7 Costly Mistakes to Avoid After Uploading Your YouTube Video
Uploading a YouTube video may seem straightforward, but there are several critical settings and mistakes that can make or break your video’s success. In this comprehensive guide, we’ll cover the 7 most common pitfalls to avoid to ensure your videos have the best chance of going viral and driving real results for your channel.
Table of Contents
Mistake #1: Altered Content Setting
The Altered Content setting relates to AI-generated content. Many creators make the mistake of either marking non-AI content as “altered” or failing to disclose when their videos are primarily AI-generated. Only mark your video as altered content if it features AI-generated voices, avatars, or fake AI videos. Minor use of AI for scripting or thumbnails does not count.
Regardless of AI usage, your content must be high-quality and deliver real value. Misleading clickbait or low-effort “AI slop” will lead to a poor viewer experience, and YouTube’s algorithms will eventually catch on and penalize your channel. Focus on creating top-tier content that engages and satisfies your audience.
Mistake #2: Player for Education
The Player for Education setting is designed for videos specifically made to be viewed in classroom settings. For the vast majority of creators, this setting should always be turned OFF. Enabling it by mistake can cause your views to nosedive.
Real example: The video creator’s 50-year-old brother accidentally enabled Player for Education on his new channel based on bad advice from another YouTuber. It completely halted his channel growth until he turned it off again. After fixing the setting, his revenue recovered to $214 per day within the first month and $440 per day after 3 months.
Mistake #3: Made for Kids
Similar to Player for Education, the Made for Kids setting should only be used if your content is explicitly designed for young children, like Cocomelon or Blippi. Just because your content is family-friendly does NOT mean you should enable Made for Kids.
Marking normal videos as Made for Kids will tank your views and subject your content to much stricter scrutiny from YouTube. For 99% of creators, keep this turned off.
Mistake #4: Inappropriate Words
Within your video settings, there is an option to “Don’t show inappropriate words”. In most cases, this should be enabled. Many advertisers will avoid videos with profanity or inappropriate language in the title, description, or captions.
Even if you didn’t actually swear in your video, YouTube’s auto-captions can sometimes misinterpret speech as profanity. To avoid losing out on ad revenue, make sure the “Don’t show inappropriate words” setting is turned ON.
Mistake #5: Disabling Monetization
Never disable monetization on your videos. Even if you think your audience is too sophisticated for ads, disabling monetization will make YouTube less likely to promote your content. If viewers want an ad-free experience, they can use YouTube Premium or an ad-blocker.
Enable ALL available ad formats, including skippable video ads, overlay ads, and mid-roll ads. YouTube has begun testing AI that serves the most relevant and engaging ad types for each viewer, leading to 20-30% higher RPMs for many creators.
Mistake #6: Deleting Videos
One of the biggest mistakes you can make is deleting videos that don’t perform well right away. Many successful creators have had videos that generated very little traffic at first, only to take off and get millions of views months or even years later.
YouTube’s algorithms can take time to figure out the optimal way to promote your video through search, suggested videos, and browse features. Some of my own videos have gone from a few thousand views to hundreds of thousands or millions of views over extended periods. Never delete a video just because it doesn’t go viral instantly.
Mistake #7: Age Restriction
The age restriction setting prevents viewers under 18 from watching your video. This should only be used for mature content specifically made for adult audiences. For the vast majority of advertiser-friendly content, age restriction should be turned off.
Unnecessarily restricting your videos will severely limit your reach and make it much harder to get views. Unless you’re creating content that is firmly aimed at adult viewers, keep age restriction disabled.
Key Takeaways for YouTube Success
Growing a successful YouTube channel requires understanding the key settings and avoiding critical mistakes that can hinder your progress. To recap, here are the essential takeaways:
Stop writing content.
Start owning your industry.
First-page Google rankings capture 91.5% of all search traffic — the rest is invisible. AuthorityRank monitors the leading experts in your niche and transforms their insights into branded, SEO-optimized articles — published automatically.
Free trial · No credit card required
- Properly disclose AI usage and focus on quality over gimmicks
- Disable Player for Education and Made for Kids unless your content is explicitly educational or for young children
- Filter inappropriate words to maximize ad revenue
- Enable all monetization options to increase promotion potential
- Never delete underperforming videos prematurely
- Avoid unnecessary age restrictions
By implementing these best practices and consistently delivering high-value, engaging content for your target audience, you’ll be well on your way to YouTube success. Remember, building a thriving channel takes time and persistence, but avoiding these common pitfalls will help accelerate your growth and monetization.
For more insights on developing a profitable YouTube strategy, check out the creator’s free live training workshop. You’ll learn advanced techniques to identify winning niches, skyrocket your traffic, and turn your passion into a full-time video business.