In this post, we will talk about all the different ways you can pick your YouTube channel name and make it stand out.
Choosing a channel name can be a nerve-wracking process, especially so, since there are so many different factors at play.
You have to choose a name that reflects your interests but also be careful of choosing a name that’s unique so that you can create branded social media handles as well as a website.
1. Pick a name appropriate for YouTube community guidelines
Prior to choosing a channel name, first, ensure that the name is an appropriate pick for YouTube. Follow community guidelines to make sure it doesn’t look spammy. You should not be impersonating others as well as be clear of words that you are not allowed to use on the platform.
2. Ensure the channel name is short
On YouTube, a short and sweet name is much better than a long name. When someone searches for a channel it’s better to provide them with an easy-to-remember name, than something that is over 50 characters in length.
To summarize, here’s what to do to pick up a YouTube channel name that’s apt for you:
A channel name should have
- No more than five syllables
- Easy to remember
- Has few or no numbers
- No more than 30 characters
- Easy to spell
MrBeast, PewDiePie, and others are short and easy to spell and remember. They take full marks on all the above points. As such, that’s what you should also be doing.
3. Ensure you pick a unique YouTube channel name
Be it intentional or otherwise you cannot use your YouTube channel to impersonate another creator. This is misleading to viewers. That’s the biggest reason to have an original channel name.
It keeps you honest and YouTube doesn’t get a reason to strike the channel down.
MrBeast, being the most popular creator-dozens of channels, uses the same name and logo to create fake accounts to draw some of the traffic and views MrBeast’s channel has.
The end goal is to be like Mr.Beast. But it goes against YouTube’s guidelines.
Other than using a unique channel name to build a brand, think of the business or the end goal with your channel.
If someone claims your name they also have the custom URL that goes with it.
Without a custom URL, your channel’s web address will look something like this: YouTube.com/MpydOtyuVwZupTubasPHHcJ. No one wants something so cryptic. You want a name that’s easy to remember and even easier to access.
The next point to remember is you don’t get access to a custom name right off the bat. You can claim a URL that works for your brand once you have 100 subscribers and a unique channel name.
4. Choose a name that aligns with your niche
Just as the perfect YouTube channel name can set you up for success, choosing the right business name holds equal weight. If you’re in the process of launching your brand and want to choose the perfect name for your business, it’s crucial to consider several vital factors that resonate well with your brand identity and target audience.
When someone comes to your channel, they should instantly know three things:
- What is your niche
- The type of videos you make
- The value they’ll receive
The right channel name serves all three purposes. But the question is how to come up with a powerful name so that people understand its worth.
Whatever your niche, you can come up with a unique name that helps you express yourself and show to the world what you mean by the brand name. Simply begin thinking of the subject and challenge yourself to create a channel based on that particular niche and get your first subscribers with ease. For example, this channel Tutorials Point is a one-stop hub for all your tutorial needs. https://www.youtube.com/@TutorialsPoint_/videos.
The channel covers tutorials on programming, Microsoft Excel, creating sites on WordPress, boosting drupal performance and more such technical topics and other subjects and the name reflects the same.
When choosing a name also ensure that the web version aka the domain name too is available. Otherwise, you may have to settle for hosting sites on Blogger or Drupal.
5. It’s okay to go with your first and last name
If fleshing out an online persona, your channel name doesn’t have to tie to your niche. The content is built in and around you. Your personality is the star of the show and not just a random tutorial or how-to advice. Your first and last names are what people see.
Take for example the channel by Matthew Woodward whose claim to fame was the fact that he started uploading well-researched SEO videos on his namesake channel. This eventually resulted in millions of views and millions more for his agency.
Never be too discouraged by the thought that you may get too little traffic owing to that no one knows your name or who you are.
buHowever, don’t start worrying too much over this. The goal is to create a personal brand and have faith in the entire process.
Saafiya Nygaard is one such creator. This channel has over 9.48 million subscribers and it didn’t take her a dozen years to reach that many followers. Her subscriber count topped that number after posting lifestyle-based videos. She has a different take on living life and posts mostly lifestyle-based videos.
The channel’s prime focus is on making money, traveling, and more things. She changed the channel to of kilter Minimal money but that would be too limiting for the content she wants to create.
3 Tips to generate Youtube channel name ideas
1. Decide your channel’s USP
If you are struggling with branding, then start with the category of your YouTube channel. Here are some examples of naming your channel to stand out from the crowd:
Channel name based on a brand name: HubSpot
Channel name based on a category type: ThailandfoodExplore
Self-explanatory channel name: Excel Wizard
2. Choosing a personal YouTube channel name
Choose your own name to be with the easiest approach and if you want the channel to be your face. For example, there’s a creator called Dhruv Rathee who breaks down complex subjects into simple ideas.
On almost every video you will see him explaining an idea or event and you can look at his take on the subject. He used his name to create a personal video channel.
#1. Make sure your name is unique
If there are other people with the same name, you can try different variations of your name to create something unique.
You see what I’m talking about?
#2. Use a different name other than your name
If you’re from Slavic or East Asian countries there’s a possibility your name is either too long or people find it really difficult to pronounce that name. PewDiePie’s real name is Felix Arvid Ulf Kjellberg. The channel has over 75 million followers today. Imagine using a difficult name for the channel. The followers might have been far fewer.
#3. Use the short form of your name
Using concatenations is a great way to stand out from other channels on YouTube. Simply combine your name’s initials with another term that describes your channel and use that to define your channel name. MKBHD is short for Marques Brownlee. HD derives from the fact that he only uploads HD videos.
Check out Marques Brownlee. His channel name combines his name and the epithet HD because he generally posts videos in HD format. The channel has over 17.4 million subscribers.
3. Choosing a business YouTube channel name
You haven’t got much choice here, your channel name should be the same as your business name. Else, your customers will have a tough time recognizing it. However, here are a couple of points you should keep in mind:
#1. Ensure social media handles are available
It’s generally useful to have your own YouTube channel match other social media handles. This way your address will be the same everywhere and make it easy for your customers to find you.
#2. Beware of domain name availability
As your business channel continues to grow on YouTube, you’ll want to start building traction off of it. Having a matching YouTube Channel Name and domain name can help you with that.
# 3: Choose a name with the right keywords
If you are creating videos about the above topics with search volumes it makes sense to create videos with keyword titles in them.
Think of keywords people use to find your content. With a solid list of keywords, start building your YouTube channel; name with these keywords. This helps you target your audience to encounter your channel before competitors’.
Let’s say you have a tech channel. You can add any of these keywords to the channel name.
- AndroidCentral
- AndroidRumors
- Smartphone
These are some of the most popular channels covering everything on Apple’s different products, news, and reviews.
Include the target keyword inside a channel, name makes sure people arrive in droves to the channel.
4. Brainstorm and finalize
You need a quick brainstorming at times to get the wheels of your mind running.
1. Write down some words associated with your content. As a YouTube educational channel note down words like views, girth, or monetization.
2. Write a list of words emphasizing your channel’s goal. Perhaps you just don’t want to teach but motivate, inspire, or entertain. There’s no right or wrong answer as long as you’re honest.
3. Create some channel names using words from both lists. Don’t put yourselves under too much pressure. Have a better idea of what it should be.
4. Don’t put yourself under too much pressure here. Even if you fail at naming your YouTube channel, you’ll have a better idea of what it should be.
There are even more ways to create creative YouTube channel names. You can use a creative name generator and get creative suggestions like you would with a blog title generator for publishing articles. Looking for an existing YouTube channel name to get more suggestions and take care of every little idea we discussed so far.
Conclusion
YouTube is a massively popular platform meaning if you’re starting a business on YouTube you will definitely get viewers and traffic. As such the competition is crazy. A lot of people create a lot of content on YouTube.
Most of the effort is wasted on videos that don’t do anything and fall flat in terms of performance. Your competitors are on YouTube and to understand which of their videos are performing well, track, analyze, and monitor their performance, you need a social intelligence tool like Keyhole.
Book a demo to know how Keyhole can help you understand how your competitors are doing.
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Frequently Asked Questions
1. Do YouTube channel names have to be unique?
The important thing here is to go for a unique URL so that people can get the same channel name as you but without this being a problem.
2. Does changing YouTube channel name affect views?
Yes, if you change your YouTube channel arbitrarily it affects viewership. It is a bit like changing a domain name and search engines need some time to find and index everything.
3. How important is a YouTube channel name?
A YouTube channel name defines your internet presence and makes or breaks how popular your channel eventually gets to be.
