 21

Although fashion trends may have brought us back to the 2000s, it’s not 2005 anymore and your YouTube channel shouldn’t look like it either. Gone are the days of 10-minute upload limits and video titles that are just file names.

Today, YouTube is the second most visited website in the world and nearly every media outlet, business and brand runs a YouTube channel. This means every video uploaded is competing with the big leagues now.

The good news is you can make some simple upgrades to make your YouTube channel look more polished, professional and like you know what you’re doing. (And if you need help, you know where to find us!)

Easy Ways to Make Your YouTube Channel Look Professional

1. Search Optimize Everything – Believe it or not, YouTube is one of the largest global search engines, so make sure you’re including related search terms everywhere possible. That means including relevant keywords in the channel description box. This goes double for your video uploads. The title is ideally descriptive, keyword-rich and enticing. The video description should be as well. Think about what your audience might type into the search bar and make sure your written content answers it.

2. Don’t Neglect Your Banner Image – It can be tricky to get it just right, but uploading an on-brand, designed banner image that works across all devices makes a YouTube channel look professional. It’s often the first visual impression visitors get.

3. Take Advantage of Playlists – Group your videos into playlists so people can easily find related videos and video series — and keep watching your content longer. You can even curate a custom playlist of videos from other YouTube channels to display on your channel. Add sections to your channel’s home page to display these playlists and your most popular content. That also makes your channel easier to navigate.

4. Create and Display a Channel Trailer – This is a video shown to non-subscribers who land on your channel’s home page. Ideally this gives a visitor an overview of what your content is about, explains your company or previews your most popular content. Think of it as your channel’s elevator pitch.

5. Use Custom Thumbnails – Don’t let YouTube choose a random frame for your video’s display image. Custom thumbnails with bold text, clear imagery and consistent branding improve click rates.

6. Embrace Vertical Video – The age of vertical video is still among us and YouTube is no exception. Recycle your Instagram Reels and TikTok videos on YouTube or edit your existing YouTube videos into vertical ones. This will make your channel look current and the short form content is a great way to get discovered by new viewers.

7. Add End Screens – You know the screen at the end of a YouTube video with links to view other related videos? Adding that to your videos instantly makes you look more legit, plus it drives views to your other videos. Win-win.

8. Don’t Forget Subtitles – YouTube will often automatically add subtitles to your video (eventually) but there are things it can get wrong. Review the generated subtitles for spelling, punctuation and name errors or upload your own captions. If you have a script on hand, you can even use YouTube’s auto-sync feature to add perfectly timed subtitles. Subtitles also make your content more accessible while also allowing viewers to watch without sound.

YouTube remains the most important video platform on the internet, but like any other social network, the site is always evolving — and staying current (and looking good doing so) can take time. If your channel could use a refresh (or if you’re thinking about launching one), we’re happy to help.