Some of us have been exploring the new possibilities of YouTube One, the new platform for Google’s video search engine, for a little while now during its beta stage. Since last week, all YouTube channels have been switched over to this slick new interface.
Whether you’re the type to stare online change in the face, shake its hand and buy it a drink or the type that would rather sit in the corner and marvel from a distance, it’s time to get familiar with YouTube One. This new design allows you to customize what content you want your viewers to see right when they land on your page, whereas with the old design, it was limited and defaulted to a generic layout. You are in charge of what content you want to feature and can steer the way viewers navigate your channel. YouTube has already seen a 20% page view increase for channels that have already opted in, so what are you waiting for?
I, for one, am pretty stoked about it. Not sure what the changes mean or how to use them? That’s where we come in. I will use GoNOLA TV’s YouTube One channel as an example, which opted in to the new design last month. Go through this checklist for setting up your new YouTube One channel, and you’ll be headed towards more subscribers, more views and more engagement.
Channel Icon and Art
Think of YouTube One’s channel icon and art as Facebook’s profile and cover photos for YouTube. It’s the exact same concept. YouTube will automatically set your original channel icon as the default, with the option to change it. Your channel art is just like a Facebook cover photo. Choose one that is striking, shows a lot in narrow, horizontal dimensions and is representative of your channel. Your YouTube One channel follows responsive design and your channel art will scale to fit the screens of desktops, tablets or smart phones. Make sure to add a link to your channel art that will appear in the bottom right corner. To do this, hover over the top right of your channel art and click “edit links.”
GoNOLA TV’s channel icon, art and bottom right website link.
About Section
The About tab that appears under your channel art is where you can add a description of your channel. This is your chance to give an elevator pitch to your viewers and use keywords to add SEO value. Also in the About section, you have the option to feature the channels you are subscribed to.
Example of the YouTube One about section with a description and website link
Video Presentation
This is where YouTube One really shines. Now, users have much more control over how they want their channel to be seen. Users can curate their own or others’ videos and playlists and organize them according to what order they appear on the front page of their channel. The organization can be edited at any time. So if the GoNOLA TV channel wants to highlight their Mardi Gras playlist to promote Carnival season in New Orleans, they can move that playlist to the top of their channel page at the appropriate time.
Example of the “above the fold” view of videos on the GoNOLA TV YouTube One channel
Channel Trailer
The Channel Trailer is a really cool feature of YouTube One. You can create a video welcoming unscubscribed users to your channel and encourage them to subscribe. It should be short, sweet and direct. Check out the GoNOLA TV subscribe video with host Fleurty Girl as an example.
Connect with Google+
Finally, to increase exposure and search rankings for your channel, connect it with Google+. Just click “Connect with Google+” on the top right side of your channel and follow the directions from there.