How To Change Your YouTube Channel URL - Reel Video Producer Tips #7

How To Change Your YouTube Channel URL   Reel Video Producer Tips #7

This week's Producer Tip shows you how to change your YouTube channel URL! Maybe you're stuck with a channel name you don't really like anymore, but all your videos, views and subscribers are on it already. How can you change your existing channel name to something else on YouTube?

How To Change Your YouTube Channel URL

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SEE ALSO: How To Make A Great First Impression With Your YouTube Channel - Reel Video Producer Tips #17

This week's Producer Tip shows you how to change your YouTube channel URL! Maybe you're stuck with a channel name you don't really like anymore, but all your videos, views and subscribers are on it already. How can you change your existing channel name to something else on YouTube?

Well, you unfortunately can't change your YouTube account name, but you can setup a vanity URL that redirects to your existing channel with a mask.

For example, my personal YouTube channel is:
http://www.youtube.com/godrox

But I have a vanity URL that uses my name, which is more memorable for people:
http://www.youtube.com/schmoyertim

It just redirects people to the first channel while hiding my channel's original URL in the address bar.

Watch the video to see how you can set this up. Unfortunately, it is limited to those with a partnered account only.

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Posted in Videos About Video, Youtube Marketing
Web Video Shows:
2013 Video Marketing Summit
About the Author -
Tim Schmoyer is the host of ReelSEO's Creator's Tip. He's also the Creative Strategist at Epipheo Studios (http://www.epipheo.com/). You can see some of his personal videos on his Family Vlog Channel and his Video Creators Channel. View All Posts By -

What do you think? ▼
  • http://www.facebook.com/jacki.schklar Jacki Schklar via Facebook

    There was a YT Flash upgrade requirement, I think. It asked me to upgrade today. Whater version I have is only a few months old.

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1206756412 Toby Michael Younis

    Maybe you can offer a suggestion. I'm not a partner. My business is Videotero.com. My YouTube channel is elvideotero. The "Videotero" channel is owned by someone who registered it in 2006, and never used it. I've sent them several emails with various offers, and I get no response. Any recommendations?

    Thank you.

    Regards,

    t.

    • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=170100766 Tim Schmoyer

      Yeah, you can submit a trademark infringement form through YouTube. I've done it twice: once successfully, once not. You have to show that you are the rightful owner of a name (either by fair use or legal paperwork). I got the first one (studentministry) because my site's URL is studentministry.org and it's Facebook page url is also studentministry. I showed that I had been using that name for a long time. Additionally, the guy who had the studentministry account had no uploads nor favorites or anything and hadn't logged in for 4 years. So they gave me that one. The other one they didn't, I think because my case wasn't as strong and because that guy had a video or two posted from years ago. *shrugs* Try it and see what happens.

    • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=170100766 Tim Schmoyer

      Grant Crowell Right, I know what you're saying -- I'm just saying that the trademark form is the only way to request acquiring an unused channel account if the person who owns it doesn't respond. If the name is basically being squatted and is unused for several years, there's a chance they'll give it to you, but you have to use the trademark form to contact them about it even though it's not technically a trademark infringement issue.

    • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1206756412 Toby Michael Younis

      Grant, you're right. It's no where near trademark infringement, but I think the point that Tim was making is that using the form is the only way to get YouTube's attention on the matter. I'll give it a shot. Nothing else has worked. Thanks, guys.

    • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=170100766 Tim Schmoyer

      Grant Crowell No, not solely for inactive use, but in my case, the account was completely unused and I could show that I've been using that name for a long time. YouTube essentially shrugged and said, "Sure, why not?" and handed it over to me. The second one I tried to acquire they didn't hand it over to me because there was some activity on the account (albiet, 3 years old) and I had only acquired the Facebook vanity URL and the web URL a month or so prior.

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=596652602 Nitsan Simantov

    you should mention in the title that this is for partners. most people are not.

    • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=170100766 Tim Schmoyer

      Yeah. Hopefully it's just another motivation for them to work hard and become one.

    • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=170100766 Tim Schmoyer

      Grant Crowell Somewhat, but Partner invitations are sent out based on an algorithm. If you consistently upload content, consistently get a decent number of views on each of them, and your subscriber count continues to go up, it'll trigger the Partner invitation. It just takes a lot of work to get to that point.

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100361750022323 Video Leads Online

    Bummer that this tip only applies to YouTube Partners. Most of my client's are not partners.

    • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=170100766 Tim Schmoyer

      Yeah, but I can understand why. If this was available to everyone, there would basically be no URLs left for anyone because now everyone would have two urls instead of one, ya know?

    • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100361750022323 Video Leads Online

      Wonder if they can help people that want to change the CaSE of their channEL NAmE? Not a new name per se, but a different Look for iT.

  • http://www.easygreenhouseplans.com Adam Johns

    what a fantstic idea!!! i am soooo over my YT url. Though I was stuck forever. Great content!

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1065836321 Rodney Hammond

    hey, if my account is monetized, does that mean that I am already a partner? I REALLY want to change my page name! lol

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1065836321 Rodney Hammond

    nvm- I see that I would hafta own all rights to any and all audio on any videos.. bummer. hate to start over and lose those viewcounts :(

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100002970375676 CP Holding

    no

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100002515716912 Iain Brennan

    What do I think? I think it's complicated as hell to change your username this childish moronic video was as much use as a pork chop at a barmitzva, why can't people talk normal?

  • John Mattos

    Hey Tim, awesome video. The only question I have is around the partner program and submitting the ticket... what's the link to submit them? I cant find it anywhere? Also, I'm assuming that since I activated monitization on my videos I'm in the partner program.. is there something else I need to do?Thanks again great stuff, I'm now fully following your stuff!

  • John Mattos

    Hit send too early :) I found this.. but its all basically a huge FAQ. http://support.google.com/youtube/bin/answer.py?hl=en&answer=1075910 ... there's no place to actually open a ticket! Argh!

  • communications

    how do you contact youtube partnership support? It doesn't look like they have a forum or contact section?

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