YouTube Handle or Custom URL? Which Channel Link a Dubai Business Should Put on a Tap Card

A card that promotes your channel is only as good as the link behind it. YouTube's help page on channel URLs lists four link types, and one of them can no longer be created, so the question of the best YouTube channel link for a card or stand has a clear answer.

The four link types, per YouTube

• Channel ID URL: youtube.com/channel/ followed by your unique channel ID, a string of letters and numbers.
• Handle URL: youtube.com/@ followed by your handle. YouTube creates it automatically when you choose or change your handle as the channel owner.
• Custom URL: youtube.com/c/ followed by a name. YouTube states that new custom URLs can no longer be set up or changed. Existing ones keep working.
• Legacy username URL: youtube.com/user/. Usernames are no longer required, existing ones still work, and they cannot be changed.

YouTube adds that all of these lead to your channel homepage, and legacy URLs redirect to your handle-based address.

Which one to use on a card

For a new card or stand, the handle URL is the sensible choice: it is short, readable, and it is the format YouTube now creates for every channel. A channel that was never given a custom URL has nothing else short to use. If your business already has a custom URL, it still works, but you do not need it on a new card.

How to find your handle URL

1. Sign in to YouTube Studio.
2. In the left menu choose Customization, then Basic info.
3. Under Handle, you will see your handle URL.

YouTube also says you can see every URL tied to your channel at youtube.com/handle.

Before you print or program anything

• Open the link on a phone that is not signed in to your account and confirm it lands on your channel.
• Decide on your handle first. If you change it later, re-test any printed QR code or programmed card and update it if the link stops working.
• Check spelling in the QR code by scanning it before you order a batch.

Cards and stands for a channel

A YouTube NFC Card with QR Code (AED 29) suits staff and front desks, while a YouTube NFC Stand with QR (AED 59) works for a counter or table where customers can tap or scan with no app needed. Both simply open your channel link, so a clean handle URL matters. Neither adds subscribers on its own; they make it quick for a viewer who is already interested to find you.

Source: YouTube Help, "Find your channel URL" page (support.google.com/youtube). Check it for the latest rules before you finalise a link.

Common questions

Do we need a custom URL for the card? No. The handle URL leads to the same channel homepage. Can we use the older channel ID link? It works, but it is long and hard to read, which matters on printed material. What should the card say? A short line such as "Watch our channel" tells customers why they are tapping, which is more useful than the link alone.