YouTube has announced new policies to fight spam and fraud on its platform.

Beginning on August 31, 2023, links in YouTube Shorts comments and descriptions will slowly become unclickable.

YouTube says this change aims to cut down on spam and scams.

The company will launch a new way for creators to share key links on their channel pages. Creators can start setting up these new profile links on August 10, and viewers will see them beginning August 23.

Additionally, YouTube is removing banner links entirely, starting August 10, 2023.

A New Approach to Channel Links

YouTube is rolling out a new feature for creators to showcase important links on their channel pages, moving away from the traditional banner links.

This will allow creators to directly display links they want to highlight on their channel pages, providing a more intuitive and seamless way for viewers to access key content.

Rather than having links tucked away in banners, creators can feature links prominently on their channel pages.

Fostering Content Discovery through Content Links

YouTube will start introducing content links for Shorts videos in late September.

With these links, creators can connect their Shorts videos to other Shorts. This can promote cross-promotion between creators and help viewers find more related content.

The apparent goal is to strengthen the YouTube Shorts ecosystem by making it more interconnected and cohesive.

Enhanced Editing & Linking Capabilities

YouTube’s September update will give creators more options to connect Shorts with other content and leverage them in new ways.

Creators will be able to edit Shorts directly in Studio Desktop. Additionally, they’ll be able to add links to related videos in their Shorts, no matter the length or privacy setting of those videos.

Further, creators will have a one-click button on their Shorts to easily link them to long videos, connect multi-part Shorts, promote live streams, advertise video sales, and experiment with different uses.

In Summary

YouTube’s linking changes aim to curb abusive linking while allowing creators to share legitimate content.

Starting August 31, links in Shorts will become unclickable. Starting August 10, banner links will be removed and creators can add new profile links.

In the meantime, viewers should be vigilant about clicking unknown links in YouTube Shorts.

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