How to Add a Website Link to Your YouTube Channel

Okay, let’s be honest: you’ve poured real love into your YouTube channel, and yet the one thing you actually want people to do, click through to your website, feels weirdly hidden. You go looking for a big obvious “add link here” button and instead you’re clicking through menus that keep moving every time YouTube redesigns something. I’ve been there, squinting at Studio wondering if I missed a setting. Take a breath, because this is genuinely easier than it looks.

To add a website link to your YouTube channel, open YouTube Studio, go to Customization, then the Basic info tab, and add your links under the “Links” section. The first few links you add there can appear directly on your channel banner, and the full list shows on your About page. You’ll also want to verify your channel so links display cleanly, and you can drop links into individual video descriptions too. That’s the whole map, and I’ll walk you through every stop.

By the end of this, you’ll have your website linked in every place that matters on YouTube: your banner, your About page, and your descriptions, all set up correctly and looking professional. No guesswork, no clicking around in circles. Let’s get your channel working as the traffic-sending machine it’s meant to be.

Where do links actually live on a YouTube channel?

Before we start clicking, let me give you the lay of the land, because understanding where links appear makes the whole process click into place. YouTube gives you a few distinct spots to place a website link, and each one behaves a little differently.

• The channel banner: That wide image at the top of your channel. Your primary links can appear as small clickable buttons overlaid near the bottom-right corner of the banner, right by your profile picture area. This is prime real estate because it’s the first thing visitors see.
• The About page: Every link you add in your channel settings is listed here in full. When someone taps your channel’s “more” or “About” section, they see your website, your other socials, and anything else you’ve added.
• Video descriptions: Each individual video has its own description box where you can paste your website link. This is powerful because it puts your link right next to the content people are actively watching.
• Pinned comments and cards: Slightly different, but worth knowing. You can pin a comment with a link, and channels in the Partner Program can sometimes use cards and end screens for approved link types.

Here’s the part nobody tells you: the banner links and the About page links come from the exact same place in your settings. You don’t add them separately. You add your links once, choose their order, and YouTube automatically surfaces your top ones on the banner while listing them all on About. Once you know that, the whole thing stops feeling mysterious.

How do I add a website link to my YouTube channel, step by step?

Alright, this is the main event. I’m going to walk you through it like we’re sitting side by side with your laptop open. This works best on a desktop browser, so if you’re on your phone, it’s worth grabbing a computer for these first few steps.

Step 1: Open YouTube Studio

Head to YouTube and make sure you’re signed into the right account (easy to have several, so double-check the profile picture in the top-right). Click your profile picture, then choose YouTube Studio. This is your channel’s control room, where all the real settings live.

Step 2: Go to Customization, then Basic info

In the left-hand menu of Studio, click Customization. You’ll see three tabs across the top: Layout, Branding, and Basic info. Click Basic info. This tab holds your channel description, your channel URL, your contact email option, and, the reason we’re here, your links.

Step 3: Find the Links section and add your link

Scroll down until you see the Links section. Click Add link. You’ll get two little fields: a link title and a URL. The title is the label people see, so make it clear and inviting, like “My Website,” your brand name, or “Shop” or “Free Guide.” The URL is your full web address, including the https:// part. Paste it in carefully and give it a quick glance for typos, because a broken link is such an avoidable heartbreak.

Step 4: Add more links and set the order

Want to add your Instagram, your newsletter, or your shop too? Click Add link again for each one. You can add several. Then here’s the important bit: the order matters. Drag your links so your most important one sits at the top, because YouTube uses your top links for the banner display. Put your website first if that’s your priority, or your shop, or wherever you most want people to go.

Step 5: Publish your changes

This is the step people forget, and then they panic that it didn’t work. Click the Publish button in the top-right corner of the Customization page. Nothing goes live until you publish. Once you do, pop over to your public channel page to admire your handiwork. Your links will show on your About page, and your top link should begin appearing on your banner (this can take a little while to fully display).

Why isn’t my link showing on my banner yet?

So you did everything right and the banner button still isn’t there. Don’t worry, this is incredibly common and usually comes down to one of a few gentle fixes.

You haven’t published. I know I just said it, but truly, this is the number one culprit. Go back and make sure that blue Publish button was clicked and the changes saved.

It just needs time. YouTube doesn’t always update instantly. Changes to how links display on your banner can take some time to propagate, so give it a few hours before assuming something’s broken. Refresh, clear your cache, or check from a different device.

Your channel isn’t verified. This is the big one. To get your links displaying fully and reliably, especially external website links, YouTube wants to know you’re a real, trustworthy channel owner. Verifying your account with a phone number, and building up your channel’s standing, helps your links show up properly. We’ll cover verification next because it deserves its own moment.

Banner space on mobile is limited. The banner link buttons show most prominently on desktop. On the mobile app, your links are tucked into the About/description area rather than overlaid on the banner image. So if you’re only checking on your phone, that might be why it looks different from what you expected.

Do I need to verify my channel to add links?

Let’s clear this up, because it trips people up constantly. You can technically add links in your settings without doing anything special. But for those links, particularly external website links, to display cleanly and be treated as trustworthy by YouTube, verification really helps. And there are two different “verifications” people mix up.

Basic account verification. This is the quick one. YouTube asks you to confirm your account with a phone number. Go to your Google or YouTube account settings, find the verify option (often under youtube.com/verify), enter your phone number, and pop in the code they text you. This unlocks features like custom thumbnails and longer videos, and it signals you’re a legitimate human, which matters for how features behave.

Joining the YouTube Partner Program. This is the bigger milestone, tied to reaching YouTube’s eligibility thresholds. Being in the Partner Program unlocks more advanced linking features over time, like certain external link options in cards and end screens. You don’t need this just to put your website on your banner and About page, but it’s the level that opens up the fanciest link placements.

For the everyday goal of “I want my website linked on my channel,” basic verification plus adding links in Customization is all you need. Don’t let anyone convince you that you have to be a huge creator first. Your website can absolutely live on your channel from day one.

How do I verify my YouTube channel with my phone number?

Since verification smooths out so many link display issues, let me hand you the quick version so it’s not a mystery.

• Go to the verification page. Visit youtube.com/verify while signed into your channel’s account.
• Choose your country and delivery method. Pick whether you’d like a text message or an automated voice call.
• Enter your phone number. Type it in carefully, then request the code.
• Enter the code you receive. Pop the six-digit code into the box and confirm.
• You’re verified. That’s it. Your account now carries that trust signal, and your channel features, including how links behave, get a little smoother.

It genuinely takes about two minutes, and it’s a one-time thing. If you’ve been putting it off, this is your nudge to just knock it out. Future you will be glad.

How do I add my website link to video descriptions?

Here’s where a lot of your actual click-throughs will come from, so I don’t want you to skip it. Your channel banner and About page are great, but people spend most of their time watching videos, and the description box sits right there under every one. Putting your website link there catches people at the exact moment they’re most interested in you.

Adding a link to a single video

Go to YouTube Studio, click Content in the left menu, and choose the video you want to edit. Scroll to the Description box, place your cursor where you want the link, and paste your full website URL (with https://). YouTube will make it clickable automatically once saved. Click Save in the top-right. Done.

Where in the description should the link go?

This matters more than people realize. Only the first line or two of your description shows above the “…more” fold before viewers have to expand it. So if your website link is buried in paragraph five, most people never see it. Put your most important link near the top, ideally in the first sentence or two. A simple pattern that works beautifully: a short, punchy line about the video, then your link, then the rest of your description below the fold.

Setting a default so you don’t retype it every time

Here’s a lovely time-saver. In Studio, go to Settings (the gear icon at the bottom of the left menu), then Upload defaults. You can write a default description that auto-fills every new video you upload, complete with your website link. Set it once, and every future video starts with your link already in place. That’s the kind of small automation that quietly pays off forever.

What makes a good link setup versus a messy one?

Adding the link is step one, but doing it well is what turns a viewer into a website visitor. Let me share the little things that separate a channel that sends real traffic from one where nobody ever clicks.

Do this	Not this	Why it matters
Clear link titles like “Free Guide” or your brand name	Vague titles like “Link 1” or a raw URL	People click what they understand and want
Your top-priority link first in the list	Random order with your site buried	Banner shows your top links, so order controls visibility
Link near the top of video descriptions	Link hidden far below the fold	Only the first lines show before “…more”
A short, friendly reason to click nearby	A bare link with no context	A tiny prompt lifts click-through
Links checked and updated regularly	Old links to a site you’ve moved	Broken links waste your best traffic

None of this is complicated, it’s just intentional. A minute of thought when you set up your links is the difference between them being decorative and them actually working. Treat that little bit of banner and description space like the valuable storefront window it is.

How do I add or edit links on my phone?

I know not everyone has a laptop handy, so let’s talk mobile. The honest truth is that the full Customization link-editing experience is smoothest on a desktop browser. But you’re not stuck.

On the YouTube app, tap your profile picture, go to Your channel, and look for the Edit option (sometimes shown as a pencil or an “Edit” button near your channel info). Depending on your app version, you may be able to edit your description and add links there. If the app is being stubborn or hiding the links section, open your mobile browser, go to the desktop version of YouTube Studio, and edit your links exactly as you would on a computer. It’s a little fiddly on a small screen, but it works in a pinch.

For adding links to video descriptions, the mobile app is actually quite capable. Go to your video, tap edit, and you can paste your link right into the description. So even fully phone-based, you can absolutely get your website linked. Don’t let “I don’t have my laptop” become the reason it never gets done.

How do I know if my links are actually working?

This is where most people stop, and it’s a shame, because adding a link and never checking if anyone uses it is like planting seeds and never looking at the garden. You want to know which placement is pulling its weight.

Here’s the honest method rather than me quoting you some made-up click number. First, use a link that tells you where the traffic came from. You can add simple tracking parameters to your URL (UTM tags) so your website analytics show “this visit came from YouTube.” Free tools let you build these tagged links in seconds, and then your site’s analytics dashboard reveals how many people are actually arriving from your channel.

Second, watch your own patterns over time. Did traffic tick up after you added the link to your video descriptions? Did a particular video’s link outperform others? Your real numbers, from your real audience, are the only ones that matter, and they’ll teach you far more than any generic benchmark. If you want a broader view of how your channel is performing alongside your other platforms, leaning on a solid social media analytics tool pulls all of that into one place so you’re not hopping between five dashboards trying to piece the story together.

The goal isn’t to obsess. It’s just to stay curious enough that you keep the placements that work and quietly fix the ones that don’t.

How does this fit into growing my channel overall?

Linking your website is one lovely piece of a bigger picture, and I don’t want you to treat it as a one-and-done chore that lives in isolation. The channels that actually turn viewers into website visitors, subscribers, and customers are the ones that show up consistently and make every touchpoint work together.

Think of it this way: your videos bring people in, your banner and descriptions guide them to your website, and your website turns that attention into something lasting, a signup, a sale, a deeper relationship. Each part supports the others. And the more consistently you publish, the more chances people have to notice your link and click. Consistency is genuinely the quiet engine behind all of it, which is why so many creators lean on scheduling. If planning and publishing steadily is where you struggle, our guide on how to schedule social media posts lays out a calm, repeatable system that keeps you showing up without the daily scramble.

And if YouTube is part of a wider push where you’re also building an audience on Instagram, TikTok, or elsewhere, the same principle applies: link thoughtfully everywhere, stay consistent, and let each platform feed the others. The tactics in how to grow on Instagram pair naturally with what you’re doing on YouTube, because the underlying habits, clear calls to action and steady presence, carry across every network. For the full playbook on tying it all together, our roundup of social media management tips is a great next read.

Your quick recap

Let me hand you the whole thing in one tidy summary so you can act on it right now:

• Add links: YouTube Studio, then Customization, then Basic info, then the Links section. Add your website, set your top link first, and hit Publish.
• Verify: Confirm your account at youtube.com/verify with your phone number so links display cleanly.
• Descriptions: Put your website link near the top of video descriptions, and set an upload default so it auto-fills every time.
• Polish: Use clear titles, add a tiny reason to click, and keep links current.
• Measure: Use tracking links and your own analytics to see what actually sends traffic, then double down on what works.

That’s it. You now know every place a link can live on YouTube and exactly how to put it there. Go get your website in front of the audience you’ve worked so hard to build. You’ve got this, and it really is as simple as it now feels.

Frequently asked questions

Where exactly do I add a website link to my YouTube channel?

Open YouTube Studio, click Customization, then the Basic info tab, and scroll to the Links section. Click Add link, enter a title and your full URL, arrange your links so the most important is on top, then click Publish. Your links appear on your About page, and your top ones can show on your channel banner.

Why is my website link not showing on my YouTube banner?

The most common reasons are that you forgot to click Publish, the change simply needs time to appear, or your channel isn’t verified yet. Banner link buttons also show most clearly on desktop rather than the mobile app. Verify your account and give it a few hours, then refresh from a different device.

Do I need to be verified to add links to YouTube?

You can add links in your settings without anything special, but verifying your account with a phone number at youtube.com/verify helps your links, especially external website links, display fully and reliably. You do not need to be in the Partner Program just to put your website on your banner and About page.

Can I add a website link to my YouTube video descriptions?

Yes, and it’s one of the best places to do it. In Studio, open the video, scroll to the Description box, and paste your full URL so it becomes clickable. Place it near the top so it shows before the “…more” cutoff, and set an upload default so your link auto-fills on every new video.

How can I tell if people are clicking my YouTube links?

Add tracking parameters, like UTM tags, to your website URL so your site’s analytics show which visits came from YouTube. Then watch your own traffic over time to see which placement drives the most clicks. Your real numbers from your real audience will guide you far better than any generic benchmark.