Notice how the YouTube channel feels less like a profile and more like a platform of a national content provider. The cover art is similar to the iconic Facebook banner image and the blocking throughout the page nicely organizes content and related links. To take advantage of YouTube’s powerful update, brands should:

1. Create a welcome video. Since you can select which video is displayed at the top of your page, brands should consider using a welcome video for all first time guests. Since subscribers will receive notifications of your latest upload, what video is displayed on your profile really doesn’t affect them. However, a welcome video has a positive conversion rate effect because it tells new visitors what your channel is about and you can issue a strong CTA for them to subscribe!
2. Categorize your videos. Do you have any videos series? Or are there topics that are covered throughout multiple videos? YouTube’s newest layout is perfect for organizing videos however you want! Consider linking all similar videos about certain topics together to keep everything organized. This also helps you get more views, as people who enjoy a video of yours can easily see related or similar videos.
3. Focus on branding. YouTube used to focus on videos. Yes, video content is still the essence of YouTube; however, the focus of the channels no longer seems to be the videos, but the overall brand of video creators. Splash your logo everywhere. Take advantage of the banner image, background, and video thumbnails.
4. Design custom thumbnails. While the option to create custom thumbnails for videos is nothing new, having so many videos on your channel’s front page really emphasizes the need for cover art. There’s a huge difference between channels with random screenshots versus those who created custom images.
5. “Like” other videos within your niche. Along with the channel update, YouTube modified the homepage. It’s more similar to Facebook and Twitter in that page actions are highlighted on the newsfeed. To help your channel gain more prominence (and to network with other creators), consider liking other videos within your niche. Those aren’t your content, but it shows that you’re an engaged user while increasing the exposure for your brand.
6. Be creative with playlists. It’s incredibly simple to create playlists on YouTube and share them with your audience. Similar to liking related videos, consider making playlists of videos related to a certain topic – and don’t limit yourself to your brand’s content only. While a playlist can certainly organize your videos, you can also use playlists to create a useful collection for users. Brands who focus on value are more likely to attract viewers to their own content.
7. Only upload valuable content. If you’re unsure about the strength or quality of a video, it might be best to re-film it before uploading. YouTube recently changed their algorithm to provide more accurate video suggestions. In other words, the better your video is, the more likely YouTube will display it alongside other videos as a suggested video.