Should I Change My YouTube Channel Name?

Nov 26, 2020

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Have you ever asked yourself: "Should I change my YouTube channel name?" If so, you aren't alone. Many content creators on YouTube wonder whether or not they should change their channel name. Maybe you started your channel when you were young or you want to begin rebranding your channel. Should you change your channel name?

You should change your YouTube channel name if your current channel name is difficult to remember or doesn't match your current content. For example, if your channel name is related to hockey, but you make business and marketing videos, changing your channel name can help improve the branding of your channel.

It is important to note that changing your channel name can have a large impact. If you have an audience, changing your channel name can cause your audience to overlook your videos. This is why a channel name change should only ever be done if there is a good reason for doing so. Channel names must be changed with a purpose.

Should You Change Your YouTube Channel Name

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Should you change your YouTube channel name? Well, as I touched on above, a YouTube username must only be changed when there is a good reason to do so. Many content creators change the name of their channel with no purpose and it ends up costing them views as many members of their audience do not recognize their new channel name.

If you have a good reason for changing your channel name, then changing it can be worth doing. However, if you have an existing audience, you should be wary of changing your channel name. The last thing you want to have happened is for your audience to forget who you are and skip over your videos.

There are a few scenarios that exist where a content creator should change the name of their YouTube channel. These scenarios include:

  • When the name of a channel doesn't fit with the niche
  • When the name of a channel is difficult to remember and isn't unique
  • When the name of a channel contains grammar mistakes

All of these scenarios would warrant a channel name change. As I mentioned above, a channel name should not be changed without a purpose. Sometimes, changing the name of a YouTube channel can result in poor results. Since this is the case, a good reason for changing the name of a channel must be present.

What Happens if I Change My YouTube Channel Name

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At this point, you might be asking yourself: "What happens if I change my YouTube channel name?" When you change your YouTube channel name, your display name on YouTube will appear as your new channel name. Your channel URL, however, will not change if you change your channel name.

Something important to acknowledge is the fact that by changing your channel name, you run the risk of becoming unrecognizable by your audience. When people are used to seeing your channel name, when you change it, they will wonder who you are. Over time, this stops being an issue, as your audience will get used to your new channel name.

It can be beneficial to make your audience aware of your YouTube channel name change on social media and in a video. After changing your channel name, you should put out a video on your channel and posts on social media stating what your old channel name was and why you changed your channel name.

YouTube Channel Name Is Not Changing

Every so often, a content creator sends me a message along the lines of: "My YouTube channel name is not changing after I edited it- what's wrong?" In most instances, when a channel name doesn't change after it has been edited, there is a certain reason for this. Luckily enough, this problem is easy to fix.

Usually, when your channel name doesn't change right away, all you need to do is be patient. YouTube can take up to 24 hours to update the name of a channel. So, if you change your channel name and it doesn't appear to be changed right away, wait for 24 hours and then see if your name has changed.

After waiting for 24 hours, if your channel name has not been updated, try updating it again. Then, open your channel page in an incognito window in whichever browser you prefer and see if your channel name has been updated. Somethings, pages get archived in browsers and changes don't show right away.

Can I Change My YouTube Channel Name After Monetization

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A question I've gotten quite often concerning channel names is: "Can I change my YouTube channel name after monetization?" It's a good question- you don't want to lose your ability to monetize your videos with Google AdSense if you change your channel name. But will issues arise if you do so?

Changing your YouTube channel name when your channel is part of the YouTube Partner Program and is monetized will not cause any issues. Even if you change your channel name shortly after your channel is approved to be monetized, you can change your channel name and you will not run into any issues.

Conclusion

While changing the name of a YouTube channel seems like an innocent act, doing so can have a huge impact on the performance of a channel. Before a content creator changes their channel name, they must consider the potential consequence of becoming less recognized by their audience.

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