YouTube is on the move. A lot of my fellow marketers’ YouTube accounts have been disabled in the last few days. Like before, they don’t give exact reasons for the slap. My account is still active as of today but I think it won’t be long before they get to me. Personally I don’t think we are doing anything wrong but you know how to Internet big boys (Google, Facebook, YouTube, Twitter) are like. They can basically do what they want. I don’t think there is anything you can do to ensure your account is safe. However, there are certainly a few steps you can take to reduce the chance of your current or any future YouTube accounts being slapped, as well as to ensure any videos on your marketing funnel or website remain active even if you get slapped.
1. Do not have multiple YouTube accounts
I really don’t know how strict they are with this and I don’t even know if this is the reason many people get slapped. However, to be safe, it is a good idea to have only one account with the same name and email address. I suppose there is no way they can track you if you use a different name or completely different email account. Please let me know if any of you knows any better.
2. Do not submit video to YouTube using Traffic Geyser or other automated software
I think any automated software is bad for YouTube. TubeBlasterPro users got into trouble many months ago and I think Traffic Geyser is no exception. You can still use Traffic Geyser to upload videos to multiple other video sites but don’t include YouTube in your submission. You should always upload video to YouTube manually.
3. Don’t blatantly promote a product on your YouTube videos
One of my friend who got slapped was told by YouTube that she shouldn’t be promoting other companies on YouTube. So my advice is not to put a website address on the video itself, do it on the description instead. If you need to host a video with a strong call to action, host it somewhere else.
4. Use a paid video hosting service for videos on your website or marketing funnel
Free hosting is great but if you rely on these videos to make you money, it is important to have it hosted in somewhere more secure. If you have a lot of traffic to your website or marketing funnel, a slap can really cost you a lot of money, especially if you only find that out a few days later. Personally I have moved most of my website videos to Amazon S3. It is a very reliable video storage service and a lot of top internet marketers use it. It is a pay as you use service and charges by amount of data stored and transferred. To play the video, you need a separate video player. I personally use EasyVideoPlayer, which you have to buy the software for a one time cost but there is no recurring cost. You can add link, opt in form or redirect viewers to a website of your choice at the end of the video.
5. Use other video hosting services like Viddler or Metcafe
If you are not ready to move up to paid video hosting yet, then other video sites which have less history of slapping is safer if you want to put your website or marketing funnel videos there.
6. Respect copyright rules and guidelines in your YouTube video
Do you use any copyrighted pictures or video clips on your YouTube. This includes screen capture of other people’s website. If you go to your account setting in your YouTube account, you can find out if your account is in good standing. I believe you are more likely to get slapped if you have violated their guidelines in the past.
These are by no means golden rules as nobody knows exactly why YouTube slap an account. These steps are derived from personal experience, common sense and by talking to other marketers. If you know any better, please leave your comment and contribute to this post for the benefit of all readers and marketers.
To Your Success,
Ket-Sang Tai
