NEW YOUTUBE HANDLES : All You Need To Know

Have you heard the news? Youtube is finally hopping on the trend of handles!

What are Youtube Handles?

Most of us are familiar with handles on social media platforms such as Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok, so it is exciting to see this new feature on Youtube. Handles will be a unique “@” containing up to 30 characters, making it easier than ever to find the exact account you are looking for. This new feature will be available for everyone with a Youtube account, even those with no posting activity or subscribers, and will begin to gradually be rolled out on November 14th.

This new feature will change a few things on Youtube, but is meant to simplify the platform and make it easier for creators to be searched. Let’s dive into everything Youtube handles can do!

Custom URL

In the past, custom URLs have only been available for channels older than 30 days, that have at least 100 subscribers, and custom channel art with a profile photo. A custom URL on Youtube has been the easiest way for creators to share their channel directly with peers for quite some time, but now URLs are going to have some different rules.

URLs on Youtube are no longer going to require channels to reach the requirements stated above. A channel's header will automatically become a channel's URL. For example, if EzerDigitalConsulting was our channel handle, Youtube.com/EzerDigitalConsulting/ would automatically become our URL. Pretty cool, right? This will be an easy way for creators on Youtube to be found without any confusion.

Don't worry! If your channel already has a custom URL that you would like to keep, Youtube stated that they reserved the correlating handle. This way, there is no competition to get to the channel handle before someone else.

Using Your Custom Handle

Ever since Youtube announced custom handles, there has been a bit of confusion surrounding how they will be different from a username. As we established, handles are the “@” followed by 30 characters or less with no spaces. There are a few new ways that your personalized handle will be used on the website and in the app.

Youtube stated that handles will be shown in all places such as “the channel homepage, search results, shorts feed, any comments made, and community posts.” Meaning that this custom handle is going to be present in most places. Although it seems channel names will also still be present on these pages, it is assumed the handle may be smaller below it or to the side.

With handles, other creators will be able to “@” a user when they mention them, making it easier to share someone's channel or to mention them in a comment. This is also a great feature to ensure you are interacting with the correct channel. In the past, channels were able to have the same name (which is a feature that isn't changing), so a custom header solves some of that confusion and confirms that the channel you are interacting with in the comments, is the correct channel!

Anyone creating content on Youtube should be in touch with their digital brand and presence. (Read our blog about digital brands to find out more!)

Being cohesive across all platforms is a great way to establish that presence and trust. This new Youtube handle feature is making that even easier! Youtube stated that one of the main reasons for this new feature is to help creators “establish and maintain a distinct presence on Youtube.”

This feature is a huge step for Youtube, and is expected to push more creators to utilize the platform. With Youtube Shorts being rolled out in Spring of 2021, there have been many additional ways for creators to cater to their audience, and handles are making these features even more practical.

Businesses on Youtube

If you are a business considering utilizing Youtube and all of its amazing features, this is the time! With all of this commotion surrounding Youtube, more and more users will be utilizing the platform, meaning they may come across your channel! Whether you decide to focus on shorts or regular full-length videos, it is a great platform to be active on to boost your business’ online digital presence.

Ezer Digital Consulting is here to help you with any questions you may have. Contact us to learn more about how we can help you grow your customer base and establish your digital presence!