When information technology comes to sharing video online, YouTube is king. The platform boasts over a billion hours of video watched per mean solar day and is the 2d highest search engine online behind only its owner, Google. With such a massive reach, it's articulate why marketers favor the platform when engaging with consumers through video. But when information technology comes to using links on YouTube, at that place seems to some confusion over how all-time to practice so…

links on youtube

There are a variety of means to employ links on YouTube. These range from the description box, the aqueduct page, and comments department, to linking within the videos themselves. This can be done from either 'cards' that pop up in the frame of the video, or clickable 'end screen' elements that are overlaid on the video itself.

links on youtube
– End Screen example from the Rebrandly YouTube aqueduct.

Whether you're using YouTube to build your personal make online, or a large concern looking to aggrandize your accomplish through video marketing, knowing the all-time practices for linking on the platform is essential. Let's take a expect at the diverse ways to do so!

Channel Page and Banner

When y'all visit a user's channel, this is the default page you'll exist brought to. This is where all the basic information is laid out – who the creator or brand is, what their channel is about, a trailer demonstrating the blazon of content they produce, and a imprint image.

links on youtube
– Neil Patel's YouTube Aqueduct

The first place you'll exist able to find links on YouTube is at the bottom right-hand corner of the banner. Showtime upwardly is the principal link, which should lead to your main landing pages, such equally a website or blog. To the right of this, boosted links leading to various social channels of your choosing. Adding this in is quick and easy – merely go to your About folio, click "Add together Links", and make full in URLs you lot want.

links on youtube
– Rebrandly YouTube banner links

You can add up to 5 links on your imprint. The first link will be displayed on the left, with the title of your choosing. It'south of import to remember that this volition be a "DoFollow" link, significant whatever traffic driven from it will count towards your search ranking. Exist sure to utilize your main landing page here to capitalize on this! The remainder of these links tin be filled with social media, support, or whatever URLs y'all wish.

links on youtube

We recommend using your own branded link for the get-go one on your banner, as they come up with additional features such as detailed link analytics. This lets you rails how many clicks your chief banner link is getting, forth with a whole host of actress analytical data you'd be missing out on otherwise.

Links in the Video Description

"Check out my links in the description below!" is a phrase every YouTube viewer is used to hearing – creators, influencers, marketers, no thing the video-maker, anybody wants you to click their links in the clarification. These can range from affiliate marketing links to merchandise offers to only other social media accounts.

links on youtube

At that place are ii main issues that well-nigh creators face up when linking in their description – merely thankfully, nosotros've got solutions for both! The starting time is pretty simple:always include "https://" before the link.When copying and pasting links from various dissimilar sources, it can be easy to lose or forget that prefix. However, due to the mode YouTube is built, no links on the platform will work without it – they'll merely show upwards as plain text, non clickable:

links on youtube

links on youtube

While people tin of course still copy this text and paste it into their browser – that's one step besides many! Simply including the 'hypertext transfer protocol secure' prefix allows people to click the link and be brought to your intended destination directly away. Overnice and simple!

links on youtube

The 2d problem is also one that can be solved with branded links – and that is; messy, ugly, inconsistent links. This is an consequence experienced by even the nigh popular YouTube creators. Let's accept a look at ii examples – The Rock and Zoella. Each of these receives millions of views per video. Even if just ane% of these viewers choose to view and click the links in the description, that still tens of thousands of possible conversions – not to be sniffed at!

links on youtube

links on youtube

If the examples in a higher place, we tin encounter both The Rock and Zoella accounts are filled to the skirt with links. All the same, there'south no consistency – some are long URLs, some are generic short URLs -not one of these featuring their ain brand! Let's take a look at what these descriptions couldawait similar if 1 of these creators used a branded link with their own domain:

links on youtube
– Possible new YouTube description links for The Rock

Certainly looks a lot neater to me! On height of that, branded links tin take a potential increase in click-throughs of up to 39%, with an added sense of trust and security. This is considering of the user's brand being on their links. With Rebrandly, they can also change the destination URL of whatever of these links at any stage – perfect for irresolute the destination of links on several videos at in one case.

Links on YouTube videos – Cards and Stop Screen

In the early days of YouTube, 'Annotations' were the main method of linking from within a YouTube video itself. These were originally ugly text boxes with included the long URL popping up on screen, interrupting the video.

links on youtube
– Erstwhile annotation links, via Cybergenica

Since and so, YouTube has moved on and adult 2 less intrusive ways to link from videos – Cards and End Screens. With Cards, a elementary circle featuring an exclamation betoken appears in the tiptop right-manus corner of your video, with teaser text if you wish, alerting the viewer to a link. Once tapped, a listing of thumbnails and links pops upwards on the correct-mitt side of the screen. Cards can be useful for: linking to other videos, a relevant website, or trade shop.

links on youtube
– YouTube Card instance, via CD Baby Blog

Finish Screen elements work in a similar style, altho they remain on the screen itself. These links announced in the terminal 20 seconds of a YouTube video, giving the user an option to click on similar videos, subscribe, or be sent to a website of the user's choosing. Nearly creators volition specifically create an finish screen template for the finish of their video to fit these links – the raw video simply has a blank space for the 'tiles' to be added.

links on youtube
– End Screen template, via YouTube

Both Cards and End Screens are incredibly useful tools for growing a user'due south channel. Linking videos together and linking to preferred landing pages creates a seamless user feel for the viewer – they tin be kept watching your content for longer and directed to your website to convert.

However, it's of import to remember that linking to an external website is only available to channels that are signed up for the YouTube Partner plan and have their chosen website continued with to their account. Unfortunately, it's not possible to link a variety of unlike sites from your videos – YouTube likes to go on a firm grip on where you're sending their viewers!

links on youtube

There are plenty of means to use links on YouTube – you just need to be certain you're playing by YouTube's rules when you practise so. While the video-sharing platform tin can exist an incredible tool for marketers and businesses alike, you must e'er pay attention to where and how you're placing your links.

At Rebrandly, we'd recommend always using branded links on YouTube – everywhere except the Cards & End Screens, every bit they take to exist dedicated YouTube or linked-website URLs.

Whether y'all're commenting on a partner'south video, filling out your descriptions or most pages, branded links are the fashion to go. They look neater and more professional; Rebrandly.Video/Subscribe. They give a sense of consistency while promoting brand awareness – Rebrandly.Live/Highlights, Rebrandly.Blog/Read-More. Because you lot tin can always modify the destination URL of any branded link you place on YouTube, you can ensure your links never get out of appointment.

Are you using YouTube to market your business? Comment below with a link to your channel, let us know how you discover information technology!

Farther Reading:

  • How to increase conversions with video marketing
  • How to Edit and Brand your Instagram Bio Link (Video)
  • Linking on Instagram: How to Link in Instagram Stories
  • Linking to alive video: Facebook Alive tips for marketers

This Commodity is About:

  • Using links on youtube
  • YouTube linking
  • Video marketing
  • branded links for youtube

Originally Posted: quaternary of December 2018
Terminal Updated: 3rd of March 2021