YouTube is the second most popular website behind Google. More than half of the internet users visit YouTube every day. Many people and brands are making a lot of revenue out of this platform. You can also build your channel and make money out of it.
Creating a YouTube channel is easier. If you have a Google account, you can automatically set up your YouTube account. However, if you are using the channel for business, then you should create a Brand account.
Before you start adding massive amounts of content to your website, you should first master YouTube SEO. You can also hire search engine optimization agencies to do the job for you.
In the same way, you would do keyword research, you also need to do it for your YouTube channel. Focus on high-value keywords and use them in your titles, video tags, and description.
After launching the content, you can check “Traffic Source” on the dashboard to discover the terms your customers search for.
Other important SEO ranking factors for YouTube include the number of comments, video length, subscribers, and click-through rate. Remember it will not be easy to rank on the first pages for competitive keywords.
After building your channel, you need to monetize it to get revenue.
YouTube Partner Program
Most channels make money through the YouTube Partner program. In this case, you earn money through ads that show when people watch your videos.
You need to give YouTube permission to run ads on your content. Also, you have the freedom to choose the type of ad placements.
Both you and YouTube will share the advertising amount. Ideally, YouTube takes 45% and you remain with 55%.
For instance, if an advertiser is charged $1 for an ad, YouTube will take $0.45 and you earn $0.55. Although this does not seem to be a lot of money, these numbers can easily add up if you are getting thousands of views per day.
Sell Courses and Tutorials
This is another great way to make money from YouTube. You can sell digital courses. Find information that offers value to people and share it with your followers. As a result, people will buy your course and tutorials.
There are many topics you can cover. Some of the popular topics include digital marketing, personal development, fitness, and health.
You can add your courses in video descriptions with a call to action. This will encourage viewers to take action and buy your courses.
However, you can only become successful in selling courses if you create practical, unique, and high-quality content. That is because none will be interested in buying a course with information that is readily available online.
Affiliate Marketing
As your YouTube channel keeps growing, you should not rely only on video advertisements for revenue generation. There are different monetization methods to consider like affiliate marketing.
After developing an affinity with your fans and followers, affiliate marketing is the best option to make money from YouTube. There are many companies out there that pay YouTube channels to promote their products.
If you have a large following, you can make a lot of money through affiliate marketing. Make sure you sign up with reputable affiliate programs. Also, deal only with affiliate programs related to your niche.
Seek Sponsorships
You can also partner with sponsors to make money on YouTube. As your viewership keeps growing, various brands can hire you to create videos for them. Top brands will pay you handsomely if you create quality videos.
If sponsorship is your main method to make money through your YouTube channel, then you need to focus on certain industries. This type of monetization strategy is effective. This form of advertising is similar to affiliate marketing.
You will be paid a fixed amount to promote sponsorship deals. The good thing about this method is that you determine the amount to charge. This will depend on several factors such as the quality of videos, the length of the video, and how much the vendor wants to pay.
Since this is sponsored content, you need to disclose the same on your YouTube channel.
Funding from Fans
This method will work for you if you have built a huge fan base. In this case, you ask them to crowdfund your YouTube channel to create new content.
The most popular crowdfunding platform is Patreon. This will make it easier for you to run crowdfunding campaigns. You can even enjoy both one-time and recurring donations.
This method is widely used by not-for-profit channels that seek funding to ensure their video operations continue running smoothly.