Did you know that you can verify your YouTube account and it only takes a few minutes? YouTube allows this for a variety of reasons, and there are benefits to doing so. In this article, you will learn what it means to verify your YouTube account and how to do it.
Benefits of verifying your YouTube account
Below are the main reasons why you should verify your YouTube account:
Create and upload longer videos
Verified accounts can upload videos up to 12 hours or 256GB in length, whichever comes first. Unverified accounts can only upload 15-minute videos. If you're planning on creating long-form videos that cover your topics in more detail, this is definitely the way to go.
Add multiple YouTube ads
Video ads are less likely to run on very short videos, and back-to-back video ads are only shown on videos that are at least five minutes long. With a video lasting up to 12 hours, you can embed and display multiple YouTube ads to further increase your ability to monetize your videos.
Create custom thumbnails
Unverified accounts can only use default thumbnails. Considering that thumbnails affect clicks and number of views, this is a serious limitation. On the other hand, if you verify your YouTube account, you will be able to customize your thumbnails to attract more clicks and views.
Qualify for live streaming
After verifying your YouTube account, you will qualify for live streaming. With YouTube Live, you can broadcast live and interact with your audience to improve audience participation and engagement.
Appeal Against Content ID Claims
A Content ID claim is automatically generated when YouTube believes that a video you upload infringes someone's copyright because it matches a video or part of a video in its Content ID system.
YouTube allows you to appeal a Content ID claim, provided you have a verified account. However, you should only dispute claims when you have a compelling reason to avoid a takedown notice from a valid claim, which may involve a copyright strike.
How to verify your YouTube account on the desktop
To verify your YouTube account, you will need an active YouTube account, a YouTube channel and an active mobile number. The process is simple and can be done through a desktop or mobile browser but not the app.
- Open your desktop browser and go to YouTube.com. You will be prompted to log in if you are not logged in already. Enter your login information and click "Next".
- Scroll to the bottom and click "Settings" in the menu on the left.
- Click on “Channel status and functionality”.
- You will be redirected to the YouTube Studio page. Click "Continue".
- On the "Feature eligibility" tab, click the drop-down menu next to "Eligible" under "Intermediate Features" and click "Verify Phone Number". Alternatively, go and log into your account if prompted.
- You will be asked how you would like to receive the verification code. Select between "Write me the verification code" and "Call me with an automatic voice message".
- Select your country if it is not already preloaded, then enter your phone number in the space provided. Click "Get Code".
- Once you have received the verification code, enter it in the space provided, then click "Submit".
How to verify your YouTube account on mobile devices
- To verify your YouTube account using your Android or iOS device, open your favorite browser, go and log into your account if prompted.
- Select how you would like to receive the verification code, via SMS or phone call, then enter your mobile number and tap "Get Code".
- After receiving the verification code, enter it in the space provided and tap "Submit".
- Once verified, it will reflect on your YouTube account on all your synced devices.
Other ways to request the verification process
There are other ways to request the verification process for your YouTube account, whether on a desktop or mobile device.
Upload a long video
To do this on your desktop, log into your YouTube account and click your profile picture in the top right corner, then click "Your Channel".
- Click "Upload Video -> Continue" to enter YouTube Studio, click "Select File -> Upload", drag and drop the video, then click "Show All Files".
- Select a long video and let it finish uploading and processing. You will see a notification informing you that processing has been aborted because the video is too long.
- Click on "Learn more".
- You will be redirected to the Google support page, where you will be taken to the "YouTube Verification" page to verify your account.
Try going live
Once inside your YouTube account:
- Click on your profile picture in the top right corner, then go to “YouTube Studio -> Go Live”.
- Since your account has yet to be verified, you will be taken to a page requesting to enable the live feature. Click the red “Enable” button. On the next page, click "Verify".
- This will take you to the YouTube verification page.
- Follow the instructions to verify your account.
Try uploading your thumbnail
This is another way to start the account verification process. To do this, while still in your YouTube account:
- Upload a video, click "Upload Thumbnail" when finished, then click "VERIFY".
- This will take you directly to the “YouTube Verification” page. Follow to verify your account.
